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1. Understand Your Needs For Your Website
A good place to start before looking at companies is knowing your own needs as a business and seeing how that factors into your website design. Website design encompasses many parts of your website you may not even think of. This includes:
· Content marketing
· Functionality
· Marketing integrations
· Mobile web design
· Search engine optimisation
· Security
· User interface
· Ecommerce functionality
For example a business aiming to move to ecommerce would have very different needs to a business that are simply raising awareness of in-store products or services they provide. Ecommerce websites have specific needs such as:
- In-depth product descriptions
- A platform for consumer reviews
- Security measures which bring it in line with PCI compliance
- Ease of checkout for convenience of customers
- Multiple payment options
Knowing the specific functions you need for your website and the type of website you want to create is an important first step. If you have a clear idea of your needs you can research web design agencies that suit your needs and have experience creating those types of websites.
2. Set An Expected Timeline
A full website can take anywhere from weeks to months to build and be published. The time it takes to update an existing or rebuild a new website will differ depending on many factors. These factors include the number of pages, products, or events you have to be added to your website. Other factors include whether you need an ecommerce store set up as well or the amount of content you need written before you publish the website.
Your timeline for having your website designed and published should include time for you to properly research web agency options. This ensures you find the right web agency for you.
Web Design Agency Belfast
ProfileTree is a Belfast SEO company striving to create websites, content, and digital marketing plans which help businesses grow. We don’t only develop websites which look good but develop website design which is optimised for digital marketing and SEO. We believe in the importance of digital marketing through website design and know the benefits that well optimised SEO has for businesses.
We aim to present you with the skills, information, and training to help you grow as a business owner. This article will tell you all about ecommerce website design, optimising website content, key terminology you may come across, as well as other information to help you.
If you are interested in starting up an ecommerce website for your business, or want to update and optimise your existing one, get in touch with a member of our team today. We offer website design services, content creation, and training courses to help you understand and plan for your digital marketing.
Web Design Agency Belfast
3. Plan A Budget And Be Upfront About It
Web design is an investment in your business and it can be an important tool in growing your business and improving your sales. However, it is important to know how much you are willing to invest in your new website from the offset and to set your budget accordingly.
When talking to any potential web design agency you consider letting them know the budget you have for the project so they can give you an idea of what they can offer in that budget range. Website design pricing varies hugely and there are a lot of factors to consider. You may get a range of prices from different web design agencies and you should ensure you don’t go over budget just to choose the most expensive one. Ensure you are picking an agency that offers what you need within your budget.
4. Ask Others For Advice
It is important to use what contacts you have when making business decisions as you may find options you hadn’t considered before. Talking to other business owners, friends, and family can be a great way to find out what web design agencies that are out there.
This is especially good for small businesses which can benefit from the experience of other small business owners who were in the same shoes.
5. Search For Agencies Online
The internet is an invaluable tool in researching web design agencies both local and further afield. There are several important things to ensure you research when considering a web design agency in Belfast to ensure they suit you and your business.
When you first make a list of potential web design agencies you should look at their website to get an idea of what they offer. They should have information on their website which helps you decide whether they are a business you want to work with. Check featured customer reviews, awards they may have won, and services they offer. They may also mention if the specialise in a specific industry or business size and that should also be taken into account.
When on their website you should take time to look through their online portfolio. This page should have case studies of previous work completed by the company. Looking through the portfolio of a web design agency gives you an in-depth look at the kind of work they do, the clients they work with, and whether they are a good fit for your website design.
To help narrow down your search make sure to check online reviews left by previous clients. It is good practice not only to look at reviews featured on their website but check several sources such as Google or TrustPilot. This gives you a wide range of experiences to draw from ensuring peace of mind.
Once you know a few agencies you want to talk to about your website to plan a possible project with them you should contact the company to discuss your options. During this meeting bring up your budget, your needs, and the design ideas you have for your website. You should then decide based on these conversations which web design agency is best suited to your website design.
Should You Pick A Small Or Large Web Design Agency In Belfast?
The size of the web design agency you pick will have an impact on how they operate in regards to your project. There are advantages and disadvantages to both small and large web design agencies which you should consider. These include factors such as:
Cost
Your budget is an important consideration when choosing a web design agency and this can have an impact on the size of the company you choose to work with. A small web agency have less staff to pay and less of a reputation which you have to pay for. This means that choosing a smaller web design agency may be cheaper than a large one.
Large web design agencies have to pay a large staff and may offer benefits that small businesses don’t to prove valuable for their larger price tag. These benefits however may increase the value and the price of the service further. When working with a large web design agency you will pay more but the price being more does not mean the work they do is the best choice for your website design.
Personalised Service
When dealing with a smaller web design agency you may receive a more personalised experience. They have a smaller team dedicated to your project who will work on it throughout from consultation to completion.
Larger web design companies have a large web of workers throughout the company who work on projects meaning a greater number of people working on parts of your website. This means you get less opportunity to discuss the ongoing project with those involved in it. It also may have a negative impact on how your vision is achieved with information being passed from person to person.
The best large web design agencies will ensure your needs are met and that communication is clear and often but smaller agencies can give a more personalised service. If you want a lot of input and discussion with your web design team a smaller web design agency could be a better fit for you.
Experience
A great benefit to choosing a large web design agency is their large amount of experience. Web design agencies who have been in the industry long enough to grow will have gained knowledge within that time. Their wide breadth of experience will be put to use designing your website.
A web design company with a larger portfolio of past clients also means they likely have experience working in your industry which can help them advise you on the right choices for your business.
Niche Specialism
Small web design agencies often specialise in an industry and therefore can offer services to a niche specialism. Larger web design agencies can’t sustain their business by only appealing to one industry and instead diversify their portfolio. Small agencies however may choose to specialise and focus on a specific industry.
If your industry is a niche market you may find a small web design agency that specialises in it is a good fit for your business. They will have experience directly relevant to your business which can be a plus.
One issue of this specialism is that the company may have a specific style they developed which doesn’t set you apart from the competition in your industry. This is essential to brand identity and so you may not want to go with the same agency as most of your competitors.
Stability
Whether it is a pandemic or economic crash, major events can and will have a negative impact on companies. Due to this risk larger web design agencies are sometimes the safer bet for the long term as they offer stability. However, just because a company is large doesn’t mean it is recession-proof and small businesses aren’t guaranteed to fail. This is just another consideration to take into account when looking at small or large web design agencies.
Both large and small web design companies have their strengths and bring different things to the table. When choosing a web design agency in Belfast it's important to make sure you are working with a company that understands you and your business. This is much more important than the size of the company. Therefore you should look past the size if they feel like the right company for you as you know your company's needs best.