Choosing a web design agency can be overwhelming. The numerous options available in London require a strategic approach to ensure your business selects the most suitable agency. This guide aims to help you navigate these considerations, allowing you to select an agency that will deliver your project to its full potential.
Considerations When Selecting A Potential Web Agency
Ask for examples of recent work and relevant industry experience
Ask potential web agencies for examples of their past work. This allows you to evaluate their design skills, creativity, and versatility. Look at their layout, colour schemes, typography, and imagery. Does their portfolio present a variety of styles and industries? This often indicates a high level of experience. At ID Studio, a London web design agency, we have over 100 examples in our portfolio.
Also, consider the usability and functionality of these websites. Does the site navigation seem intuitive and structured correctly? Are pages loading quickly? Is the site experience user-friendly and intuitive? By evaluating their past work, you gain an understanding of the agency’s web design capabilities.
Possessing relevant industry experience can be a significant advantage when choosing a web agency. An agency with experience in your business sector is likely to have an understanding of your target audience and the competitive landscape. They can apply this knowledge to design a website that resonates with your audience and stand out from the competition. This industry-specific experience can be the difference between an average online presence that fails to differentiate from the competition and a website that drives business growth.
Is the web design and development completed in-house or outsourced?
This answer can greatly influence the agency’s control over the project, communication efficiency, and overall project delivery.
In-house design and development implies the agency has its own dedicated team of professionals. This can result in superior communication, quicker problem-solving, and a more seamless integration of resources. An in-house team will have an understanding of the web agency’s values and should be more invested in the project’s success.
Some agencies might choose to outsource parts or the entire web design project. While this isn’t always negative, it’s important to understand potential pitfalls. Outsourcing might lead to a lack of control over the project, communication barriers (distance, languages), and time zone differences which could impact the delivery date. It’s also necessary to ascertain the quality standards and expertise of the outsourced team. If you are handling personal information within your website, i.e., user registrations and credit card details, you might want to check who will access this information.
Understanding User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX)
User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design are important factors when choosing a web agency. They play an integral role in ensuring that your website is aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly.
UI design focuses on the visual aspects of your website, such as the layout, colour schemes, and graphical content. UX design involves the overall experience of a user while navigating through your site.
Find out about their expertise in UI and UX design. How do they approach and factor these aspects into the overall design and planning process? Evaluate their showcase and see how they balance aesthetics with functionality – a website that looks great but is difficult to use can result in high dropout levels.
How does the agency balance aesthetic design and performance?
Striking a balance between aesthetic design and site performance is crucial. Design aesthetics are essential in attracting, retaining, and impressing site visitors, but if the website doesn’t perform well, you risk losing them.
Any reputable digital agency will understand the importance of this balance and will design an appealing site without sacrificing speed and overall functionality. This means not only delivering a website that is visually pleasing but also one that performs impeccably. Creating the right balance is the key to creating a compelling, engaging, and user-friendly website that drives core website objectives.
What are their SEO practices, and can they back it up?
SEO is not just about adding targeted keywords; it involves optimising your website’s setup, improving site speed, targeting meaningful content, mobile-friendliness etc.
They should understand the importance of on-page and off-page SEO practices, such as link building and social media marketing, which are important to SEO. What is their approach to these practices? How do they carry out keyword research? How do they optimise website architecture for search engines? Do they follow white-hat SEO techniques, or will they implement practices that could get your website penalised? What is their process when creating backlinks?
Timeline and build process
It is important to understand the agency’s website timeline and build process. You must understand how your project will progress, from planning to final delivery.
Most web design projects follow a set process, starting with a discovery stage, gaining an insight into your business, target audience, competitors, and core project objectives.
The next stage involves creating wireframes, mock-ups, and user journeys, allowing you to understand how your site will work.
The design stage is a critical phase in the website development process. Here, the agency begins to bring your website to life, creatively translating the insights gathered during the discovery stage into a tangible visual form. The agency’s design team will craft the different page designs that will shape the overall look and feel of the site.
This leads to the frontend development stage, coding the design into a website, ensuring it is responsive, user-friendly, SEO-optimized, etc.
Back-end development follows whereby any core functional requirements are developed and the content management system integrated so that you can fully manage your website once it goes live.
Then Quality testing ensures your site renders correctly across various devices and browsers, checks for broken links, and ensures all features work as intended.
Finally, the launch stage is when your website is made live.
Will I have a dedicated project manager?
A project manager will be your primary contact throughout the website build. They’ll coordinate between you and the agency’s design and development team, providing feedback and updates.
It’s essential to understand their project management style. A professional agency should be transparent about this process, explaining who your point of contact is and what level of communication you can expect throughout the project.
Is there post-launch support?
After your website goes live, post-launch support from your web design agency is often crucial to ensure its continuous performance and relevance. Check whether the agency offers ongoing maintenance, updates, and troubleshooting services.
What is their support structure: How do they handle bug fixes or issues post-launch? How long is this support provided for, and what are the potential costs?
Who owns the rights to the website upon completion and payment?
Ownership of the website and intellectual property (IP) is important when choosing a web design agency. Who will own the copyright to your design, content, and any associated IP once the project has been completed? Usually, you, as the client, should retain full ownership of the website and its content.
What are their security credentials?
Depending on the type of website, security can be paramount. This is especially true for websites that hold private information. At a minimum, the web design agency should be developing to OWSAP Top 10 standards.
In terms of qualifications, the agency should ideally have team members with certifications in web security, such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), or CompTIA Security+, and a good understanding of GDPR.
Conclusion
Choosing a web design agency is a decision that requires careful consideration. To ensure a successful partnership, look for an agency that offers clear communication and an honest approach. By considering the above key points, you can confidently select a web agency that will deliver a visually appealing, functional, user-friendly website and help achieve your core objectives and goals.
