How to Choose the Right Website Design Agency?

By Abby Cloete

5 things to check before you hire a website designer in Auckland 

You’ve made the smart decision to build a website or improve and update your current website. But the question you now have is “how to choose the right website design agency?”

The easy answer is: 

Check what you can afford and what your website needs are then pick a website design agency based on your needs and their services, reviews, and pricing

However, it is usually a bit more complicated than this when you hire a website designer and actually design a website. How do you find someone offering excellent quality website design and development services at a competitive price? First, know how much things cost (Website Costs in NZ) and second, do your homework.

The design and development of your website is crucial to your online revenue! Research shows that 75% of customers judge a business based on its websites design and how user friendly it is (Stanford), and that 88% are less likely to revisit your website if they have a bad experience (Toth).

This means choosing a good web design agency is unquestionably important to your business.

So, what are the important things you should check and ask before you choose to work with a specific website design agency? We have narrowed it down to ‘5 things to check before hiring a web designer’ for you:

Recommendations & Advice
CMS, integration & payment tools
Meet the web design team
Reviews & Case Studies
Training

We are assuming by this stage that you know what you want your website to do and that you have an approximate budget and time-frame of when you need your website. If you do not, to get a better idea of what you should be paying for a website read our article on How Much Does a Website Cost in NZ or Contact us.

1. Recommendations and Advice

When you are researching web design firms, find out if they offer you personalised recommendations and website design advice.

You need to find a web designer and agency that will take the time to sit down with you and talk you through building a website and how the website design impacts the user experience (UX). UX is extremely important because research shows a poor user experience will cause almost 50% of visitors to go to a competitor’s website instead (Benitez)! So, when choosing a web design there are a lot of factors that need to be considered behind the scenes. Factors such as what style will best present your products/services, how much time and budget you have available to spend on your website build project and which features/functions your website needs, i.e., payment functions or client logins etc.

The web design agency you choose should help you consider all the potential needs of your customers and your business and then give you tailored recommendations and advice. They need to be able to work with you to consider the bigger picture. Otherwise, in the long-run your business website will end up causing you issues. This leads us into the next section on content management systems, integration & payment tools.

2.  CMS, Integration & Payment Tools

The web design agencies you consider should be able to integrate your website design easily with digital marketing tools, Content management systems (CMS) and payment systems. Search engine optimisation, Google Analytics, email marketing, CMS, social media links and payment systems like Stripe or Paypal, are all commonly used by websites and marketers to grow your business’s online presence.

These are an integral part of doing business online and if your website cannot integrate with these tools, it may cause you time-consuming complications later down the line. It may also affect your businesses profits.

To avoid this, make sure the web design companies you consider are transparent about what they offer, and make sure they offer good web designs with easy integration services and responsive designs. If you are not sure what consists of a great website design, then read more on web design and development.

3. Meet the web design team

One way to find a good web design agency and guarantee you are working with good web designers is to meet them! Meeting the people, you are going to be working with is one of the best ways to get to know a company. You can ask them questions, see what they are like in person and get a feel for their company culture and customer service. Also, the way a business treats potential customers shows a lot about their business practices.

Designing and developing a website is something that should be done collaboratively between you and the web developer. So, it is critical for you to be able to see who will be creating the ‘face’ of your business online and that you are able to discuss and work with them. Therefore, make sure to ask the agency you are considering if you can meet the team that will build your website. Subsequently, it would make sense to check out their previous work, reviews, and case studies.

Beyond technical expertise and a portfolio of stunning designs, a crucial aspect often overlooked is the alignment of values and goals between you and the website design agency. Consider delving into the agency’s mission, vision, and core values. Understanding their approach to business, ethics, and client relationships is pivotal. When your values align, it establishes a foundation for effective collaboration. This shared understanding not only fosters a smoother working relationship but can also translate into a website design that resonates with your brand identity and goals. Taking the time to explore this aspect ensures that you’re not just choosing a design partner but a collaborator who shares your vision for success.

You want someone who not only can help you build and design a website but who can help you grow your business further. It’s pivotal to move beyond the immediate deliverable – the website – and scrutinise whether the agency possesses the resources and ambition to propel your business forward. A forward-thinking agency isn’t merely focused on creating a website; they’re dedicated to contributing to the growth of your business. Inquire about their strategies for scalability, digital marketing integration, and ongoing support. An agency with the ambition to see your business flourish will not only provide a website but a comprehensive digital solution aligned with your growth objectives. This foresight ensures that your digital presence evolves in tandem with your business aspirations.

P.S We have a super cool team, check us out.

4. Reviews & Case Studies

Have a look at the previous work and case studies of the website design agency that you are considering. Is the agencies work a good fit with what you envision for your website? A good web design partner will be able to build multiple different kinds of high-quality custom websites tailored to your needs.

If the agency you are looking at has a diverse collection of websites, chances are they can build what you want. If not, they will probably only be able to produce something similar to their previous work. You want to find the right web design agency that can do what you want and fits with your business’s style and personality. Additionally, you should check their customer testimonials and google reviews to see what previous customers say about them.

See our work.

5. Training

The platform your website is hosted and designed on should be user friendly, and the website design agency you pick should offer you training on how to use it. Once your website is up and running, you probably don’t want to be calling the agency every two minutes to get them to change something or add someone, and pay them to do it.

The design company you pick should train you on how to do simple things on your website like log in, add a new user or edit and add content. Anything that you might need to be doing regularly on your website, you should be trained in. If this sounds way too complicated and you just want someone to do it all for you, then ensure that the agency you pick offers ongoing website support.

In conclusion, make sure to ask any website design agencies that you consider these questions:

Do you provide recommendations and advise me on best practices to make sure I get the most out of my website?
Do you use CMS, and will my website be able to integrate with third-party platforms like CRM and online payment tools?
Can I meet the web design team?
Have you developed websites for companies in my industry (check their testimonials out)?
Will you train me on how to use my website?

Other questions you may want to ask are: