Do you need a website? Are you looking to hire a ,web design agency in melbourne?
If so, you’re not alone!
A recent study found that over 80% of small businesses have a website. That means that there’s a lot of competition between web designers and developers trying to win your business.
Asking any web developer to show you examples of their work is a given. But what happens when you look at their portfolio and still aren't sure if they're a good fit for your business?
Having been a freelance developer myself before Starting Innovate Digital and having worked on an array of websites and apps, there are certainly specific things I look for when reviewing a developers portfolio.
I've created this handy 5-step checklist (with image examples) that will help you determine if the developer you're interviewing aligns with your core values as well as your vision for your website.
Any good web developer should be able to show you at least 6 recent examples of their work.
If you don't know where to start, you're not alone. A good web designer should show you examples of their work, be able to explain what they've done and why, and they should understand your business and what it needs from a website.
The first step is finding a web designer. A good web developer should be able to show you at least 6 recent examples of their work. If they can't, then it's probably best to keep looking.
Here are some things to look for when evaluating a portfolio:
- How many projects are there?
- What kind of clients did they work with? (Startups, small businesses, large corporations?)
- How long did each project take? Did they complete it on time and budget? Did they deliver what was promised or did they fail? (If so, why?)
- What technologies were used on each project? Do they have any experience with the technology stack you're using (e.g., Wordpress, React, Angular etc.)? Are there any pages/screenshots from projects built with these technologies?
- Does the website look good enough for your needs?
Upon exploring the above questions, you will be able to weed out the web agencies which are not a good fit. Leaving you with a shortlist of highly capable web agencies to choose from.
Does your web design company offer SEO? By writing SEO-friendly code, your website will rank higher up in search engines like Google.
When you hire a E commerce website design Melbourne, you want to make sure they can provide you with the best service possible.
Does your web design company offer SEO?
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of making sure that your website shows up at the top of search results in Google and other search engines. This is an important part of any online marketing strategy because it helps drive more traffic to your site.
By writing SEO-friendly code, your website will rank higher up in search engines like Google. You need to make sure that the company you choose has experience in this area. They should also know how to write code that will pass any search engine crawlers and be readable by humans as well.
The website development company does not have expertise is SEO, then it's time to keep searching.
Look for a company that has a dedicated team, including designers and developers. These two roles complete each other, so it pays to have both working together from the get go.
The designer creates the overall look and feel of your site while the developer creates the code behind it. It's important to understand this distinction because it helps you understand how they work together on your project and how their collaboration impacts the outcome of your website in general.
Look for a company that has UX and UI designers work closely with the developers. The goal is to create an awesome user experience and user interface, so it pays to have these two roles working together from the start.
Ask about their experience with various types of websites (b2b vs b2c, ecommerce vs informational). The more they've tackled before, the better they'll be able to handle your job.
Create an inventory of what you expect from your web development company. That way, you can make sure they’re equipped to provide all the services you need and more.
If you’re not sure what kinds of things you want from your website development company, it can be helpful to create an inventory of what you expect from them.
That way, when they give their quote or proposal, they can show exactly how they will meet your needs — and more importantly, why they should be hired over another business that might cost less money.
Your budget and timeline. Some businesses may not be able to spend as much money on their website as others, but they might want to get started sooner rather than later in order to attract new customers quickly before their competitors do so first. When you combine these factors together, it creates a unique formula for determining how much your website design should cost and how long it should take for completion.
Don’t hire someone just because they’re offering cheap web design services. Remember, you get what you pay for!
It can be tempting to hire a web designer who’s offering cheap web design services. However, if you want your site to be successful, then you need to make sure that it is built by a professional.
You might think that hiring someone who offers cheap web design services is a good idea because it will save you money. This is true, but only in the short term. If you try to save money by hiring someone who isn’t qualified or experienced, then you will find yourself in trouble later on down the line.
Why? Because when it comes to building a website, there are so many things that can go wrong if they aren’t done properly. If a professional has handled the project from start to finish, then there won’t be any problems with your site and it will work exactly as it should do.
When it comes to choosing someone to build your website, do your homework first.
While there are many things to consider when choosing a web design company, the bottom line is that you need to do your homework before you hire anyone. Keep this five-step checklist in mind and it will help prepare you with what to ask any potential candidates.
Choosing the right Web design agency in Melbourne for your business – and your budget – can be a long, arduous process if you don't know where to begin. By following this checklist, however, you can ensure that you'll get off on the right foot with whomever you choose.
