Whether you want a whole new website, or just a refresh of an existing one, it’s important to work with the right people to get the results you desire. Websites are key in driving customers and leads to your business, especially in this day and age with the internet being the go-to place to search for services. Without a strong website, online presence is negatively impacted and your business can lose a lot of potential customers. That’s why here at Acrylic Digital, we’ve put together an extensive guide of what to look for when hiring a web development company for your web project. 

What To Look For When Hiring A Web Development Company…

There are plenty of things to look out for when hiring a web development company, so take the following things into consideration when deciding who to hire. 

Goals…

Before deciding “who” to hire, you need to consider what your goals are and what you want your website to accomplish. Once you know exactly what you want to achieve, you can then begin to select relevant companies with experience in developing what you want. Without knowing what you want, it’s impossible to appropriately pick a company for your project. 

Vision boards are a great starting point, as well as deciding how many pages you want for your website. Start with the basic pages which are expected to be there such as contact information, products and services and an about section. From there, you can expand but ensure that each page has purpose. The more you require, the higher the costs. Plus, you want to make sure that your website can be expanded in the future with the needs of your business, without having to start all over again. 

Process…

Before signing up with a web development company, you should always be aware of their process. Understanding the way that they do things and how long everything will take is paramount. This way, you can be aware of deadlines and if their timelines coincide well with your vision and plans. You can then easily plan around approval times and be completely in the loop of what is happening with your web project at all times. 

Ideally, the more transparent a company is with you regarding your project, the better. The last thing you want is for you to sign up, unaware of how long things will take, or how long it will take for you to receive work for approval. 

Previous Work…

Always look at previous work created by companies before selecting one to handle your web development project. This way, you can get a feel for their styles and get more of an idea on how your project might look once completed. Not only that, you can discover more information on how much experience they have, what capabilities they have and what scale projects they have worked on in the past. 

Be sure to not just look at previous projects hoping to find something similar to what you want. Instead, search for variety amongst them. Are the websites being built very similar, or are they completely bespoke with each project? The more customised the websites are, the more likely you are to receive something of quality, not just another version of an over-churned out website template. 

Accessibility…

When choosing a company, accessibility is super important. If they’re not easy to contact, they may not be the best option, especially if you have any emergency news during the project and cannot communicate it over in time. Ensure that they are effective at responding to emails in a timely manner, answering the phone and happy to answer any questions you may have. A web development company with integrity will be accessible and easy to work with, which is ultimately the perfect solution. 

Marketing Experience…

Building a website is a great step forward in improving your business, but there are plenty of other things you can do with your website once it has been created. Remember, your website is the face of your online brand and it can be promoted in so many different ways for even better results. Discovering the marketing experience is a good step to take when searching for a web development company. This way you can have a  better understanding of how your website can be marketed and achieve more successful results. 

Ensure to look at which companies they have marketed in the past (if any). Also look at if they have any SEO experts who can make sure that your website is fully optimised, and how they utilise other platforms such as social media. The more creative and successful their posts and marketing techniques, the better. 

Cost And Budget…

Of course, you should never just go with the cheapest option just because it’s cheap. Instead, consider your budget, select a few options within your budget and whittle down your options from there. It’s important to discuss costs prior to agreeing to anything, especially as you need to work out whether you’re happy to be billed at an hourly rate or would rather receive a set price. 

Confirm that you know exactly what is included in the price too, such as whether possible delays will affect it. The last thing you want to happen is for an unexpected delay to occur which incurs charges you aren’t prepared for or are unable to pay. 

Warranty…

One of the most important things to consider, is do they guarantee the website is going to work exactly as proposed? Some companies will charge for every single fix post-launch which can become very costly quickly if there are any coding errors, whereas some will guarantee their work and ensure that everything is up to scratch. You’re best to choose one with a warranty, of course, not only to keep costs down, but to ensure that you’re getting what you pay for. 

Integrity is valuable when searching for a company. Being offered a warranty on your project shows integrity, which can give you confidence that you have found a good company to work with and can help to put your mind at ease that the finished result will be of great quality. 

Personalities…

When you’re choosing a web development company, you need to consider the personalities of the people who you will be working with to make sure that it’s a good fit and there’s no clashes. This is because you’ll be working closely and the better the rapport you can build with a team, the more likely you are to be able to communicate exactly what you want and not be disappointed with the end result. Spend time discussing things with several people if you haven’t found the right fit yet, it will be worth it in the long run. 

Company Size…

The type of relationship you want with your web development company needs to be considered when choosing a company and this relationship will be affected by a company’s size. For example, would you want one singular contact, or several people to discuss your project with? What’s their expertise and how busy do they get? Do they have the resources available to complete your project well and in time? 

A larger company is likely to have several contact points rather than one direct contact and often it can feel a little drowned in a sea of their other work. If they are a small company, you’re more likely to receive a more personal experience whilst working on the web project. All of these things must be considered. Of course, it’s important to do your research and read reviews to get a better understanding of the experience you may receive with different companies. 

Website Hosting…

When selecting a company, ensure to discover how they plan on hosting your website. Are they using a dedicated in-house server or a shared virtual hosting platform? Take time to consider which is the best option for your business and what will work best in the long term, rather than immediately. How your website is hosted makes a huge difference in performance in general so make sure not to cheap out here. 

Programming…

When building a website, you need to be completely confident in many languages such as HTML, CSS, Javascript and PHP to do it well (there are many others, but these are the main ones). Building a website isn’t as simple as throwing things together on a page, instead there are several things to think about including layout, content, SEO, design, development, hosting, optimisation and animation. When choosing a web development company, you need to pick the right one who has all of this knowledge to ensure that the job is done exactly how you want it, professionally and customised. 

Design…

When hiring a company, you want to get the whole package. A company with a designer who can focus on user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) is the best option as they work alongside the developer to make sure that your website is hitting its highest potential. Don’t skimp out on a company with strengths in some areas of web development and weaknesses in other areas. A fully competent company will be clear from reading through our tips on what to look out for. It will also shine through in their previous work. 

Ownership…

When the website project is completed, who owns it? Some companies retain copyright to their work, including coding, graphics and content. Some will pass all of the ownership over directly to you. Of course, this is a personal decision depending on exactly what you want for your business, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind. 

Did you know that we offer all of the services you need including website development, design, hosting and marketing? Click below to book a free consultation, we look forward to hearing from you! 

Author Profile

Shannon Greenway
Shannon Greenway
Our Junior Copywriter Shann Greenway is a creative wordsmith. Blogging is her passion, and she spends most of her time writing and editing. As a self-confessed music addict, she loves reviewing albums and interviewing artists, a hobby and skill which transfers well into her role here.

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    Author Profile

    Shannon Greenway
    Shannon Greenway
    Our Junior Copywriter Shann Greenway is a creative wordsmith. Blogging is her passion, and she spends most of her time writing and editing. As a self-confessed music addict, she loves reviewing albums and interviewing artists, a hobby and skill which transfers well into her role here.