Choosing The Best Website Design Company

Let’s face it, choosing a web design company is certainly easier said than done.  Comparing apples to apples is nearly impossible.  There is no standard website price, and no standard level of quality that you get for your money.  There are website companies that do a great job for a low price, and other website design companies that charge an arm and a leg for a broken, ugly, non-functional mess.

So How do you find the right website design company for you?

Ask Friends / fellow business owners.

As a web design company ourselves, we know it’s easy to make a small company look huge and reputable.  Anyone who has gone through the process will know how good a company is to deal with.  Did they complete the project on time?  Was the design what they asked for? How much did they pay?

Do an online search

Most businesses want to get found by Google.  So when you do a Google search, what businesses show up at the top?  That’s a good indication as to if the company knows anything about how to rank well in Google.  Some businesses don’t care to be found by Google.  In this case, maybe you go beyond page 1 of Google

Check Reviews

If you don’t have friends / business colleagues to ask, have a look online to see how well your top choices do in the rankings.  Be careful though – it’s not too difficult for any company to get a few good reviews.  The more reviews, generally, the more legit the reviews are. Look at Google, Facebook, and Yelp for reviews.

Comparing Companies

A website is an investment in your business.  Talk to at least a couple website companies before making a decision of who to use.  Who do you get a good feel with? Who is willing to meet in person?  The website company should ask what you are looking for in your website. Price shouldn’t be everything.  It’s a factor, but if two companies are in the same ballpark from a price point, then who will give you a better return on your investment.  For many companies, 1 extra sale could be the difference between a cheap website and an expensive one.

As a non-technical person, it may be difficult to determine a fair comparison between two different companies.  Some web designs look great, but cost little, others are the exact opposite.  Two identical designs may be drastically different to Google.

Ask about search engine optimization.  Ask what the company does to improve the Google Rankings. Take a look at the website designs – are they all the same template?  Is the company legit? Incorporated?  Been in business several years?  Does the company have any support staff? Often Web Design companies are 1 person who uses a template to do all their sites.  They may not know what is technically needed for Google besides a few plugins.  A larger company will likely have more expertise in what it takes to get found by Google.

Conclusions

Ask a friend / colleague, do a Google search.  Pick out a couple companies to call, or better yet meet in person.  Get a feel for what they may know, how legit their business is, and how well they know their stuff.  Let your gut be a good indicator as well. 

Don’t necessarily pick the cheapest designer. Cuz you just might get what you pay for…

PS - The image above shows an unfair choice.  I'm a sucker for donuts - but the apple looks good too.