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Who are the best web design companies? Who should you hire and how will you be sure you made the right choice?

We (WhyteSpyder) are obviously going to be biased on this topic, but, whether or not you hire us to handle your web design and digital marketing needs, there are some key points that you should consider when hiring a web design company. It really doesn’t matter if you are starting a new site or revamping an existing site, the same rules apply and paying attention to these basics will help you make a smarter business decision.

Budget
Yes, you need to have a budget in mind. Many clients think that stating a budget is a way for design firms to get as much revenue as possible for the job. In some cases, this may be true. However, the best web design firms will be able to provide a more accurate proposal and possibly more benefits when they know your budget. Simply not knowing or mentioning your budget is much more risky on your part as it will increase the chances for your project to go over budget and could also delay production. You should set two budgets, one that is conservative and one that is your maximum allowance. A good web design firm will share your goal for the conservative budget.

Service
Honestly, it’s not as much about all the super-technical skills, programming abilities and wonderful design abilities. Those things matter, but, what matters most is your service. Just as the name implies, and like any other service oriented business, service is critical. From initial meetings, planning, project management, delivery, maintenance and deadlines, service is the cornerstone of the entire web design process. Don’t be fooled by high tech, fast-talking snobs that tell you everything he or she knows (I’ve met many of these people before and service is the last thing in their mind). Bottom line, this is business, and you need a digital firm that listens, researches, plans, communicates and supports you and your business. And finally, service is not something that just your account executive needs to practice, it has to be threaded throughout the entire company in every action.

Experience
Just like service mentioned above, experience in web design has a lot to do with the key leaders of the company. Executives should not all be programmers and software masters, but rather, they should be a mixture of professional leaders with experiences in the web design industry, marketing and business. 50 percent of web design is creative and programming. The other 50 percent is account servicing, marketing planning, agreements, business, accounting, etc (typical business stuff). You should inquire about the key players in the design firm and have a basic understanding of the company’s mission.

Pricing
Web design pricing involves more than just the final dollar amount of the project. It also involves how the company bills for a project and the willingness to work with your needs. Is the company charging per hour, a flat-rate fee, a profit sharing model or a combination of any of these? There is really no right or wrong way, but depending on the scope of work, each model has its positives and negatives. Your web design firm should be willing to discuss different options, find creative solutions with you and have the underlying ambition to partner with you for success. That being said, beware of web designers that make unbelievable deals! Also, you should avoid using family and extended family for your web design needs. I’ve honestly never seen great things come to fruition with these type of deals and, in the end, you get what you pay for.

And yes, here’s our sales pitch: Contact WhyteSpyder today for your free consultation. We follow all the advice we give and we’ll be sure to give you better service than our competitors. We are not successful unless you are successful – and we want success!

A website that represents your company well is one thing, but a website that sells is another. A website that does both, well, that’s the goal – at least that’s what we think.

Good web design can be an subjective conversation and about every person will have his or her own opinion. You don’t want a subjective type of website, you want an objective website! How do you know which is which? Simple – analytics. Analytics are the most accurate, non-biased objective opinion about your site, and that’s really the opinion you should focus on and take actions against.

Over the years, I have consulted with numerous clients that like to demand what, in his or her opinion, is the best website for the business. Very few, if any, have really had an objective reason behind their statements. Most all of the cases really come down to a creative, artistic approach that he or she feels is best. This is always an expensive and frustrating lesson to learn because at the end of the day, they will be disappointed with the site’s performance and will not reap many rewards from their investment.

I like to compare this type of thinking to valuable paintings. An artists creates a painting and its value is very subjective at that point as only the artists really cares just how good the painting is. The artists exhibits the painting, then some people like it and some don’t – this is still a subjective stage. Even after a few people buy the painting, the subjective stage really continues until the painting has become a popular demand and the market itself begins giving the painting its value. Thus, the objective stage arrives – the market’s value. Despite what one or many people may feel subjectively, the market’s objective value is the going rate and there is not much opportunity for subjective opinions to interfere with that value. Get it?

Websites work the same way. The market sets the value of the website and the analytics are the tools, or measurements, of its value. Absolute unique visitors, bounce rate, exit rate, time on site, and many other sophisticated data-backed tools prove a site’s value. This objective point of view allows for intelligent decision making, not only for your site, but for your business. Data doesn’t lie.

Now, because of our experience at WhyteSpyder, we know about many features that increase positive and decrease negative market response on a site. We’re basically objective consultants that approach a website’s purpose to represent and sell a business well. There are proven tactics we rely on and proven failures we avoid.

Contact WhyteSpyder today for your free consultation. Market. Sell. Succeed.

Seems so obvious that it is really not worth discussing, but, it’s true that some businesses do not have a website. And, to be honest, the websites of some businesses would be better if they didn’t exist. Considering such reality, I feel it is important to at least throw out some brief reasons why having a website is critical in today’s world.

1. Exposure: We all know it’s true – and so do the owners of such products/services – that phone books, hard-copy maps and other traditional locating materials are declining in demand. Like it or not, it’s just the reality. It used to be natural for anyone to grab a phone book to find a business, but now days it’s more natural to hear people say “Google it.” The convenience and speed is simply superior to that of traditional sources. And, as human nature has proven time again, with speed and convenience comes a lack of patience in users, which means you better be present when people search, cause they won’t go out of their way to find you anymore. Reality check: customer loyalty is getting harder to keep.

2. Credibility: Customers or clients that specifically seek you out online but then realize you are not available will not only be disappointed and frustrated, but will also question the quality of your services or products. They’ll also wonder how long you’ll be in business. The convention is set and it’s only going to get stronger – every business is expected to have a website and it’s a complete shock if one doesn’t. Almost as shocking as the topic of this blog.

3. Information: Not really much to say more than the obvious here. A website should contain a lot of information about your business and it’s natural for clients/customers to assume you have more information on your site than anywhere else. At the very least, appropriate contact information is critical. Yes, this sounds silly, but there are plenty of websites out there that don’t provide this basic information.

This is all basic stuff, but for anyone out there that does not have a site, one major reason may be you simply do not know where to start. Or, you think it’s too expensive. We understand that, though you will be surprised at some of the options available. But remember, something isn’t necessarily better than nothing, which is why it is always a good idea to at least talk with web design professionals like WhyteSpyder before you make any decisions.

Thanks for reading!

Do you need a website? Do you need a better website? Do you have questions?
Contact WhyteSpyder today for a free consultation about your needs.
We’re happy to help you out – we want you to succeed!