I’m biased, what can I say. I own web design agency, so obviously I want you to choose us for your web design project. But are we really the best choice?

There are other web design agencies and freelancers in town. And there’s always your 2nd cousin who (in their spare time) plays with “code” and said he can whip you out a website. So who’s really best for the job? Why are prices for web design and development all over the map?

Let’s tackle the first question…who’s really best for the job? Before you choose someone to work on your website, DO SOME RESEARCH! Does your potential web designer actually create their own websites, code them out themselves, provide you copy written content (content is king you know!), and optimize your site for search engines…and I mean actually do these things? Not farm them out to someone? And if they do, are they qualified or did they just read about it one time and now think they are experts?

Ok let’s say you don’t want to ask, because you feel you won’t get an honest answer. Try this approach…if a web designer can’t make an awesome looking, put together, functioning and optimized site for their own company…do you want to hire them to build your company’s website? Take the time, visit their website, see how it’s built. Is it full of a lot of fluff and “non-specific” promises? Does it not just sell their service, but actually inform you of the routes you should take to make your marketing succeed?

Let’s even go a step further…let’s ask a neutral third party what they think of your potential designer’s website. I mean after all, if your potential web designer’s own website isn’t good, what makes you think that a site they create for you won’t be just as bad?

So who should we ask…how about Google? Google has a handy tool called Insights which grades any web page on a 0 to 100 scale, just like in school. It looks at both desktop and mobile platforms and grades things like speed and user experience. Now…when it comes to these types of things, wouldn’t you expect your web designer to get all A’s across the board? I certainly would. So go check them out, see what their scores are…and if they can’t score well on their own website, how would you expect them to ever do anything positive with yours? CLICK HERE to visit Google’s Insight Tool and type in the web address of your potential web designer and see how they score. I think you might be shocked at what you see!

Ok, let’s have a look at cost. Cost can be a deal breaker. But remember, your web presence is your company’s 24/7 advertisement. This is your “digital face”…and can make or break your company in today’s tech world. So any amount of money you put into a website is an investment…let’s just make sure it’s the right one.

The old adage “you get what you pay for” rings true in web design and development just as much as it does in purchasing a car, or building a house. If you do everything you can to save a buck now, you may not reap the value in the long-term when it comes to your website, which is the whole point. Web development and your internet presence for your business is a marathon, not a sprint. Would you rather spend a lower amount on a website that produces absolutely nothing…or pay a higher amount for a website that actually generates traffic and business…and consequently profit? The whole point of the website isn’t just to look pretty, it’s job is to drive traffic, sales, leads…everything that leads to more revenue for your business.

So how would you justify the costs involved? Easy. Pick up a pencil and write some numbers down…what has your business spent, altogether on marketing and advertising in say the last 5 years? And what exactly has all that money (and time) spent actually gotten you? And don’t guess, do the research and find out. Now ask your potential web designer to provide some proof of what they can produce for you…and I don’t mean a website, I mean in $$. A website build is not about cost, it’s about value. If the website, even though it “costs” a lot of money, is actually providing a return on your investment (i.e. making you money) and spreading your brand awareness, then the amount of money you might spent shouldn’t be a deal breaker. Don’t let a big cost number make you automatically discount it, as if you actually put pencil to paper you might discover you’ve been spending the same or more in other marketing avenues for a pretty long time and gotten nothing in return.

And it doesn’t stop with the initial web site build. Your internet presence is an ongoing project. The digital world changes faster than some people change their underwear…so a set it and forget it attitude will provide with no positive results. You must build awesome…and keep building awesome on many fronts to make it work…or else your competitors will. Will your web designer provide this ongoing support? If you need to make adjustments and change, will they do it? If they will, are they going to nickel and dime you every time you want to improve your website?