How to choose a web design company in 2022

With 90% of customers starting their journey online, there is no doubt about the importance of a website for a modern business. If you have decided to develop a fresh website for your company, one of your main tasks is finding web design specialists. Studies show that 50% of consumers cite website design as an important criterion, so you know the stakes are high.

What is the meaning of web design?

Web design is the process of creating the aesthetic appearance of a web page, including how the content is organized and how the design elements are implemented. Web designers usually focus on what is called the "outside" of a website, the part of the website that users actually see and interact with, instead of the "inside" code that makes a website function. Regardless of the direction and type of the final product, the designer's role involves creating flawless, modern, beautiful visuals and logically aligned layouts.

If you need to hire a web design team, there are a number of options. Many work for web design agencies, and you can find them through recommendations or on your own on the Internet. But how to properly make a selection, what do you need to pay attention to, and what are the main criteria further in the article.

11 tips for choosing a web design team

Since you can find many companies that specialize in web design, making an easy and immediate decision on this matter can negatively affect your business. A thoughtful and serious conclusion is required. While a hasty and ill-considered choice of agency can ruin your business, a thoughtful and balanced decision can take your company to new heights of success. There are certain points that must be considered when choosing a web design company. Let's take a look at them.

1. Think about what kind of website you want

Before you start a conversation with your potential team, try to answer the following questions for yourself:

Business strategy. What are your goals?
Market research. What is your target audience?
Budget and time. Consider both ideal and maximum time and price.
Logo and branding. A logo designer can help you with this. Don't forget about branded fonts and color schemes.
Images and videos. A web design team can find stock images on their own, but keep in mind that you still have to buy licenses. It's best to provide your own media files - you may need to hire a photographer to create good-quality images.
Style. Make a small list of sites whose styles you like and dislike.

2. Read reviews

It is advisable to check testimonials and reviews about the web design agencies you are considering for your business. Feedback is a great tool to understand how to satisfied clients are with their websites, the level of customer service they experienced while collaborating with them, and whether they mention any team members in particular by name. And also find out if they cover testimonials on their website. However, if the only place you see reviews is on their website, do a little more digging before asking to meet with them.

3. Check out their portfolios

Most skilled designers have portfolios of previous projects on their websites, so you can view them and see if you are interested in their style. Pay attention to ideas or approaches that you like and see if you recognize any of the brands or companies represented. Go to a previous client's website and browse through it to see how it feels as a user.

4. Enter your budget

You may not know what budget you need for website development and promotion. However, you can clearly respond about the highest potential budget you are ready to allocate for the project. You are ready to choose the right contractors only when you have decided on the budget.

5. Check how customer-oriented they are and whether their business processes are established

If your chosen web design agency has established business processes, and the team is focused on achieving the goals of the customer - this is an additional reason to believe that this company can be trusted to work with the site. Because they will do everything to achieve the desired result.

6. They have experience in different fields

You might think that it's great if your web design firm only works with one industry. After all, if they only make websites for car companies, then they must really know a lot about cars, right? Maybe, but that also means you'll probably end up with a template website that looks like 100 other websites they made last month. A web design company that works with a wide range of industries is more likely to create a unique website that will reach a larger and more diverse audience. Your website cannot be like all the others. It has to stand above the competition to outperform them.

7. Visit the company's website

Check its digital presence, including the official website and social media profiles, and read blog content. If a company promises advanced and new solutions but does not use them on its website, it calls into question its expertise.

8. They have a documented procedure for success

A prosperous web design company has a clear opening procedure that helps them succeed. It can vary as the industry changes, and it may be edited a bit for a specific job or different circumstances, but they have a plan for success. This shows that the company is experienced enough to make your business profitable.

9. The team must be able to convert traffic into leads on your website

Creating a quality and beautiful website is a job that many teams can do. However, web design companies should have a team that knows how to convert traffic on their website into leads. They should be able to serve you professionally in many matters, such as design layout, call to action, color psychology, and content strategy. The team should be able to analyze data and use data effectively to increase conversions.

10. They are aware of the latest trends

Your website should reflect the latest technological and design trends. You do not want it to look 20 years older. But your customers will immediately notice how unique and modern the website design is. A first-class design team will use everything that resonates with your users.

11. Discuss conditions of work

The last step is to move on to a discussion of the terms of the work. Some web designers standardize their prices (per page, per hours worked, etc.). Others, however, prices vary from project to project after they calculate the amount of work to be done. It's important to make sure you understand exactly what the pricing terms are. When and how is payment made? Are mobile versions included in the price? How many edits can you make within the agreed-upon cost? What happens if the web design takes longer than planned? What happens if any of you need to stop work? You have to agree on all these issues and even more for your cooperation to be established and effective.

Where to find a right agency

Finding web design companies can be challenging for businesses, especially if they don't have any references in the field. All companies need experts and quality results, but at the same time, they don't know where to find these experts or how to trust the vendors that stand in the way. And to avoid getting lost among the options, services like Clutch, DesignRush, and Upwork will help you choose the best web design team.

Clutch is the leading ratings and reviews platform for B2B service providers, connecting companies across hundreds of industries. The main goal of the Clutch project is to create meaningful relationships between buyers and sellers on their platform. Clutch's multi-faceted evaluation methodology also includes factors such as a company's market presence, clientele, and industry recognition. Here you will definitely find something suitable for your business because 57 727 companies represent the directory section at the time of publication.

DesignRush is a platform for finding the best professional agencies, divided into groups by their areas of expertise. The platform has a list that allows users to search for partners based on clients, portfolios, reviews, pricing structure, and testimonials. DesignRush analyzes and ranks hundreds of agencies to help brands find the best full-service agencies, web design companies, digital marketing firms, and leading technology companies. If you want to find the best web design team, then pay attention to the web design awards section.

Upwork is a company that offers a global platform for job search and opportunities for employers who want to find both individual specialists or the whole team. Agencies with the best performance on Upwork are in high demand among clients, so you can easily find the top 50 web design agencies and choose your future team. Look for an agency that will be able to answer your basic questions and have ideas on how they will approach your goal. This will show you that they understand your problem and how to solve it.