Choosing a web design company may be a difficult choice. Prices vary widely, many people are unsure of what makes a great website, and it’s difficult to know what expectations to have for both the end product and what it will accomplish to generate income. This post was written to assist you to understand what goes into hiring a top NJ digital marketing agency and how to make the best decision for your company. I’ve watched many customers spend large sums of money on ineffective and expensive website design services. And, whether you choose to work with us or not, I want to assist you in planning and understanding how to weigh your choices. There is a distinction to be made between a beginner “web designer” and a true expert. Web design is a low-barrier-to-entry industry. As a result, many individuals, freelancers, and even some agencies go into it to earn money while offering no actual value to their customers. A decent rule of thumb is that if it’s a very inexpensive website, meaning less than $5,000, it won’t provide outcomes that generate money. That is the whole purpose. It is an investment, not an expenditure. An excellent website creates trust and inspires confidence in your visitors by showcasing your features and advantages. Before you start looking for a web designer, here are a few things you should know. What platform do they use for web design? There are a plethora of web design platforms available these days. And they differ significantly in terms of performance and function. There are total trash systems like Wix and Godaddy website builder, slightly better platforms like Squarespace and Weebly, and top tier platforms with the greatest flexibility that can be tuned for excellent performance like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. Shopify is also a viable choice for E-Commerce-focused websites. Then, at the very top, some websites are fully bespoke, built from the ground up, which are the most costly and usually overkill for most company website requirements. Inquire about the platform on which the web designer intends to develop. This will give you a good idea of where they are. If you speak with a website designer and they extol the virtues of Wix, flee. Most people will choose WordPress since it is the most popular platform and has the most features. We build the majority of our websites on WordPress, with a few exceptions on Shopify and our own CMS. What is included in the price of web design and development? This is a huge deal. According to my years of expertise and competitive research, a lot of freelancers and web design companies start cheap and subsequently charge a lot more for everything. So what seems to be a good bargain ends up costing much more since you are paid for features that should be included, such as contact forms and social network integration. It is critical to go through EXACTLY what is included, what is an upcharge, and the amount of the upcharge. I’ve seen businesses charge exorbitant fees for putting up a contact form, which may take just a few minutes, yet others charge upwards of $500 for it. Why? It doesn’t take $500 in time to set up, but they come in cheap in the hopes of getting you on board, then make up the difference by overcharging on items they know you’ll need. If a web design firm is not clear about what is included and what add-ons cost, it is a big red flag and you should generally avoid working with them. Do they provide suggestions or simply create what you tell them to? You need the services of an experienced web designer. Choosing one that just produces what you want them to without making suggestions will not provide the greatest outcomes. Are you an expert in marketing? What exactly is SEO? Are you a conversion rate optimization expert or a skilled copywriter? Why would you want to employ someone who does not take the time to come up with suggestions to improve the performance and conversion rate of your website? Who will be in charge of developing your website? Is it carried out in-house or outsourced? Is it handed over to an intern if built in-house, or is it built by an experienced professional? This is particularly common with web design firms. Did you know that the majority of web design firms outsource smaller tasks to foreign designers for pennies on the dollar? There are even courses available that demonstrate how web design firms may offer a website design for $5,000-$10,000 and then outsource it for a few hundred dollars. This seems to be deceptive and dishonest to me. Another issue that occurs is that when you have a small company web design job, usually under $10,000 depending on the firm, it is handed off to an intern with little supervision. So you may expect an experienced professional web designer to work on your website, but instead, you get an unskilled beginner. That’s what happens when you’re a tiny fish in a large pond, and no one tells you. Companies like Radiant Elephant only take on a limited number of customers at a time because I, the owner, personally work on every website we create to guarantee you receive the highest quality website and the greatest value for your money. What to look for when evaluating a web design firm. Their portfolio of web design Examine the portfolio of a prospective web design firm. Is the work visually appealing, does it inspire trust, loads quickly, is it simple to browse, and makes sense if you were a visitor interested in the product or service? Consult with previous web design clients. Talking to a customer or two is the greatest way to get a sense of what it’s like to deal with a web design business. Reputable web design firms will have a few clients who have consented to talk with prospective customers. Inquire about how the process went, how effectively the business handled it, how attentive they were to emails and phone calls, and did they deliver the goods on schedule. Are you looking for a graphic designer or a web designer? While I have nothing against graphic designers, employing one to build up your company website is generally not the greatest option. Graphic designers are not marketers, SEO specialists, or developers. Sure, they may create something beautiful, but beauty does not always lead to conversions. Design of a Mobile Website It astounds me how many fresh websites I see built by freelancers or even some companies that are not mobile responsive. And some dare to include it as one of their upcharges. Having a mobile responsive website is no longer a luxury; it is a must. Mobile devices account for more than half of all online traffic. If your website is not designed with mobile devices in mind, you will lose a lot of business and make your brand appear terrible. The best solution is to employ a mobile-first web design firm. For example, I usually start with a basic yet strong mobile design and then add bells and whistles as screen sizes increase to provide a more immersive digital experience on the desktop. There is also a distinction between a mobile responsive website and a mobile website. It is responsive because it adjusts to various viewport widths. It is a single webpage that changes depending on breakpoints. A mobile website, on the other hand, is a distinct website that is activated when someone visits on a phone. This is a sloppy method that demonstrates a company’s or freelancer’s lack of a contemporary strategy that adheres to best practices. Preparing for the Hiring of a Web Designer As a seasoned professional web designer, I’ve observed the most difficult difficulties are while creating a site for a customer. And one of the most important aspects is organization. I have a customer that paid my retainer 7 years ago but never gave me everything I needed to start working. This is also the most common cause of failure to fulfill deadlines. The following is a list of what you should have ready before hiring a web designer. The website’s content If you aren’t paying someone to create your material, you should have it ready or almost so. The most common cause of project delays is a lack of content. While a high-quality site design and marketing firm would most likely modify your content for marketing and SEO, having the foundation is critical. Figure out the pages you want to include; you may need to add more, but this is a good place to start. Consider your home, about, FAQ, and service or product pages, and aim to write 1,000-1,300 words for each, except product pages, which should be about 800 words. Make sure all of the material is spell-checked and ready to transmit. Website illustrations If you want to utilize unique pictures on your website, be sure to arrange them and have them ready to upload to a service like Dropbox. When sending pictures, use the greatest resolution available. If you submit a picture that is 400 pixels wide and wants it to be the header image, it will look terrible and will cause you to postpone the project since you will need to either locate the correct file or pay someone to retake it. Websites of your competitors Making a list of rivals’ websites and noting what you like and hate about them is one of the greatest things you can do. This will assist your website designer in understanding the style you are attempting to create. Logo If you don’t have a decent logo or branding, look for a business that provides it as an extra service. You don’t want to skimp on your logo. A decent logo should cost at least $1,000. If you have a professionally created logo, make sure you have a high-quality transparent.png version ready to go.