Web design

It is important to hire a reliable and professional web design service. Make sure you ask these 7 questions during the hiring process.

It takes about 50 milliseconds for someone to form an impression of your company.

This means your website needs to have an eye-catching design. Hiring the best professional is essential, or it could end up negatively impacting your business.

That means you need to ask a lot of questions of the web design service you’re considering to ensure they’re experienced and reliable. Here’s what you should ask them to ensure you’re hiring the best service for you.

1. Do You Have Experience in Our Industry?

While you should make sure that the web design company has years of experience behind them, you should also make sure they have examples of websites in your industry. 

This will show that they understand what your audience is and will know how to design the website to attract the right audience. They may have made beautiful websites before but if they have no idea what your industry is about or who you’re targeting, they may severely miss the mark and it could cost you in the long run.

They should also be able to do a market analysis of the industry in its current state. This will help them know exactly what needs to go into the site.

2. Can I See Examples of Websites You’ve Built?

The best web design service will have a portfolio of sites they’ve built so you can look through them. You’ll then have a better idea if their work is for you and if you want to proceed with having them design your website.

You can also use these examples to point out what things you like about their work and what you don’t, or what may not be relevant. Looking at examples not only gives you a better picture of the company but helps aid communication about what you want.

3. Do You Have References or Reviews?

Something else that will give you a great picture of a company is what their past clients think of them. 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as advice from a loved one because they’re left by neutral third-party sources.

The company should have a good overall rating and you can also dive into the five-star and one-star reviews to see what they did well and what they didn’t.

If the company is reluctant to provide contacts for references, it may be another red flag, as they should be happy to let you inquire into their past work.

4. How Do I Contact You During the Project?

If you have questions at any point during the project, you should ensure you know who to contact and how to contact them. The last thing you want is to be running around in circles as you try to get answers about something.

Knowing whether someone prefers to be contacted by email or phone will also help you get the fastest reply rather than waiting around.

If the name of the person to contact changes, you should be updated immediately. Ensure the company’s aware of this and there’s always an open line of communication. They should also be able to contact you with questions.

5. How Involved Will I Be in the Design Process?

The answer to this will vary from company to company, but you should make sure it’s the right answer for you. For example, will the company contact you at every stage of the process for approval on your business website? Or will they mostly do it on their own and get your approval at the end?

Make sure you’re aware of this and happy with the way they work.

6. How Long Will the Process Take?

You should also ensure you know how long the process will take. Building a great business website can take time but once you’ve laid out the foundations of what you want to achieve together, they should be able to give you a rough timeline on when you can expect the finished product — or at least each stage of it. 

If they can’t give you a deadline or it seems too far away, it’s okay to walk away and find another website design company. Fortunately, there are a lot out there.

However, be realistic in your expectations. If you’re not sure why the deadline is so far away, then ask them about it. They can break things down into stages for you.

7. How Much Will This Cost?

The dreaded quote is another thing you need to consider. How much is this website going to cost and is it within your budget?

Don’t forget to consider the cost along with everything else though. The quote shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all. Whether it’s important to ensure it’s within your budget, the cheapest quote you get might be that way for a reason.

Maybe the company doesn’t have much experience or the website won’t have as many features.

Don’t overspend, but don’t undersell your website either. Having a good website will pay for itself in terms of bringing in business.

Hire the Best Web Design Service by Asking These Questions

If you ask these questions, you’ll be able to hire the best web design service. Your company website is vital for your business, so you shouldn’t hold back on any inquiries you have. Any good web design service will understand that you want to make sure you’re going to end the process with the best product possible.

Looking for a custom website that will give the best impression of your business? Contact us today for reliable and professional web design and marketing services.

Today’s online market is cutthroat. You need a top-tier website with good design and proper SEO to compete. The problem is this can be difficult, expensive, and time-consuming.

If you don’t have the resources or knowledge, a professional website design team can help you grow your business. From increasing speeds and better UI experience to game-changing SEO, it’s worth it. They can also provide reliable support and save you a long-term headache.

Here are some great reasons to use a professional website design service for your business.

1. Better Loading Speeds

There’s more to a website than its facade or UI. Not many know how the “behind the scenes” work, but it impacts user experience. Page load speeds, especially on mobile, can affect your consumer base.

With commerce now at our fingertips, not everyone is patient enough to wait for a laggy site or page. A professional website design can prevent this from happening to you. Don’t let your site and business suffer from incompetent programming.

Delving deeper, you’ll find that there are other factors that affect user experience. Going with a professional website design service can cover those for you, too.

2. Functional Designs

Work done by professionals will always show a profound difference. This is one main reason many of us hire an interior decorator, stylist, or even a make-up artist. The same applies to your website – not everyone can be a full-stack programmer overnight.

Furthermore, not everyone can provide functionality along with aesthetics. A professional design company will have the right team to help you build your ideal website. With a great design team at your side, you’ll have a unique business website design that provides the best experience.

3. Improved SEO Visibility

Beating the Google algorithm is what it takes to get in the top ranks. Being on the front page of Google pays and cracking the code on how to get there is what matters. This process, however, is tricky to master and hold down.

Keyword and backlink trends are always changing. Keeping up with it and staying updated is no easy feat. A good service can also apply their expertise to improve your rankings online.

More traffic translates to higher clicks and better profit. This is why SEO visibility should be one of the priorities of your business website.

4. Saves You Time (and Money)

Getting your website up and running online ASAP means more profit. That said, you need to have a good turnaround time when you decide to start setting it up. This process can be overwhelming if you’re new to the scene.

Depending on your business and clientele, this process can take several weeks. Two to four months at best, up to more if you’re looking to have your site optimized. Finding the right people who can deliver this and more will not only save you time but the stress and hassle to boot.

This, in turn, translates to you prioritizing other aspects of your business. This is especially valuable if you’re starting everything from scratch. Hiring the right people will save your sanity, time, and money.

5. Sustained and Reliable Support

Based on the industry you’re in and the services you provide, your clientele’s experience on your site doesn’t end once they click away. There are times when they’ll need or want to drop a line for follow-ups or other inquiries.

Managing this with ease as well as in a professional manner is important. This is especially when you’re a small start-up trying to get established. Also, note that while moving your business online has a lot of benefits, it also has several drawbacks.

Handling privacy issues, online threats, and cybercrime are only a few examples. Ensuring that you have these in the bag means having a trusted service managing things. The same also applies to you and your team.
If you’re experiencing any issues with the site, immediate solutions are crucial.

6. Keeps You Ahead of the Curve

Tech and the internet are always updating and innovating. Running a site that’s neck and neck with it will give you a major advantage. Regular maintenance, patches, updates, and back-ups are a must if you want to make sure things are running as smoothly as possible.

If your site is able to deal with all of these, then this makes for happy customers. If you find yourself behind, then your competition is sure to knock you out of the game. Don’t wait until you notice a significant drop in your traffic or profit.

The last thing you want is for it also to affect the reputation of your business. When this happens, digging yourself and your site out of the rut can get pricey and tumultuous.

7. Upholds a Lasting and Impactful Impression

There’s nothing more off-putting than a website that looks outdated or unfinished. Often, consumers find sites like these untrustworthy and sketchy. If you’re looking to improve your business, be it big or small, make sure your site has a good first impression.

The world will only continue to shift and cater to the online and digital market. This means the competition online can get quite cutthroat. A poor first impression of your website is enough to lose a significant amount of traffic (and money).

This is what’s great about hiring those with expert knowledge in the field. They’re able to show you top-tier skills that are sure to create a great first impression. What’s even better is that they can also uphold and maintain that in the long run.

Go With Professional Website Design

Professional website design companies can help you get a leg up on the competition. They can design a great UI experience for your users and help you with conversion. SEO and regular maintenance are also par for the course.

At Fishhook Marketing, we have the expertise to help you build a website worthy of Google’s front page. So get in touch with us today, and let’s grow your business together.

Websites act as the home base for a company’s entire digital presence, so it may shock you to learn that less than two-thirds of small businesses have a website.

Well, in order to get ahead of the competition, having a proper website is absolutely critical. Luckily, it’s never been easier to find the right website design service for your company. Let’s talk about how to find the right people for your website needs.

What Should I Look For?

When choosing a web design service, it’s important that you know what you’re looking for. If you’re not big on tech, it may sound confusing to you, but don’t worry. We’ll make it easy.

There are certain services that any modern business should be seeking for their websites, as they are critical for keeping up with your competition. Here are a few of the most important ones.

SEO Services

In today’s world, hiring web design services without SEO services is like asking for a pizza with no cheese. SEO is the number one way to build organic traffic to your website, and that’s the best kind of traffic for making conversions and building loyal customers.

Even if you have a solid content marketing strategy, it’s important to remember that your website is the backbone of your SEO value. The best fishing blog ever could never see the first page on a relevant Google search because they didn’t take the time to optimize their site.

Because of this, you need to find a company that takes your SEO strategy as seriously as you do, as the benefits of building a quality SEO site could last you for years to come. Here are a few things to review.

Mobile Design

This is a deal-maker or a deal-breaker. 56% of all traffic comes from mobile devices, making responsive mobile design a top priority for both your business, your users, and Google.

Because the majority of traffic comes from smartphones and similar technology, it’s critical that a website be optimized for both. This will allow for faster loading times, easier navigation tools, and a better fit for mobile screens. This will only help with user experience, user retention, and your site’s overall SEO value.

Audits

If you’re looking for a website redesign, do they offer SEO audits on your existing website? This is a great way to limit the amount of work that needs to be done, save you some money, and get the best results possible.

They may find 404 redirects, a more simplified navigation system to use, and a couple of slow pages, and be able to dramatically improve your website with a few tweaks instead of recreating the entire site.

If you are getting your website designed for the first time, this service will also allow you to go back to your web designer after some time has passed and get a quick fix instead of a redesign.

Location

Location is a critical part of SEO, and depending on the nature of your business, you will need a certain breadth of experience from your web design team.

If they have national, local, and global experience, then you can bet that they offer quality services. If you’re a local business relying entirely on local traffic, it’s very important that they have experience with local SEO. The same applies at the national and global levels.

SEO Tools

Ask them about the SEO tools they use. If they don’t have an answer right away, then this is a red flag. There are plenty of valuable tools out there, and many companies have different preferences. However, if they don’t have a favorite, then their experience is likely outdated.

Responsive Web Design

User experience and SEO go hand-in-hand. Ideally, you want your web design team to focus primarily on user experience, as this will benefit your website’s entire sales prospects.

Having a better user experience will help with ad conversions, SEO prospects, user retention, customer loyalty, and more.  This should include using up-to-date web design tools and having a detailed plan to offer fast load times, clean navigation tools, and more.

Brand Services

Your website is one of the best locations to showcase your brand. If your font, color scheme, tone of voice, and overall aesthetic are uniform across your marketing strategy, then this will go a long way toward building brand recognition and brand loyalty.

The right team will be able to work with your brand image and display it properly all throughout your site. If these are services you are seeking, this will typically require some level of graphic design or marketing experience to pull off correctly, so talk to your web designer and see what they can do.

Niche Services

Are there any services that are specific to your industry or business that you need? Well, make sure they offer it.

For example, you may need a web design company that uses WordPress, one that can create gaming widgets, develop an e-commerce store on your site, or anything else. If you have any specific needs outside of traditional web development, but that will go hand in hand with your website, make sure your web designer can help you.

Experience

Now, it’s important to note that years of experience are a great thing, as long as they have been kept up to date. A “good” website from 2005 is very different from a “good” website in 2021. On the other side of the coin, you don’t necessarily want a brand new web designer to handle your entire project.

Ideally, what you want is a team that has several years of experience but who keeps up with all of the latest industry trends. This will give you the best of both worlds, and you can verify their experience by checking some of their more recent examples and references.

Having a proven track record and an established business is the perfect mix to ensure that you’re getting the highest quality.

Also, what kind of experience are they bringing to the table? If you have a team of web developers with little or no marketing experience, this isn’t ideal. Your website should be your top salesperson, and there are plenty of ways to make that a reality, but only if your web designers are viewing your website through a marketing lens.

If they have experience in your industry, great. What’s more important is that they have experience across multiple industries, as this will allow them to combine what they’ve learned from each into one great product.

Price

Lastly, you want to make sure that the cost will fit your web design budget. You can check out their pricing options online or contact the company to ask about their prices. If they review your website or your design ideas, they will be able to give you a better estimate as to what you should expect.

Remember, your website is the center of your entire digital marketing strategy, so the right design is worth the price. It’s recommended that small businesses spend between 7% and 8% of their revenue on marketing, so you shouldn’t neglect the most important part.

How to Find the Right Web Design Services for Your Company

In today’s world, you need to make sure that you’re both avoiding scams and getting the right bang for your buck. There are plenty of “web design companies” out there who will use all the right words to sound legit, but they may not offer all of the services that you need.

Here is how you can verify that the team you are looking at can offer you the services and experience that your company needs.

Check Their Services Page

Before you dive any deeper, look at the company’s website. First, their website should look like a quality web design team created it. Next, you should check out their services page to see if they offer what you are looking for. This is a good place to start before you look into their history.

If you have a checklist in mind of services you require, this is a great way to weed out potential web designers who don’t match your website’s needs.

Check References

Always check references to avoid scams, gauge customer satisfaction, and understand more about the company. Unlike online reviews, you can ask the questions that you want to ask with references.

If you reach out to their references and ask about their communication, timeliness, and overall experience working with the company, this will give you a good idea of what to expect before your website is launched.

You can also ask about how the website has been performing since it received these services. Keep in mind that it usually takes 4 to 12 months for an SEO strategy to start seeing any benefits, but you can still ask. If you ask a recent client along with a client from a few years ago, this will give you the best idea of how the websites perform.

Ask if their conversion rates improved, if they noticed any difference in their SEO ranking and any other questions you may have.

Read Reviews

Reading online reviews is tricky, as you don’t want to stick to their website, and some reviewers are less than fair. If you only read reviews on a company’s website that specializes in web design, you’re guaranteed to only see what they want you to see.

Because of this, check on other online review pages and see what previous clients have to say about their services. Don’t just look at the star ratings, as some people will leave a one-star for something that won’t affect you at all. Take the time to read through each review in order to get the best idea of the services you’re looking into.

If you check Yelp, Better Business Bureau, and Google My Business, you should be able to get a good understanding of customer satisfaction. If there are no reviews on any of these, or if you can’t find the business at all, this may be a red flag, unless you can verify that the company is new.

Review Their Portfolio

Without a doubt, the best way to get an idea of their previous work is to see it for yourself. If there is no portfolio on their website, as for links to some of their previous client sites and look through them thoroughly.

This is also a great way to gauge some of their SEO skills. When you are provided with links to their previous websites, you can look on multiple devices, navigate through these websites, and put yourself in the shoes of an average user.

This is a great way to judge whether or not you’ll be getting the products you were looking for, especially if the web design company has experience working with similar companies to yours.

If they have a “case studies” section on their website, or if they offer one to you upon request, then you will be able to see these websites’ performance over time, as well, which is even better.

Hire Today!

Now that you know how to choose the right website design service for your company, it’s important to remember that the sooner you do so, the sooner you will start seeing the rewards. SEO and web sales are long-term projects that require effort and patience to see success, and they are well worth the wait. Well, you can always book a free consultation and get started today!