Running a business today means you need a website. Websites add a level of credibility and legitimacy that most consumers need to feel comfortable shopping with your company. It’s essential to invest in your website like you do your business—customers see the effort put into your website and conflate it with your business’s effort into its patrons. The importance customers place on company websites is why it’s necessary to learn how to choose a web design agency for your small business.
Look for Transparency
A vital trait in a good website design agency is transparency. A company developing websites for other businesses should be very upfront about everything they do for your business. You should feel well-informed about the costs of their services and how their website building process works. The space of the build and revision processes are also essential things to have a robust understanding of.
The right web design agency will let you know what your responsibilities as the client are—for example, the domain name, domain name registrar, web hosting, or other things.
Pro Tip: If you are responsible for the domain name, feel free to ask the web agency for recommendations, but make sure that you own it, as some web agencies buy the domain name and own it instead of you.
Ensure They Listen to You
You know your business the best. Make sure you find a web design agency that collaborates with you to build the best website possible. Avoid any website developer that wants to fit you into a cookie-cutter website that doesn’t make sense for your unique business.
The best company and website developer relationships are ones with trust and communication. The web developer is most versed in website building—but you are most versed in your industry. Communicate your goals for the site and ensure your builder caters the site to your specific needs.
Prioritize SEO Knowledge
A website design firm with experience in search engine optimization and digital marketing is a serious asset. SEO and digital marketing are essential parts of running a small business, especially when taking that business online.
A website design agency that has experience in these things can prepare your site for search engine visibility and offer ways to increase search rankings, increasing the chances of your website populating in the optimal digital space.
Pro Tip: A company with experience in SEO and digital marketing can set up your site for success in these ventures from the start of your digital journey.
Opt for a CMS
Use an agency with experience using a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS allows developers and business owners alike to make easy and quick updates and revisions. The old HTML static pages are a bit archaic and take much more time and energy to update.
CMS is easy to use, even for the less-technologically minded individuals to figure out, so you and your website developer can work on your site when needed.
Request a Responsive Website
A responsive website design is essential for both your customers and for Google. While the old standard practice was to build out separate websites for mobile and desktop that were housed on different URLs, this method left SEO disjointed.
A responsive design allows you to keep one consistent URL that serves all devices and unifies your SEO efforts.
The web design agency you go with for your small business website development should feel like a partner. You want your site designed with your company’s needs and brand personality in mind. Your site should reflect your brand and be user-friendly for your customers. A professional website makes a notable difference in how people perceive a small business. How to choose a web design agency for your small business is as simple as getting to know an agency and looking for transparency and honesty.
At Logical Position, we pride ourselves on our transparency so much that it’s one of our core values. Communicating with our clients is our top priority—we want you to know what to expect. Our agency sets clients up for success while they’re our clients and beyond. Contact us today for a free consultation.