10 Important Questions to Ask when Hiring a Web Design Firm

There are tons of web design firms to choose from, but finding one that is capable of creating a website that aligns with your vision is no easy task. A great web design firm should be able to create a website that is visually stunning while at the same time search engine-friendly. Furthermore, a website must be able to generate more leads and sales for your business. Hiring a web design firm is an incredibly important investment because your website is like your store front. It’s a bad idea to base your decision of which web design firm to hire solely on price. You need to be sure that the web design firm is truly capable of creating a visual representation of your business. After all, a badly designed site can misrepresent your business and cause you to lose customers. To ensure that you hire a qualified web design firm that can deliver exactly what you want, the following are 10 important questions to ask during the interview process.

1. How much experience do you have as a web design company? Do you have any qualifications?

The length of time that a web design firm has been in business is a good indicator of how stable, skillful, and successful it is. A web design firm that has been in business for a long time surely has a strong reputation that is built on deliverance of quality work and good customer service. It’s a good idea to select a web design firm that has been in business for a while because it’s more likely that they will be around in the future to help you maintain and update your website. It’s also good to find out what kind of qualifications that the web design firm has. Experience in the field is more important than anything but a combination of higher education and experience is the best.

2. What other services do you offer besides web design?

Find out what other services the firm offers besides web design. Some web design firms offer copywriting, SEO, internet marketing, social media marketing, blog promotion, Adwords campaign management, and more. The key to success is finding a company that offers the services you require. That way you can find a one stop solution to your marketing/design needs.

3. Will you spend some time learning more about my business in order to provide me with a customized and formal proposal?

Find a web design firm that is willing to take the time necessary to offer customized solutions for your website. In order to understand what your goals are, determine who you are competing against, and find out exactly what your web design needs are, a web design firm can provide you with a questionnaire to fill out. The firm needs to understand what your overall business goals are to be able to create a website that fits with your desired brand image. After all, your website will play a prominent role in your overall branding strategy.

4. Do you charge the full design fee upfront or do you charge it in installments?

Be wary of a web design firm that charges the full fee upfront for designing your entire site. Typically, a web design firm will charge a deposit upfront and then have you pay in installments in accordance with agreed milestones.

5. What is your non-disclosure and privacy policy?

In order to create a website that fits your needs, a web design firm will need to access important, confidential information about your company. You probably don’t want your competitors to have access to this information, particularly if you have a new business, since someone could easily steal your concept before you even have the chance to launch your business. To prevent important information from leaking, make sure that the web design company you work with has a solid non-disclosure and privacy policy in place.

6. What is your typical turnaround time?

A reputable web design firm should have an effective timeline in place and know what the average turnaround will be for projects similar to your own. Make sure all aspects of your project such as ecommerce, logo, and corporate branding are included in the proposed timeline.

7. Do you offer copywriting services?

Although the design of your site is what grabs their attention and gets them to focus on what’s important, the copy on your site is what does the selling. Find out if the web design firm you want to hire offers copywriting services and if the copy is search engine optimized. Not only should the copy appeal to humans and effectively promote your business, it should be optimized for target keywords so it ranks highly on the major search engines.

8. Will the website be search engine-friendly?

Make sure that the web design firm can help you create a website that is fully optimized for the search engines. Find out if the cost of SEO services is included in the web design quote. The last thing you want to do is have a web design firm create a website for you, only to find out that you have to pay more money to get many parts of the site redone because they are not search engine-friendly.

9. What do you do during the website testing phase?

When the web design firm tests your site’s quality, they should check for broken links, do browser testing, and conduct general usability tests to ensure that website visitors can easily navigate and interact with your site. Make sure you can see the site while it is still in the development phase so you can check its quality and appearance before the launch date and request adjustments as necessary.

10. What do you charge for updates to the website after the site has already launched?

Find out what the web design firm charges anytime you need to update your site once it is complete. Think about how often you will need to update your site, and determine how the web design firm handles updates and maintenance. You may want to consider getting a site that has a content management system (CMS) if you will require frequent updates. Even those with little technical know-how can tweak websites that use a CMS.