A website is a website is a website, right?
WRONG.
With a little guidance, anyone can design a website. Some might even make a good one. But, are we shooting for good, or are we shooting for rockstar?
Our guess is, if you had your druthers, your company would have the best damn website you've ever seen. It would be user-friendly, intuitive, and aesthetically pleasing—so much so, that your customers would be telling everyone and their grandmother to go check it out. Is this a fairy-tale? A pipe-dream? It doesn't have to be.
With the right expertise, website design (or redesign) is actually more affordable than most people realize. And what's better, even a relatively complex site can be completely revamped and ready to rock-and-roll in under a month. The key, however, is finding a design or development firm with a killer portfolio of web projects, and a record of more-than-satisfied clients.
But, maybe it's easier said than done--and we get that. Today's digital world has spurred a proliferate ammount of web-design firms, so how do you know which firm will:
- Give you the most bang for your buck?
- Adhere to the agreed upon timeline and deadlines?
- Produce an award-worthy, user-friendly website?
- Provide friendly, attentive, diligent customer service?
This is not an unreasonable wishlist; if you're investing your time, trust, and budget, these are all standards that you need to demand. To further this, here are some great tips and tricks on finding, not only the most qualified resources for your website, but the right resources:
Choose a company with a well-rounded team of subject matter experts:Programmers are great... but where you get exceptional results is from a firm that provides an end-to-end platform of talent. It's not just about the portfolio, guys. You also need to gage experience. Let us be clear; lack of experience doesn't indicate mediocrity. Lack of experience indicates lack of experience. A seasoned web development team possesses wisdom and insider know-how that only comes from time and repeated results.
Choose a company willing to put their money where their mouth is:Never do business with a firm that isn't willing to sign a contract. You deserve to know exactly what you're paying for, and those terms and deliverables need to be in writing. If you have a list of non-negotiables, require your chosen firm to include them within the contract.
Choose a company with user-experience (UX) expertise:Yeah, sure... a website can entice viewers with it's look, but looks can kill. If your prospects and customers can't navigate through information with ease, you're a sure bet for abandonment. UX is a proven technique for maximizing your ROI, but don't just take our word for it:
Don't be afraid to ask questions, and expect answers. Chances are, you're not a web design expert. If you were, you'd be doing the redesign yourself! You'll probably have a cornucopia of questions, and any company worth your time and money should be HAPPY to answer each and every one of them. Even if you ask the same question five times (we'll even go as far as SIX). So go ahead, ask away, and make sure you're 100% comfortable with the answers.
But wait, one last thing... We'd be remiss not to mention one of our golden philosophies:"If You Build It, They Won't Come."Do we have your attention? Check out our next post and learn why even the most beautifully designed site fail to increase leads and traffic without implementing website optimization best practices and read how you can steer clear of this completely avoidable pitfall!