New website? Know what you’re paying for

3 questions to establish who you’re working with

As a web design company in Nottingham, we’ve come across a range of different clients in the last 10 years and in all that time we’ve found that nearly all of them had 2 things in common: a) They’d been stung by previous web design companies b) They’d had so many different quotes from agencies, they’re not sure what exactly they’re paying for anymore.

That is why we’ve decided to compile a list of questions based on ours and others experience, to ask yourself and research before moving forward with a new company.

1. Who are they?

With the rate of technology growing as rapidly as it is, it is not surprising to see more and more professionals turning to web design companies for their value and input. However, the tricky part is deciphering who you’re working with.

We’ve come across a lot of this lately, where a web designer will set up their own company with the intention of it just being a hobby or a stop gap before they find something more stable. In some cases it seems to just be a short term solution but in other cases they are wanting to grow and expand.

It is important to know who you are talking to and their knowledge of the industry. Web design should be a clear and honest process from the beginning, and we believe that building a relationship and keeping in contact throughout the course of a project is essential to achieving the optimal result.

2. How do they work?

The best piece of advice we can give as an established web design agency, is find out how the web company you’ve chosen builds their websites. There are a number of ways to build a website, but some in this sector take short cuts either to save money themselves, or because they just don’t know what they are doing and are outsourcing it to a single web designer. It’s a shame because it undermines and belittles the hard work and passion that agencies and specialists like ourselves put into their work.

Making the decision to design and build a professional website should be an exciting experience, from the initial discussion about what you hope to achieve, to making those first concepts. But it’s important to know exactly who you are working with and are they credible, what comes with the package and timescale. It’s good to ask questions, and if you are unsure get a second opinion.

3. What do they charge?

What a web design company charges can often tell you a lot about the company itself. Everyone is always trying to save money and cut corners where they can, and so when they see a cheaper alternative then why not take it?

When it comes to web design, this shouldn’t be the case. Often, we’ve found that it is one man bands competing against bigger more experience companies and thus can charge relatively cheaper amounts. Although you are getting a cheaper price here, what are you actually getting from this service? A designer with perhaps 2 years industry experience, the result is sought by trial and error meaning you have to spend more time and money trying to get it right and being left without the result you wanted and maintenance fees to pay every month.

It’s important to understand that whereas the price you are given may be cheap, what is the cost of having to spend more time getting your website right and converting potential clients.

Working on building and re-designing your website should be an exciting experience, and so we advise our clients to research their companies before choosing and pick someone experienced who will in turn give you guidance and advice throughout the process. This will be the real money saver and you won’t be stuck having to spend more trying to fix the damage.

If you need a new website and you want to know more about how we work then give us a call on: 0115 914 0640 and speak to one of our dedicated team.