There are so many website design companies dotted around the world, it seems every man and his dog is setting up such a company, in fact anyone with a laptop seems able to offer this service, and the prices for such a service are dropping like flies, you can pick up a website for a few hundred pounds etc.
So what makes one website design company different from another? What are the unique selling points that you have to be on the lookout for to make you choose one company over any other.
This question really depends upon the type of business that you are in, eg. if you are a fancy hotel with a number of restuarants, you are going to need a website a little more upmarket than say a local tradesman such as a plumber or an electrician; this is obviously going to reflect in the price that is charged.
If you are going to want regular updates to your website this will also be reflected in the price you pay either monthly or at the beginning Long Island NY Web Design.
One of the most overlooked items when looking for a website designer is whether or not any search engine optomisation (SEO) is included, without this your website will never get seen by people/customers searching for the keywords relating to your website/business, this is probably the most important factor when deciding who to get to design your website.
Designing websites today is relatively easy compared to 5 or 10 years ago, you have content managed websites such as WordPress these can be built by anyone with an intermediate knowledge of computers, you do not have to have any website design or html knowledge. Hence the reason why there are so many website design companies springing up, what these companies don’t or can’t do is the most important thing to do with a website and that is SEO, the problem is that it takes a very long time to do it right.
If you are looking for a website design company in your local area simply type in to Google “website design” + your locality, for example website design in Lincoln, this will bring you up a list of website designers in Lincoln showing with a map in the top right hand corner and little red flags showing where the businesses are located, you need to be choosing one of these businesses as there SEO skills have been shown by them being on the first page of Google.
Now you have to decide what you want to pay for being on the first page of Google, I can pretty much guarantee that 98% of website designers will only want to build you a website first then charge you a fee for doing SEO work, what you need is the 2% of website design companies that do everything as a package and that allow you to pay for it monthly and without signing any kind of contract, let me explain.
If you are new to the world of website design, you are probably unsure as to whether it will work for you or not, it seems a little unfair to ask you to pay $300 – $400 for a basic website not knowing if it will make you any money or at least get your phone ringing with enquiries.
The 2% of website design companies that do what you need will do the following, they will pay for your domain name, they will build you a website, they will host the website and they will get the website placed on the first page of Google (generally in the top three spots) all FREE of charge, they will then allow you a period of time to evaluate the amount of new business you have received in this time (normally 1 month from the time you get in to the top three spots).
Only then will they charge you for your website and SEO, this is anywhere from $100 per month to $2,000 per month depending on the type of business you are in, what you have to remember is that you have already seen the amount of profit you have made from your FREE month at the top of Google, its just now a matter of haggling for you to remain there, if you think about it, it won’t actually cost you anything in reality as you’re paying for your next months website at the top of Google from your previous months profit, profit you would not have had had you not been at the top of Google.
How can you be sure the website design company you’re thinking about hiring is the right choice? With a little bit of research, you can feel comfortable with your selection. The first step is to check their website. Is it appealing? Does it grab your attention? Is it easy to navigate? And most importantly, is the information up-to-date?
Ask for references. As with any reputable company, graphic design and website development companies should have no problem offering references or referring you to sites they’ve created. Make sure the website design company you’re considering has the experience to create the type of website you want.
Do you know exactly what you want on your website and how you want it to look? Having a clear vision of what you want will help the website designer create a website you’ll be proud to have associated with your name or business. If you’re unsure, or unable to articulate your needs and desires, both you and your website designer will become frustrated and your website development project will take longer to complete and most certainly run over budget Long Island Web Design Company.
In addition, you need to know what you want from your website. What is the purpose of your site? Is your website an informational site? Are you selling products or services? Do you want visitors to sign up for emails? Do you want visitors to your site to interact in some manner, participate in discussions, download a file, or click on ads?
Knowing what type of website you need and what the goal of your site is will help you determine which web design company will best suit your needs. There are many types of websites. E-commerce sites, portfolio sites, and informational sites, to name a few. Although many web designers and website development companies have a wide range of abilities, some designers specialize in specific types of sites. Be clear when describing your requirements to your potential web design company. You want to be sure they have experience in designing the type of site you’re looking for.
At some point, your website will need to be updated. Phone numbers change, you may want to update your content, or you’ll need to add or remove products and services. Will you be handling the updates yourself? Would you rather your designer update your site? Letting your designer know your choices upfront will help in determining whether you’ll need an easy to use content management system or a more sophisticated system meant for website design pros.