About 96% of people who visit your website aren’t ready to make a purchase. Meanwhile, 65% of businesses are struggling to generate traffic and leads. Without an eye-catching website designed with lead generation in mind, you could miss the chance to grow your business.
Before that can happen, consider hiring an experienced website design agency in Florida this year. With their help, you can use your website as the foundation for the rest of your digital marketing strategy.
Not sure which website design company to hire? Read on for the tips you need to find the best in the industry!
Establish Needs
Not every website design company will offer the specific services you need to accomplish your goals. To save time during your search, start by outlining your specific needs. Then, you can make sure the website design companies on your list offer services that align with your goals.
For example, perhaps you only need someone to update the appearance of your website. Maybe you need website design and development services to improve the functionality of your website.
Perhaps you need someone with eCommerce experience instead to begin accepting sales through your site. Maybe you need a team that can also help you develop a mobile app.
Think about how your website will help you accomplish your long-term digital marketing goals, too. For example, maybe you want to:
- Generate more traffic
- Retain visitors (to increase dwell times)
- Reduce your bounce rate
- Increase brand awareness and recognition
- Improve your search engine rankings (SEO)
- Create landing pages for pay-per-click (PPC)
- Establish yourself as a thought leader in the industry
- Gain credibility
- Increase form submissions or online sales
If you want to improve your dwell times and bounce rate, focus on user experience (UX) design trends. Look for an agency that can help you appeal to Google’s Core Web Vitals, too.
To improve your search engine rankings on Google, you’ll need search engine optimization (SEO). SEO involves your content and the backend of your website.
Keeping these considerations in mind during your search can help you find the right website design company for the task.
Look for Years of Experience
Once you’ve established your needs, look for an experienced team of website designers capable of accomplishing the goals you’ve set.
Consider how long each website design company on your list has been in business. Companies in less expensive states, like Florida, can usually offer more affordable pricing than a company in say, New York. A more experienced team will likely have a website design process already in place. An organized process can ensure efficiency and that usually translates to cost savings.
The sooner your website is up and running, the sooner you can begin accomplishing your goals. However, the agency shouldn’t rush through the process. Instead, they should know how to remain organized to stick to the approved schedule.
Review your goals and consider the services you’ll need, too. How long has the agency provided those services? For example, if they’re brand new to offering mobile app development, they might struggle to meet your needs.
A more experienced team will have an easier time meeting your needs and exceeding your expectations.
Ask About Areas of Expertise
Understanding your website design needs can also help you determine which specialists are right for the job.
First, determine how long the web designers on the team have worked in the industry. Consider how many websites they’ve worked on within that time.
If you need fresh copy for your website, you’ll also need a copywriter. Make sure the copywriter has experience with SEO copy as well.
To improve the user experience on your site, you’ll need someone with years of UX design experience. Otherwise, people who visit your website might leave disappointed. As they leave, your bounce rate will increase, hurting your rankings on Google.
As your rankings drop, future customers might struggle to find your website during a relevant search.
In fact, 88% of online shoppers won’t return to a website after a bad user experience.
The appearance of your website could impact your reputation, too. Nearly 50% of consumers say a website’s design is the number one factor they consider when determining a business’s credibility. About 94% say bad design is the main reason they don’t trust certain websites.
If your website design is lacking, consumers won’t trust your brand. If they can’t trust you, they won’t shop with you.
Make sure each company on your list has a team of specialists prepared to accomplish your goals.
Review Their Services
Remember, understanding your goals can help you determine what services you need. These could include:
- Web design and development
- Website hosting (Avoid companies who provide hosting in-house)
- Logo design and graphic design
- Mobile app development
- Copywriting
- UI/UX design
- SEO
- Branding
- Video marketing
- Social media marketing
Find an agency that offers a mix of creative technology and digital marketing services under one roof. If you need help with a different service in the future, you’ll have peace of mind knowing you can rely on the same team.
The marketing team will also have a better understanding of your website, which could save time as they develop your future campaigns.
Consider Maintenance Needs
Ask each web design agency if they also offer maintenance services.
For example, what if your website breaks down? Ask the agency if they’re able to back up your website on a routine basis. You’ll have peace of mind knowing there’s a recent backup if there’s ever an issue with your site.
Routine maintenance can also include plugin updates. Sometimes, making these updates on your own can cause your site to crash or by not doing updates at all, you leave your site vulnerable to attacks. Having your web team handle it can safeguard you from most issues, but you’ll have the peace of mind that if an issue arises, they will be quick to respond and resolve the issue.
Learn About Their Process
Ask the website design companies on your list about their process.
They should start by learning about your business, industry, and customers. Otherwise, they won’t personalize your website with your customers in mind. Personalization can help you appeal to a distinct target audience.
You could have an easier time converting those visitors into leads or sales through personalization.
Will they allow you to make revisions before they finalize your new site? Will they let you see a mock-up of the new design first?
Understanding the company’s process can help you gauge how long they’ll need to complete your project. It can also help you find a team with an efficient plan in place.
Read Reviews
Check each company’s website for a testimonials page. You can also check their Google Business listing for customer reviews.
Reading online reviews can help you learn more about each company. For example, you might find complaints about the company’s professionalism or response times. Maybe their clients sing the company’s praises instead.
If you find too many complaints listed on their profile, remove that company from your list. Instead, find a team with a glowing reputation. Their reputation can give you peace of mind before they start working on your website.
Review Their Portfolio
Take the time to review each company’s portfolio of recent website projects. Reviewing their portfolio can help you determine if the company can meet your expectations.
Visit a few of the websites they’ve worked on, too. How do they look? Is each website easy to navigate and use?
If their previous projects fail to meet or exceed your expectations, remove them from your list.
Request Case Studies
Review the list of goals you want to accomplish after updating your website. For example, maybe you want to improve dwell times, conversions, or unique visitors. Ask each agency if they can provide case studies of their previous projects.
These case studies can help you determine if the company is also able to accomplish your goals.
Ask About Availability
Ask each company on your list how many other website projects they’re currently juggling. Ask how many people are currently on their team, too. This information can help you determine if they’re capable of taking on additional projects.
Otherwise, ask about their timeline. Determine how long it will take for them to accomplish your goals.
If the company isn’t able to start based on your timeline, remove them from your list.
Compare Prices
Only 43% of small businesses plan to invest in web performance. Meanwhile, 73% plan to invest in unique design. Investing in your website can set your business up for lasting growth and success.
Take a look at the list of services you need again. Then, determine how much you’re willing to invest in each one.
Ask each web company on your list for a list of the services they offer, along with pricing. Determine what’s included with each service or package. For example, do their web design services also include revisions, maintenance, or additional add-on work?
Then, compare your options. Instead of hiring the cheapest agency on your list, review your notes.
Make sure you’re choosing an experienced team that offers the services you need. They’ll accomplish your web design goals, benefiting your business more in the long run. Remember that cheapest is rarely the best.
Designed Right: Choose Wildcat Software Design as the Best Website Design Company in Florida
Don’t make the mistake of hiring an inexperienced website design company. Instead, use these tips to find an experienced team ready to accomplish your goals. With these tips, you can feel confident in your final choice.
With help from the right team, you can use your website to accomplish your goals and grow your business.
Eager to discover your new website? We can’t wait to get started.
Contact us today to discover how we can help.