Choosing a web design company can be a tricky task, and it gets even trickier for small businesses. Search engines will bring numerous results and in terms of face value, you won’t be able to spot much difference among those outcomes.

It is imperative that you narrow down your search and then observe each portfolio. Despite giving only a small picture, it is a decent start in the quest to find the best web design company.

The questions you should ask the web design company 

In addition to checking the portfolio, try asking the web design company in question the following questions which they should answer. Getting good answers to these questions will help you gain a good insight into the agency and get a good insight of how your project will be handled.

What would be the project’s comprehensive cost?

Usually, two kinds of contracts are employed by agencies: Project-based & hourly. Since most small businesses have small budgets, they cannot absorb hidden fees & costs hence, they will look for an agency that bases its prices on a project basis.

Before signing the agreement, make sure you get the final estimate for the project’s cost.

What will be the duration of the project?

As always, projects face unforeseen delays and obstacles that impede their completion. Both the company and the agency should be prepared for this.

Always get an estimated timeline from the web design company and keep checking it throughout the project’s course to make sure the project is always on track.

Are prices for content strategy, information planning & search engine optimization included in the estimate?

Prices for content strategy, information planning & search engine optimization are often kept hidden by most agencies.

In case if prices for the aforementioned factors are not revealed, it is recommended to hire an SEO company to work closely with your company in the creation of your needed website and its process.

Our web design & development costs included in the estimate?

Many times, there have been agencies who said they will design a new website but not code it. Most agencies handed over designs and small business owners then had to incur separate costs for someone to create and code the website.

Corporations have incurred similar costs.

If you are running a small business, make sure design & development costs are included in the cost of your website design.

Can the list of people to work on the project be obtained?

This is very important, and each business needs to know what kind of people will be working on the website and what their roles are. At times, agencies cut costs by involving junior level designers and developers who will then botch up the project.

Do not take a website for granted. It is the face of each business and users take less than a second in judging it. Ensure the right people are designing the website.

Will the website be built upon a responsive framework?

In terms of ranking, Google sees if a website is mobile-friendly or not. If it isn’t then its ranking will fall. The world today is mobile and it's needless to remind everyone of this fact.

Ensure the website works across all platforms with ease. Also, ensure that it is being built on a responsive framework.

Does the agency use freelancers or outsource the project?

Ask this question when obtaining the list of people working on the project and on the website’s design. 

Ensure that the project is not coded to anyone else or sent to the wrong firm for development. Some tasks are outsourced but ensure the agency does not cheat you in any regard.

Is a transition plan into consideration?

Always have a transition plan in place whenever a website redesign is happening. It is key to maintain traffic and sales when the new website goes live.

If it's not in place, hire a firm that has expertise in transition planning during the web design process.

What platforms and content management software will be used, and will editing content be easy?

Wordpress, Drupal and Joomla along with a couple of other home-made content management systems are platforms that can be used as the outline for the website. Always ask the web design company which platform they intend to use and whether will the content be edited easily or not.

Are agency employees trained in using the content management systems?

Always make sure the agency in question has employees who know how to use content management systems in adding & editing content. Ask the agency to train employees just in case. For your web design project, contact Branex; the best web development company London has to offer.