The Right Web Designer

The year 2020 was a paradigm shift for small businesses. The discovery of the virtual space created opportunities for some and challenges for others. One of these challenges is the demand for an online presence. The website design scammers and “want-to-be’s” made this challenge more complicated for business owners. Over the last 18 months, I have met over a dozen business owners who told me about their calamitous experience of hiring someone to build their website. They only learned that the person ran with their money and never delivered the website. This experience inspired me to put together this article to help my fellow business owners find the right website company for their business.

How to Find the Right Web Design Agency?

It can be challenging to choose the right website design agency for your business. Simply typing “web design company” into Google will return thousands of results, many of which appear to be the same at first glance.

You will most likely try to refine your search (maybe by shortlisting the top ten results) and start reviewing each portfolio. This is a good start, but it only gives you a sliver of the value an agency can provide to your company’s growth.

In this article, we will look at the top tips for finding a website design agency for your business:

Portrait of an Ideal Web Design Agency

First and foremost, never hire a web design agency based exclusively on their low pricing. You may have to pay more for “extra essentials” if you pick cheap web design services.

So instead of pricing, here is what you should look for in a web design agency:

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

If your website does not appear in search results, it is not doing your online presence any favors. Therefore, your web design agency should know how to optimize your website to rank higher in Google searches. Otherwise, you will have to install a plugin to optimize your website, which will cost you extra and potentially slow down your website.

Plugins

Another critical element is the use of plugins. You should inquire with your web design agency if their platform necessitates the use of plugins. Why is this important? Because, as mentioned earlier, plugins can cost you money and increase your website’s loading time. They can also make your website vulnerable to cyber-attacks, and as plugin drivers become obsolete, they become incompatible with your website, resulting in broken links or non-functional pages. Therefore, choose a web design agency that uses built-in widgets rather than plugins because the former makes websites more interactive, reduces loading times, and does not incur additional costs.

Google Core Web Vitals

According to Google’s latest Page Experience update, it will use ‘user-friendly browsing’ as one factor while ranking a website. To take your website higher up in search results, the web design agency should prioritize UX and remove any elements that may impede a seamless experience.

Backup System

Backups can be your lifesavers when things go south—e.g., when you lose important files or your website gets hacked or breaks down after an update. Therefore, only work with a web design firm that offers you full access to your website and domain so that you can quickly back up your files whenever needed.

Responsive Design

Partnering with an agency that offers responsive web design services is the only way to go. Responsive websites deliver the best user experience regardless of the device being used. Since these websites dynamically adjust to screen size, they can be viewed on all screens and devices. It is also worth noting that responsive design is one of the ranking factors—therefore, an ideal web design agency should work hard to make your website responsive.

Month-to-Month Hosting

Check with your web design company to see if they offer their services on a contractual basis or if they are willing to host your site on a monthly basis. We recommend that you choose a company that also provides the option of monthly hosting so that you are not bound by a written contract.

Quick Tips

Could you perhaps take a look at the website of a potential web design agency before contacting them? If you do not like their website, chances are you will not like the one they design for you. Also, check out their sample designs rather than just a few sites from their portfolio. These can tell you a lot about their capabilities as a design firm.

It can be tricky to find a good web design agency. When you do find one, though, it will be one of the most valuable components of your company’s marketing strategy.

At JLT Web Design and Digital Marketing, we implement an affordable and all-inclusive web solution package that offers you responsive design and “The Power of Unlimited”—unlimited pages, unlimited updates, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited emails, unlimited storage, and unlimited 24/7 customer care support.

Jeff Thungc is a Digital Solutions Strategist with JLT Web Design and Digital Marketing, helping local businesses to increase revenue and reduce expense through leveraging the Internet and technology. Jeff strategizes with business owners to arrive at solutions to help them capitalize on the trend to increase brand visibility, visibility, and profitability. Schedule a free consultation with Jeff at (206) 429-4621, jeff.thungc@JLTWebSolutions.com | www.JLTWebSolutions.com