6 Things to Consider When Choosing a Web Design Agency

Portfolio of Work

A solid portfolio of work is probably the most important quality or factor when choosing a web design agency for your project or brand. If you aren't happy with the portfolio samples you're seeing there is a good chance you might not like what they produce for you. Ask yourself - do you like their work and case study examples? Does the portfolio live up to what your expectations are of a web design branding agency? Do they have a wide variety of work and styles in place? Depending on your field, you may want to consider working with a company that specializes in your line of work. Here at E-dreamz we specialize in medical website design and development but work with other industries as well.

Communication Style

Talk to the agencies you are interested in about their communication style so it lines up with how you want to communicate about the project and process. For example you may want to know how often you’ll meet to discuss your project goals and process. Will you have one point of contact or many? Will you be able to speak to the design team directly or have to go through an account manager? Along with communication, be sure to discuss project timeline and the expected launch date. All of these things may play an important role in your site design process and help to keep the project smooth sailing.

Web Design & Development Process

Be sure to ask about the web design and development process so you can understand how they work as a team. Will you be provided wireframes for the project or will it go directly into design/build after an initial creative discussion? Be sure to ask if you will get to see mock-ups of your website design so you can get a visual guide of the website. Most agencies have a staging or beta site for you to review before you go live. The staging site will allow you to enter in content and refine your website to where you want it to be as well as make any changes or updates.

Reviews/Testimonials

Just because an agency has good looking websites doesn't mean they are easy to work with. You'll want to make sure you find reviews that talk about positive experiences as a whole. Look for an agency with multiple positive reviews from over the years as it could be a red flag if there are no recent reviews from clients. On the flip side, it is also beneficial to look at unfiltered reviews or reviews with a little bit of critique so you can spot any weaknesses that might not work for your company.

Experience

When it comes to experience you'll want to find out how long the agency has been around as well as if they have any experience in the filed in which you are in. Companies with more experience tend to have better systems in place and employees who have worked there longer.

• Case studies or portfolio examples can be a good indicator of how long a company has been around. Less work usually means they haven't been in business too long and are newer to the industry.

On-Going Support

Once your website is live you'll need to have a good support team in place from the agency you go with. From small things like updating pictures and content to larger items like adding in sections or functionality to your site will be important in the long run for on-going changes. You'll also want to ask about digital marketing so you can advertise your website best on the web and through various social media channels.