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Are you looking to hire an agency to design your website but don’t know where to start? It’s a common problem faced by many businesses, and it’s even harder if you don’t know much about web design itself.

The best solution is to interview agencies thoroughly before deciding, but that presents a new problem — what questions should you ask? Interviewing agencies may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.

In this article, we’ll explore the questions we recommend every client ask when searching for a web design team. In our experience, if you focus on these areas, you will find the right agency for your needs. Let’s make the most of your search.

1. What Makes Your Agency Different?

Let’s face it —  there are countless creative agencies that offer custom website development. That in-and-of-itself isn’t a bad thing. But it can make selecting the perfect website designer for your brand harder than you might expect.

When interviewing website designers, you should always ask how they’re different from their competition. It may feel like an awkward question, but it can reveal how a candidate sees themself and what they perceive as valuable. Moreover, it’s an open enough question that you can hone in on specific concerns you have and get the answers you need, all the while weeding out agencies that focus on marketing jargon over results.

It helps if you think about more than their working process (though that’s important too, and we’ll get into it soon, though). For example, how they view their relationships with customers can be a deciding factor in determining if your working relationship will be both communicative and fruitful. Before getting down to the nitty-gritty of building a website, poke their brain a little to see how they view themselves.

2. When Will My Website Be Ready?

Knowing when your website will launch is vital to planning your next move. Any established developer can give you an estimate based on your needs upfront so there are no surprises. Even if a speedy launch isn’t necessary for you, you should still ask for a timetable so you know what to expect.

Timetables are helpful for customers, but you should still consider variables. For example, what a web agency states on their website may not reflect their current workload. So be sure to ask them where your project fits into their schedule to get a more accurate picture. If they cannot commit to a finite window for delivery, press the issue. Determining timelines and establishing expectations early is crucial to your business’ success, so don’t be afraid to draw a line in the sand about what you need and when (within reason, of course).

3. What Features Do You Include with Your Design Packages?

Every company’s needs are different. With that in mind, assess what you’re looking for from a web design firm. Most customers are looking for services in addition to a website, and if you’re one of them, you’ll want to make that known upfront.

For example, do you envision your website having custom-made apps to enhance the user experience? Or maybe you’re looking to launch a digital ad campaign to coincide with your new online store? Of course, these aren’t unusual requests, but springing them on a designer after you’ve hired them to design your site could cause some logistical problems.

Usually, getting all of your services from one agency will save you money overall. It will also ensure that all of your services work together seamlessly. Save yourself some time and frustration by getting everything from one provider.

4. What Quality Assurance Do They Offer?

Let’s say that you’ve hired an agency to build your website. The final product fits your branding, is easy to navigate, and appears to deliver all the functionality you wanted to include. But sometime after launch, you find a bug. What do you do?

Hopefully, the designers you hired have provided you with some warranty for their work. If not, you’ll need to fix the problem yourself or spend even more money hiring someone else to address the issue. That’s why it’s essential never to take quality assurance for granted.

Ask your candidates what quality assurance they provide (if any) before you finalize a deal. Be sure to ask for specific details on what is and isn’t covered. Also, inquire about their testing before launch to better cover your bases.

5. What Is Their Working Process?

You may have the attitude that you don’t care how your website gets designed so long as it gets done on time. After all, you outsourced your web development needs so you wouldn’t have to deal with it, yourself. So why should you be concerned about a design agency’s working process?

To put it bluntly, flexibility matters. If you decide during development that you need changes to the website, you’ll want to know your agency can quickly adapt without much trouble. So rather than asking about specifics, focus on how well they can adapt to changes in the plan.

The Best Website Design Portland Has To Offer

Your website is the best tool in your marketing kit. It will allow you to convert qualified leads into sales. In turn, you are getting more motivated clicks and creating a relationship with your visitors. If you aren’t a web design guru, don’t worry — you don’t have to build it yourself. 

At Stoute Web Solutions, we specialize in creating custom website care plans, managed WordPress hosting, SEO, and web design services. Based in Portland, Oregon, we are ready to help your business grow and specialize in working with small and medium-sized businesses with affordable SEO services and web design.

If you would like to take your business to the next level, please reach out to us to schedule a consultation today.

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