When getting a new website, it’s important to know the right questions to ask your web design company. By asking the right questions, you can save yourself a lot of time, money, and hassle, and make sure you get the web design your business needs.
Whether you’re launching a new website or revamping an existing one, the questions you ask potential web designers can give you valuable insights. This way, you can better understand their approach, expertise, and compatibility with your project goals.
Let’s dive in to the 10 essential questions to ask your web design company before hiring them. These questions cover a range of important topics–from design options and user experience to SEO strategies and post-launch support–so you can make the right decision for your business.
With that, let’s get into the first question!
#1 – Can you show me some examples of your previous work?
When choosing a web design company, one of the first to do is get examples of their previous work. Reviewing a designer’s portfolio can provide invaluable insights into their style, versatility, and capability. However, it’s important to remember that digging through a designer’s portfolio isn’t just about admiring the aesthetics. Take the time to analyze the effectiveness and functionality of their designs in real-world scenarios.
Matching the designs from the portfolio to their live versions on the web is a step often overlooked. However, it can be highly revealing. When visiting these sites, check if the live versions still align with what was presented in the portfolio. Are there significant differences?
Be meticulous and look for visual errors or aspects of the site that might not function as expected. How does the site load? Is it quick and seamless, or do you encounter delays and hiccups? These factors might not be immediately apparent in a static portfolio but are important for user experience. Pay attention to small details like the alignment of elements, the readability of text, and the overall navigational flow.
While assessing these websites, remember that not all flaws or changes may be attributable to the original designer. Websites are dynamic. Some clients may make modifications post-launch that affect the design integrity.
However, noting these discrepancies provides an excellent opportunity to ask the designer how they keep design consistency and quality over time. Ask if they provide guidelines or support for clients to maintain the integrity of the website after handover.
A portfolio is more than just a collection of pretty designs. It’s a roadmap of a designer’s skills, problem-solving abilities, and attention to detail. By taking a deeper dive into their previous work, you can gather information that helps in making a well-informed decision.
#2 – Do you offer different web design options based on my goals?
This second question is an important one. It shows you just how flexibility your web design company is. Not every business requires an elaborate, intricately designed website. For some, functionality, simplicity, and budget are more important than advanced features or cutting-edge design.
You want to choose a web design company that understands and aligns with your specific goals–whether straightforward or highly customized.
On the other hand, certain companies might want a fully-custom website that mirrors their unique brand identity and values, setting them apart from competitors. They are willing to invest more for this type of service.
Some web design companies have fixed pricing models and a standardized approach to all projects. This could be advantageous if your requirements align with their offerings. But if not, this rigidity in pricing and design could prove to be a limitation, and you might end up paying for features you don’t want or need.
When discussing your project with potential web designers, clarify your primary objectives for the website and see how they respond. Are they willing to listen, ask questions, and create a plan that works best for you?
For most businesses, finding a web design company that fits their needs is important, and helps the job run smoothly, and end successfully.
#3 – What kind of research and analysis do you perform before starting a web design project?
A big part of choosing a web design company involves understanding their approach to pre-design research and analysis. It’s important to find a web design company that prepares before diving into the actual design process. This stage is often more about strategic business planning than just aesthetics, which is why many local marketing agencies often do a better job at effective web design than others.
A competent marketing and web design company will typically begin with in-depth keyword research within your field. This step is important for SEO purposes. Your website should not only look good, but also sends the right information to search engines. By understanding the keywords your target audience is using, the team can structure your website to align with search trends.
Competitor analysis is another vital component. A good marketing and design team will evaluate what your competitors are doing, identifying both their strengths and weaknesses. This insight helps in crafting a website that stands out in your industry.
Lastly, site structure is important and should be backed by real research. The team should plan a site structure that is intuitive and user-friendly. It should align with your customers and how they typically interact with websites in your industry. This involves considering the user experience, and the customer journey, so that the site is easy to navigate and achieves your objectives.
Look for a web design company that understands marketing, site structure, SEO, and other important elements before making your selection. It’s a bit more work upfront, but it’s much better than having a site that doesn’t function properly.
#4 – Can you describe your website development process from start to finish?
This is a key question when exploring potential partnerships with a web design company. Understanding this process is important for you as a client so you can set appropriate expectations and prepare adequately for your role in the project.
A transparent and structured development process is a hallmark of a professional web design company. Ideally, this process should be a collaborative journey that includes several key stages: initial consultation, strategy and planning, design, development, testing, launch, and post-launch support. Each stage should involve specific milestones and opportunities for client input and feedback.
However, it’s good to look at the composition of the team handling your project, especially if you are investing in a high-quality, custom site design. Many firms label themselves as ‘web design’ companies but may primarily consist of developers with limited design expertise. While development skills are important for building a functional website, the aesthetic and user experience aspects require genuine design talent.
Make sure that your web design company has a dedicated graphic design team with proven expertise in creating visually appealing and user-friendly interfaces–not just developers and coders.
Also, ask about their approach to project management and communication. How will they keep you informed about the project’s progress? What tools or platforms do they use for collaboration and feedback? Understanding these aspects will help you gauge how involved you can or should be throughout the process.
It’s also wise to ask about their testing procedures. How do they make sure the website is fully functional, responsive, and compatible across different browsers and devices?
Understanding the website development process from start to finish not only prepares you for the process but also provides vital insights into the company’s capabilities. It’s a significant step in making sure that you partner with a team that has the right balance of design creativity and technical capability to bring your vision to life.
#5 – How do you approach user experience and usability in your designs?
One of the most important questions is about user experience and usability in the web design itself. This question gets to the heart of whether a company prioritizes the end-user – your customers – in their design process. It’s essential that the company you choose adopts a customer-focused approach, so that the final design not only looks appealing but also facilitates a seamless and engaging user experience.
An approach based on user experience (UX) will typically start by gaining a deeper understanding of your audience. This includes researching user behaviors, preferences, and pain points. The goal is to create a website structure that intuitively guides users towards taking action.
The approach should involve designing with clarity and simplicity in mind. This means easy-to-read fonts, logical navigation, and a clean layout that directs users to the most important information without overwhelming them. The design should naturally lead users on a journey through the site, with each step purposefully crafted to encourage engagement and conversion.
On top of this, it’s important to know how the company keeps up with the latest UX trends and best practices. The digital landscape is constantly changing, and staying up-to-date is key to maintaining a competitive and relevant online presence.
Ultimately, the company’s approach to user experience and usability should be evident in their portfolio. Look for examples of websites that not only visually impress but also demonstrate an understanding of effective user pathways, clear calls-to-action, and an overall design that serves specific business goals.
Asking about a company’s approach to user experience and usability gives you insight into their design philosophy. It helps you gain insight into if, or how, they prioritize creating a website that resonates with your customers and encourages them to take action.
#6 – What is your approach to responsive design and cross-browser compatibility?
There are so many devices out there. And your customers visit your website in many different ways. Understanding how your web design company creates a responsive design, that works across all devices, browsers, and platforms, is important. If customers can’t use your website, they are essentially unable to do business with you.
So, what is a responsive design?
Responsive design refers to a website’s ability to change depending on different screen sizes and resolutions. A responsive design is easy to navigate and visually appealing, whether accessed from a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. A quality web design company should demonstrate a clear strategy for implementing responsive design.
Cross-browser compatibility is also important. This involves making sure the website works across different web browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. This is important because different browsers interpret website code differently, leading to variations in how your site is displayed. Make sure your web design company employs thorough testing to identify and fix any issues in different browser environments.
Inquire about the tools and technologies they use to achieve responsive design and cross-browser compatibility. Modern web design often employs front-end frameworks like Bootstrap or Foundation, which are designed to create responsive websites. Additionally, ask about their testing process. Do they use real devices and a range of browser versions for testing? How do they handle updates in browsers and mobile operating systems?
It’s important to understand how their approach to responsive design and cross-browser compatibility aligns with your website’s goals. If your target audience predominantly uses mobile devices, the design should prioritize mobile responsiveness and a mobile-first design approach.
Responsive design and browser compatibility is an important, but often overlooked, step when creating a your new website. Make sure your web design company understands and implements these core web functions.
#7 – Are your websites designed with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind? And how so?
Our next essential question is about search engine optimization services, or SEO. It helps you discover whether the company understands the importance of SEO and incorporates it from the very beginning.
An experienced web design company knows that SEO isn’t just an afterthought or a post-launch activity. It’s a critical component that should be woven into the fabric of the website from the beginning. This begins with thorough SEO research and planning before a single line of code is written.
The company should demonstrate how they conduct keyword research to identify terms and phrases your target audience is searching for. This research informs the content strategy, so your website not only appeals to users but is set up properly to maximizing Google ranking potential.
Ask the company to explain their approach to on-page SEO, which includes optimizing various elements of your web pages, such as titles, headings, meta descriptions, and alt tags for images. These elements should be strategically crafted to include relevant keywords without compromising the user experience.
Additionally, the structure and hierarchy of the website play a significant role in SEO. The company should describe how they design a site architecture that is search engine friendly. This involves creating a logical link structure, so that all pages are easily accessible to search engines, and customers, and organizes content in a way that is intuitive.
The technical aspect of SEO is another important factor. Inquire about how they achieve fast loading times, mobile optimization, and secure connections (HTTPS), as these are factors that search engines consider when ranking websites.
#8 – What is your policy on revisions and changes during the design process?
Understanding a web design company’s policy on revisions and changes during the design phase is absolutely necessary. This specifically addresses how the company accommodates adjustments and feedback while the website is still in the creation stage.
It’s important to differentiate between revisions during the design process and post-launch support. During the design phase, revisions are about fine-tuning and perfecting the website according to your vision and needs before it goes live. A good web design company should have a clear and client-friendly policy in place for handling these in-progress changes.
Remember, it’s your website. And a web design company that makes it difficult for you, or outright ignores your feedback, is not a good choice.
The web design process can be difficult, and everyone has their own design opinions. In the end, a good web design company wants to do a good job for you, themselves, and your customers.
Ask about the specifics of their revision policy. How many rounds of revisions are offered within the initial project scope and budget? Is there a maximum number of revisions? Who has the final say on the design before the site goes into final development? What happens if you request major design changes as opposed to minor ones?
Understanding the limits of what’s included will help you plan your feedback and requests more effectively.
Also, it’s helpful if you understand how the design team collaborates with you during this process. How are revisions communicated and implemented? Does the company have an efficient system for tracking changes and feedback? This will give you an idea of how involved and responsive they are in incorporating your input during the design phase.
#9 – What happens when my website has bugs or issues in the future?
Having bugs or errors on your website is not so much a matter of if, but when. Updates and changes are about the only thing you can rely on being consistent in the digital environment we live in.
Understanding your web design company’s revision policy can give you a clear picture of the level of long term protection you can expect. An easy to understand, long-term commitment to making website fixes and changes is important.
This may not be free forever. However, look for a company that offers a timeframe to make additional fixes. Also, ask about any maintenance options that can be purchased. These options may be worth the added cost to keep your website updated and working properly.
The company’s approach to handling revisions can reflect their overall confidence in themselves and their design process. If they are concerned about future but fixes, this may reflect a lower level of development efficiency on the part of the company.
A good product should last a few years at least with few minor issues.
Ultimately, the aim is to partner with a web design company that views you, the client, not as a setback, but as opportunities to make you happy and give you a well-designed finished product. A clear and reasonable revision policy helps make sure your expectations are met, and your website works effectively for you and your customers.
#10 – How do you measure the success of the website once it’s live?
Our last question deals with the effectiveness of your website, and how you measure success. This question helps you uncover whether the company views a website as a standalone project or as an integral part of a larger digital marketing ecosystem.
A forward-thinking web design company recognizes that the true measure of a website’s success goes beyond aesthetic appeal and technical functionality. It’s ultimately about how well the website performs in terms of business objectives, especially customer conversion rates.
So many sources of traffic flow to your website. However, if they do not work together, you will not get the benefits that you could be getting if they were.
For instance, a Google Ads manager who isn’t working and testing changes on your website or landing pages, isn’t helping you improve results for your business in the most effective way possible.
Also, a search engine optimization strategy that doesn’t include continued on-page and technical SEO improvements isn’t giving you the best service.
In an ideal scenario, all these sources, including your website, should function together–with a focus on your broader business goals.
Ask about the specific metrics and tools they use to track and measure website success post-launch. This should include an analysis of user behavior, conversion rates, bounce rates, and other relevant KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
A company that views your website as one of many digital business solutions, all working together to create a cohesive strategy is more likely to help you achieve results.
The ultimate goal is to partner with a web design company that doesn’t just deliver a website. Instead, you want a partner who understands and contributes to your broader digital marketing strategy, using their insights to continuously optimize your website for better performance, higher customer engagement, and increased conversions.
These Questions To Ask Your Web Design Company Are Important
Selecting the right web design company is a difficult decision that extends far beyond aesthetics. The questions we’ve discussed are extremely useful in helping you uncover a company’s ability to build a website, and help build your business.
Remember, a great website is a blend of art, technology, and marketing strategy, all working to enhance your online presence. Choose a partner who understands this balance and is committed to driving real results for your business.
Choose Brightbeam for Customer-Focused Web Design
At Brightbeam, we’re more than just a web design company. Our focus is business expansion, and improving how your business works.
Based in Boise, Idaho, we specialize in data-driven marketing solutions, custom web design, and other services as well as educating our customers on Google ads for local businesses, leveraging AI, Google My Business SEO, and other important topics to help them succeed.
Our team of experts is passionate about crafting websites that not just look exceptional but also perform exceptionally.
Contact us today to get a quote for your web design or marketing project, and let us show you exactly why Brightbeam is the best choice for growing your business.
