Hiring a web designer to create a website for your business can be incredibly exciting. After all, a website can help to open up your business to a brand-new audience, allowing you to connect with many more customers who are interested in your product or service. However, before you hire the services of a web designer in Doncaster, you need to ensure that they have the skills and expertise needed to deliver a site that meets your needs. Here are some important questions to ask your website design company before you hire them.
Things to ask a web design company.
Can I see your web design portfolio?
One of the most important questions to ask your website design company is if you can see their portfolio. An online portfolio provides examples of their work and allows you to see if their style suits your company. Ask yourself if you would be happy if your site had a similar design to those in the portfolio. If the answer’s yes, there’s a good chance that this is the right web designer for you. Since most designers only display a small selection of their favourite work on their portfolio page, you can feel confident that this is their true style. We also recommend asking for references from the web designers past clients. This should allow you to find out more about the quality of the service they deliver.
Do you work in-house or outsource projects?
Although you might assume that all web design agencies carry out their work in-house, sometimes this isn’t the case. Some companies outsource web design projects, often overseas where the work can be completed at a cheaper rate. Unfortunately, this can lead to communication challenges, delays, and usually additional costs. Therefore, if a web design agency is going to outsource your project, you need to know who they’ll be using. This allows you to research their partner to check that you’re happy with their skills and expertise. At jask Media, we carry out all work in-house. Our experienced website designers in Doncaster work on all projects from start to finish. You’ll always have one point of contact, removing the potential for confusion and miscommunication.
Will you research my business?
Don’t underestimate the importance of thorough research when it comes to web design. Your chosen web designer should take time to learn about your business, industry, and target customers before they start planning the design of your site. Your designer should conduct keyword research for detailed insight. We recommend asking for an example keyword map that they’ve produced for another client in your industry. You can then see if it aligns with your business.
What is your working process?
Whilst all web designers have different working processes, there should be fixed steps that they follow, including research, strategy, design, development, launch, and review. At Jask Media, we’ve designed and developed hundreds of website over the years. You can rely on to manage the entire web design and development process efficiently from start to finish. We’ll always keep you updated with the progress of the project, letting you know if there are any delays for any reason.
What Content Management System(s) do you use?
This is an important question to ask prospective web designers in Doncaster. Ideally, your chosen designer should use an open-source CMS such as WordPress rather than their own custom CMS. Often, a custom CMS won’t allow access to source code, limiting your ability to add your own content or metadata. Since WordPress sites are so easy to edit, they give you greater control of the management of your website. The team at jask Media provide WordPress web design in Doncaster, creating bespoke websites that meet our clients’ needs.
Do you provide website maintenance after the design is complete?
Website maintenance refers to the act of regularly checking a website for issues whilst also keeping it updated and relevant. Since ongoing maintenance of a site is important for engaging and retaining customers, you may want to consider hiring a designer who can assist with this once the site is live. If you want to take full ownership and control of your site and carry out updates and edits whenever you like without relying on a professional web designer, it’s a good idea to opt for a web design platform that’s easy to update and maintain over time yourself such as WordPress.
What other services do you offer?
These days, web designers aren’t one-trick ponies. Skilled in a variety of areas, they can usually deliver a vast range of digital marketing services. So, as well as being able to design incredible websites for businesses in many difficult industries, they may be able to offer services such as branding, PPC, SEO, and social media management. They can help to promote your business online once your site is live.
Do you provide free consultations?
In this article, we’ve discussed some of the most important questions to ask your website design company. However, you’re likely to have many more, especially if this your first website. The good news is that many web designers offer free consultations to those who are interested in using their services. jask Media does, with our team ready to come out to your offices at a time that’s right for you. We’d love the chance to discuss your web design needs with you in person. We can also provide virtual consultations if that’s more convenient for you.
Contact
If you’re ready to give your business the online presence it deserves with a professional website, get in touch with jask Media. You can reach us on 01302 969019 at any time. Alternatively, send us a message via the site and we’ll do our best to get back to you right away. We’ve already designed hundreds of beautiful websites for clients in the Doncaster area and we’d love to do the same for you.