Web development and design is a crucial asset for your company’s success. In today’s networked world, customers rely heavily on the reliability of a company’s web presence to decide on what products and services best suit them. Customers won’t even give your company a second glance if their online experience with you is unpleasant, stressful, or just overall unappealing.

This is why it is best to hire a competent web developer to make sure your website is bug free, purposeful, and user friendly. But hiring just any website developer isn’t going to cut it. That’s why we provide you with our seven top things to look for when hiring a website design and development company.

1. What is their reputation like?

The first and often most reliable detail to look for is the web developer’s reputation with its customers. Customer reviews and testimonials can say a lot about an organization. Did the web developer satisfy their customers? Are there common complaints or missed opportunities that customers were looking for from the company?

All of these comments and inquiries give you insight into the company’s success, merit, and customer commitment. And if the testimonial lists the client’s website, then you have access to an example of the web developer’s work as well!

2. How does their process work?

Every web design and development company has a different process. It’s important to be familiar with what that process is and how that may affect what you have to contribute to the final product.

It’s also important to know if the web developer’s services are all inclusive or not. For instance:

• Who is in charge of the web design? And who and when do you go to for help?
• What level of involvement is expected out of you in this process?
• Are you responsible for maintaining and debugging your website after its creation?
• Do you have to claim a domain name and handle other extraneous elements?

All of these questions and more will help you understand the process of the company you plan to hire and whether they are a match for you.

3. What are their specialties?

It’s also important to have an idea of the web developer’s style and aesthetic. What are they good at? And where do their specialties lie?

You can do this by checking the company’s portfolio on their website. From just looking through what the company has worked on in the past, your company can get a sense if what the web developer designs matches your interests and needs. If they don’t have a portfolio available, then that should leave you a bit skeptical about the developer’s background and success.

4. Do they have an eye for design?

After reviewing the web developer’s reputation, process and portfolio, you should have a better sense of whether they are a perfect fit for your company. Particularly, you should know if their “eye for design” matches your needs when they accomplish these five things:

1. They understand your brand identity.
2. They’re familiar and know how to interact with your target audience.
3. The developer’s company provides strong and persuasive call to actions.
4. The web design is secure and strong against vulnerabilities.
5. Everything blends into an efficient and user-friendly experience.

Be sure to also include any specific needs unique to your company’s situation. Everyone is different and their website should reflect that when done right!

5. Do they have a passion for the job?

Passion isn’t something that can be sold at face value. It’s subtle and has to be searched for. As my mother used to say about her passion for cooking, “You can always notice a distinct difference when someone puts a lot of love into the food they make for others. You can taste the difference.”

This is the same with any industry—especially web design and development! You can see the passion in web design when there’s careful crafting and attention to even the slightest details.

For instance:

• Does the mobile version of the website shift a little from side to side?
• Does the website load even a little faster because the developer took the time to properly compress large image files and code?
• Does the color palette for the website match your company’s color scheme for your logo?
• Did the developer adjust image sizes and layout designs to optimize user-friendliness?

All of these tiny details show a degree of commitment and passion by the web development company to serve its customers to the fullest of their abilities.

6. Are they prompt and reasonable with their delivery?

With the right skills, commitment and passion for what they do, web developers should have no problem delivering the final product in a timely manner. Your company should only have to set clear expectations for what you need in your website.

Granted, good things take time, and having this keen understanding is essential. You don’t want website designers or developers rushing through your project risking the quality of the final deliverable, however if the quoted timeline is set for a specific date, then is should expected to be delivered on that date with the appropriate milestones throughout the project.

The web development company should respond then with set deadlines for each step of the process, establish attainable milestones, and offer reasonable turnaround. This speaks to the organization of their process and will let you know if they can meet your deadlines. This way, you know exactly what to expect and by when throughout every phase of your project until its completion.

7. Do they strive to truly understand your company and your mission?

And to top off everything else, the web development team that you hire needs to understand the ins and outs of your company. You can assure yourself they do if they:

• Take time to learn about your company, its goals, and the mission for your website
• Appreciate your company as a client and not just another number
• Invest in providing your company with the affordable options that meet your needs
• Work to finish your company’s website in a timely manner and have you running at top performance

Your website is a direct reflection of your company. It takes the right web design and development team to understand that!

Conclusion: So what does it come down to?

Ultimately, you want to hire a web design and development team that’s going to help you make profit. And for your company to make profit, you need to find a web development team that passes all seven criteria above.

But for you to get the most out of the web development team and your soon-to-be website, you will also have to invest. The investment you make will ensure the level of payout that your new website will get you, whether its contacts, purchases or subscriptions.

We can be the Web Design and Development Team You’ve Been Looking for!

Can’t find the right website design and development team for your company? Well, we can help. Levi Marketing is here to create a website perfect for you!

Right now we are even offering a free strategy session for your website, but we will only select a few companies that meet our standards. We don’t mean this to sound pompous. Our web designers and developers just take great care and attention with clients that they work with. Just as your company is looking for the right web developer, we are looking for the right client!

So if you’re interested in a free strategy session with me and my team, click the link to fill out an application. We’ll contact you if you qualify!