What qualities should you look for in a web design company?

When you are getting a website developed whether it’s a small business website for a startup or a large custom project it’s a big decision. So what should you be looking for in a web design company?

Skills – yes, obvious I know but really enter into a conversation about this with the company you are speaking with. Ask about the team, what are their capabilities. What type of projects have they worked on previously? What are their strong points? If you need a tailor made application developed you don’t want a web designer that says we specialise in small business websites because that straight away indicates they may not have the skills you require for your project.
Referrals, recommendations and testimonials. Take recommendations seriously. Getting a website designed is an involved process and if you know a colleague or friend who has referred you to a company it’s probably because they really got everything they expected from their website and you probably will too! Ask the website company for real clients you can contact for a testimonial, they will be honest and tell you how they found the whole experience.
A team of talent not a “jack of all trades”. When you are sourcing a website company look for a company that has a team of individually talented staff. With the ever changing pace of technology you want a team of people working on your project who are highly skilled at what they do not someone who knows a bit of everything pretty well.
Unique or template based. Don’t just take their word for it look at the work their web designer has designed. View the portfolio and see if there are similarities between all the designs which could mean they are using templates and not custom designing websites. Ask about custom development work they have done and ask what the web developer did in order to fulfill the client brief.
Transparency. Particularly if you are planning to go with a local web designer, ask if you can go in for a meeting and meet the team, if they have nothing to hide this won’t be an issue. Meeting the people who will be working on your project also lets you decide if they are people you would enjoy working with especially as part of an ongoing business partnership.
An in house team. Will all the team members be in the office or do they outsource their work to freelancers?
Consultancy and advice. Look for a website company that offers you advice or suggests they have built sites like yours before and then makes suggestions for your site you hadn’t considered. They should ask you questions and provide ideas.
Room to move. Do they set your site up on a framework that allows you to add features and functionality down the track? What CMS do they use, is it capable of handling custom applications? Is the CMS open source so you can take your site away from them and to another developer?
A good network. If you start to think about your website there are a lot of things that need to be considered. Not only do you need a web designer and web development team but what about if you need a photographer for your product shots, maybe a video for your client testimonials, a PR agency…At Neubreed over the past 14 years we have established a fantastic network of suppliers for all of your website needs apart from design and development. A well-established company should also have a solid network of preferred providers they can send your way
Real support. This should never be overlooked; good support can make or break your website plans. Will you be dealing with a call centre, if so is it in house or overseas or will you be dealing with technical staff members who know your website.