How To Choose A Web Agency

 

Make a list of websites you like

 

Websites are a great way to promote your business since people who want it can easily see what you’re offering. Since the internet is so accessible, there are many ways to gain exposure for your business

The first step in choosing a web agency is to make a short list of all of the sites that you currently work with or would like to work with going forward. Website design is a process where most agencies offer free trials during which they pick up your website content and style.

Make sure to keep your current working relationships as well as future projects consistent throughout your exploration phase. This helps ensure you cover all your bases and avoid creating confusion later.

You also need to know if you want to hire an agency or find one yourself. Both have their advantages including cost versus having control over how your site looks and feels.

Contact some of these companies and ask about services for small businesses, whether anyone comes out looking for them, and ways to get extra help or support.

You can also talk to other businesses and see how they were able to develop strong bonds with their web designers and developers. This will give you ideas on things you might want to do next time you need a web strategy.

Make a list of websites you don’t like

There are lots of website building tools out there, so try to find ones that offer several choices for layouts and design. If you’re willing to pay an extra fee, you can even choose from a variety of pre-built pages, without having to construct your own layout.

Whatever template you go with, you will need to put in the effort required to edit and promote their use effectively. More importantly, do not underestimate the time it takes to learn how to build a webpage!

There are thousands of webpages online already, so instead of trying to match yourself into those jobs, why not create your own? Learn some basic coding languages (such as HTML, CSS, jQuery), or whatever else is necessary to make a webpage flow consistently across all browsers and devices.

Keep practicing, and before long you’ll be able to develop beautiful templates by yourself, and adding what you want to say instead of relying on someone else to help you.

Consider your budget

Once you have an idea of what type of website you would like to create, how expensive it will be to hire someone to do it for you.

If you know exactly what you want done and can pay for it, then you should go ahead and do it yourself. Or, if you aren’t skilled at something specific, now is the time to learn before you pay for someone else to do it for you.

There are several reasons why hiring an agency is worth it. First, they offer experience that you don’t have. Secondly, they help with marketing which can easily cost you money. Finally, they use tools that allow them to work more efficiently and thus produce quality content or designs.

Ask your friends

If you’re still unsure if you trust the web agency that you hired, then ask your friends about their experiences with website services.

Your friends can give you tips about how reliable certain web agencies are and what they were unhappy with regarding service.

You also want to make sure that any new web agencies that you consider using understand how important loyalty is to you and your business. It may sound obvious, but the first step to finding a good contractor is to work with only them.

During the early stages of selection it can be difficult to evaluate quality between providers. In order to avoid falling in love with someone’s aesthetic ability or programming skills, we recommend working with one provider for at least two weeks.

This way you can see whether you get along well enough to create a partnership or not. We strongly advise against hiring one company to do all of your work because even though you might find another company is better than this one, you will always think back to those days when anyone could use anything without proof as to its integrity.

It’s hard to replace something once it has been lost.

Remember that no matter what type of project you bring into fruition, everything takes time. Even if you hire a contractee, who works quickly, it will take time to convince him/her to help you achieve results that match up to your expectations.

Ask your family

Choosing a web agency isn’t like choosing a restaurant, where you can simply ask everyone around you whether or not they like their meal. With an online presence, people will see your business all over the place.

Investing in marketing is not a choice that most businesses make because it’s too expensive or they don’t know how to measure the return on investment. If you think having a brand name is what makes you popular, then consider how much money you would have had to spend to achieve this goal.

If you need help making a decision, contact some professionals to work with you. They will be able to answer any questions you have about your campaign and help you choose the best one for your business.

Ask your coworkers

Now, let’s talk about how to choose a web agency. First, you can use who you know for advice. If you work with someone in your office or at another company, they can usually recommend their web agency.

If you don’t have any friends with workplaces,you could ask around town. People probably know of others with offices like yours.

Either way, the people you know are experts when it comes to using an online platform. They can help explain what services are available and which ones you should try.

Your next option is to talk to other businesses that have worked with a web agency. I would advise you to just make a phone call instead of sending an email. Phone calls are more formal and put less stress on the interviewer than emails.

Finally, you can search for companies online that offer website design services. There are many free websites that can give you tips and information on web agencies.

Ask your past clients

If you’ve worked with any web agencies before, ask them how their experience was. Was they easy to work with? Did they do good quality work?

If there are problems, make sure that you fix them quickly and directly so that you don’t end up with another problem down the line.

------

Start with asking questions about what type of project they took on (i.e. website, logo design, social media ad) and who would be involved in the process.

You can also try talking with someone at the agency about why you should hire them. It helps if you know this person well enough to speak openly and honestly with them.

What they have to say will help you get a sense of whether or not hiring them is right for you.

Ask your future clients

More often than not, client relationships are founded on trust. If you’re looking for a new web agency, it makes sense to talk with existing ones to get recommendations.

However, beyond reputation and credentials, there are other factors that can help you find the right partner for your business.

Ask about their process for creating websites and mobile apps. Find out how much experience they have in the field and if they offer any perks such as custom branding or online sales.

Look for answers that give you confidence in their ability to work within your budget and meet your deadlines. You also want to make sure they’ll be easy to work with.

If you’ve worked with another web company, ask what their experiences were like (you do want people to feel comfortable working with you, don’t you?). Were they friendly? Productive? Dependable? Available after hours? These are all things you should expect from a good agency.

And lastly, we always recommend doing business with colleagues. They already know who you are, where you're coming from and most of all, what you're capable of.

Your friends/colleagues shouldn't be the only people talking to you. It is totally normal to seek advice from others, so this is our suggestion.

Look at the website's 'about us' page

This is your first step into learning more about the company that will be managing your web presence. You want to know who are they are, how long they have been in business, what platforms they use, and who their most popular products and services are.

You also need to make sure that they are licensed or qualified to do what they claim to be able to do for you (for example, if they say they handle social media marketing, then you want to make sure that they are actually trained and certified to do so).

This may seem like a lot of work, but it’s necessary when you want to stand up an successful web project. More important than any one thing being handled is that the items discussed are professional and well-managed.

If things are not managed properly, both your expectations and efforts will suffer. It’s as simple as that!

Blog Post Created by: ETAZ Web Art Solutions*