Finding a web design agency can be a daunting process. Every website project has its own set of requirements, and different agencies can offer different services to help you get from concept to completion. For starters, the skills of a web designer and a web developer are not always the same. Typically, a designer focuses on aesthetics and user experience, while a developer is the one to code and build the site, but there can be a lot of crossovers between the two. If you are looking for an agency to design, build, maintain, and do SEO for your website, it’s good to be clear on those objectives up front.
Based on our experience, here are 10 questions we recommend asking yourself before shopping for website design services, to help guide your search and ensure you find the right fit:
1. Do you have a website already, or are you starting from scratch?
The first thing to do is consider your starting point. If you already have a website, assess its strengths and weaknesses. What do you want to keep? What needs improvement? If you’re starting from scratch, consider your overall vision and what you want your website to achieve. This clarity will help you communicate your needs effectively to potential agencies – and inform your answers to some of the next questions.
2. What is the purpose of your website?
Having a clear understanding of your website’s purpose is key to the web design process. Are you looking to drive sales, generate leads, or build brand awareness? Your goals will guide the design and functionality of your site, and being able to clearly communicate your objectives will help you determine if an agency’s capabilities align with your vision.
3. Are there features you know you will need?
There may be specific features you know your website must have to support your goals. For example, do you need an e-commerce platform or blog? What about contact forms or user login capabilities? Creating a list of any essential features will help further define the overall scope of the project, and inform the technical skills needed to design and potentially build those features.
4. Does your company have brand guidelines that will inform the look and feel of your web design?
To maintain a cohesive brand story and support strong brand recognition, it’s important to ensure that all the elements of your brand work together and feel visually cohesive. This will generally mean using a consistent logo, color palette, typography, and visual style. If you have an established brand with brand guidelines, you’ll want to make sure these are available for your agency to work from. If your company is new, or looking to rebrand, defining this look and feel is something you may want to discuss doing first with an agency, before jumping straight into web design. Also, if there are other websites you like – either visually or from a layout standpoint – bringing those into the discussion with your agency can be helpful with defining the look and feel as well.
5. Do you have a site structure already, or do you need help planning out your user experience?
As we touched on in our Dos and Don’ts for Good Website Design, a well-thought-out site structure ensures visitors can easily navigate your website and find what they need quickly. It will also help give you and your potential agency a better idea of the breadth and depth of your site, which helps inform the time and effort it will take to create. If you already have a clear sitemap, great! If not, you should consider whether this is something you’ll also need help with as part of your design process. Many agencies – including DoubleShot – can work with you to develop a structure that keeps your visitors engaged and helps meet your goals.
6. Do you have content already? If not, what is your content strategy to create it?
When it comes to designing the actual pages of the website, a lot of this is going to be driven by the content you want to include, whether that’s written copy, photography, illustration, or video. If you don’t have that content in place already, then you’ll want to make sure you have a plan to create it before starting the design process. Most agencies will need at least a general idea of the content you’ll want to include on your site before they are able to determine the scope of work required to design it. It’s also important to consider search engine optimization – or SEO – as you are developing this content to ensure that your website is being found by the people that are looking for it. If you don’t have an SEO plan in place already, this is another area where many agencies can offer additional support, in addition to copywriting or help with visual content.
7. Will there be regular content updates to the website, like blog posts or press releases? If so, what is the expertise of the person making those updates?
There are several platforms available to create, organize, and manage web content on an ongoing basis, from open-ended options like WordPress and Adobe Experience Manager, to all-in-one tools like SquareSpace and Wix. If you already have a content management system (CMS) in place, consider whether it is meeting your needs. If you are starting from scratch, it can be helpful to think about who might be using these tools, and what their experience level is, so you can discuss with your web design agency which platform would be the best fit.
At DoubleShot, we have experience building websites with a number of platforms including WordPress, SquareSpace, and HubSpot. We have found that different platforms offer pros and cons that may make them better for one type of website or another. For clients that aren’t sure what tool to choose, we’re always happy to make a recommendation based on their goals.
8. What metrics will you measure and how?
To evaluate the success of your website, and particularly your SEO plan, you’ll want to establish a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to track and determine how you will go about monitoring them. Common metrics include traffic, conversion rates, bounce rates, and user engagement. Most CMS platforms offer basic analytics, but there are also dedicated tools like Google Analytics that can offer deeper insights, albeit with additional effort required to get setup. It’s important to share your measurement goals with your web design agency during the development process to ensure that tracking and analytics tools are incorporated into the design, allowing you to monitor performance effectively.
9. Who will maintain the site going forward? Will you need ongoing agency support or training?
After your website goes live, it will need ongoing maintenance. Will you manage this in-house, or will you rely on your agency for support? Assess the skills and comfort level of those responsible for maintenance. If they’re not tech-savvy, consider how much support you’ll need from an agency after the launch. If they are, then at the very least it may be helpful to build in support for training as part of your design and development engagement.
10. What is your web design budget & timeline?
Finally, determine your budget and timeline for the project. Having a clear understanding of how much you can invest will help you narrow down your options and avoid overspending. Likewise, a realistic timeline will keep your project on track. Be transparent about your budget and deadlines when speaking with potential web design agencies to ensure they can meet your expectations.
We hope these ten questions can help you better define the scope of your website project, and the support you’ll need to bring it to life, so that you can have informed conversations as you engage with potential agencies. Taking the time up front to reflect on these different elements will lead to a website design that not only meets your expectations but also helps achieve your business goals, and hopefully sets the stage for a successful partnership with the right agency. Happy planning!
