Websites are the calling cards of your companies online brand. Yours needs to provide relevant, targeted information in an easy-to-use, attractive manner that’s true to your corporate brand. With constantly-changing user habits, technology advancements and best practices, the selection of a good web designing company can be a tricky task. Consider these following points before selecting the web design company who will deliver the best online presence for your business:
• EXPERIENCE – The internet can be a tricky place. An experienced web design company will know how to navigate SEO concerns, e-commerce and communication security issues, monitor for potential breaches in security and downtime, as well as understand customer browsing trends, needs and conversion techniques. Website design and development experience helps in honing expertise that directly impacts the productivity of your website.
• PORTFOLIO– Always make sure to check a web design company’s portfolio. Even if they haven’t done a website specifically in the particular niche market of your company, look for general style, website structure, flow, social media integration, etc. that appeal to you. Make sure the company has a thorough understanding of website structure, coding and conversion techniques. Additionally go through the range of service packages provided by the company and make sure that they can help your company grow as your needs increase and change. The richer the service portfolio of the company, the better the chances of receiving multifarious web design solutions under a single roof.
• RESPONSIVE/MOBILE-FRIENDLY – The world of technology, and how potential customers access their online material has been radically changing in recent years. make sure to pick a web development company who knows and understands the dynamic nature of an effective and long-lasting website. At Panther Marketing, we utilize the latest in modular website development, selecting plugins and expandable modules which can be added on as your companies needs change and you grow into different services and areas of customer service. Ask co about their working methods and go with systematic and simplified one. This will save your time and money, ensuring timely submission of assigned projects.
• PROCESS – Ask how their website development process takes. Be specific on what it is you’re looking for. Do you just want an online brochure? That shouldn’t take more than a few weeks, provided you have content for them to work with. Do you want a full-blown social media campaign and an online store built? Depending on how many products you have, and how complicated they are to purchase (think purchasing a simple widgit, verses enrolling in an online class with a secure forum, instructor feedback portal, etc.) it can take months to complete.
How does their workflow occur? At Panther Marketing, we will stage an initial intake conference call to discuss the general objectives of the website, gather the necessary content, create a to-do list for you to get us the materials or information we will need, etc. After that initial conference call, our designers will go to work developing a design in keeping with your established branding, or assisting in developing your branding as we go. Once we receive feedback on the initial design, we will make any necessary changes to the layout and aesthetics, and then present a revised design to the client. Once the design is approved, we’ll go ahead and build out the rest of the website following the approved design. We find that this process is efficient and works well for our developers as well as for our clients. We encourage your participation and feedback in the overall website development. And we trust that our clients hire us for our expertise and experience, and generally they take our suggestions and advice when it comes to the technicalities of the website. Make sure, whatever website design firm you choose, you are comfortable with their workflow, timeline and development process.
• BUDGET – Budget is another important factor that goes into selecting the best web development company. Custom websites can be expensive to design, and it’s vital to measure the cost effectiveness of the company’s web design solutions. Generally speaking, like most things in life, you get what you pay for. If you have a small company with no ambitions to grow your online presence/business then a very inexpensive, out-of-the-box design may be right for you. But even if your needs are modest now, if you plan on growing your online business as your business grows, and leveraging the immense reach that a strong online presence can give you, then it is probably worth it in the long run to invest a little more in an expandable website that can grow with you. From an overall marketing standpoint, it’s vital that your website also reflect positively and strengthen your corporate branding.
At Panther, our websites generally start at $2,500, with most clients spending between $5000-$12,000 on their websites and establishing their social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.).