Are you looking for a web design company to design a website for your business? You’ve probably researched a lot of your competitors and seen some great websites plus some rough ones too. The world of web design has evolved from what it was ten years ago. It’s vital to work with a company that has kept up with the latest trends and gives you the best site in your industry.
Here are the best 50 questions to ask a web design agency when discussing your website.
1. How long have you been web designing?
You want to work with an experienced web design company to create a compelling website for your business. You want to make sure that they fill in the blanks of what you need for your website to be successful. Longevity of service is a considerable factor when finding a professional web design company.
2. How many websites have you created?
It’s important to know a web design company’s track record of how many websites they’ve created. If you care about your business, you want to hire a company that has created several websites before they touch yours. This is no knock to web designers that are beginning their journey. It’s important to allow them to flourish their skills but you want to play it as safe as possible to ensure your business gets crafted the best website in its industry.
3. Are you they responsive website?
Responsive websites are key for user experience. Responsive websites reflect how websites appear on the device they are being viewed on. Users and search engines love this as it can help your website rise on search rankings.
4. Do you have a portfolio?
We emphasize the importance of having a portfolio. If you are speaking with a web design company and they do not have a portfolio, chances are you will not be getting the elite results they are advertising you.
5. What platform do you use to build websites?
There are many platforms to use when it comes to web design. WordPress, Wix, Weebly, Shopify, Squarespace, and more. Depending on what you’re looking for, web design agencies should be diverse in at least three of those platforms.
6. What is your process?
This question isn’t necessarily a key question to ask but it’s good to have information on what agencies will do to ensure you receive the best results. Web Design has multiple phases and you want to make sure that the agency you are working with takes executes those phases successfully.
You might also be interested in The Phases of Web Design
7. Will you be using a customized theme or will my website be fully custom?
Most web design agencies offer two ways to craft a website. One way is to customize a website from scratch, this includes; creating a mockup UI design, coding, and testing. Another way, the simple way, is to choose a theme that’s already been created, then customizing the website until it’s rearranged differently. Both options are sufficient, although, you want to be mindful of the answer since it reflects on the price you’d be paying.
8. What kind of research do you do before starting a website?
Research is a key step when building a website. The research consists of studying the business, how other competitors built their website, design trends in the industry, etc.
9. Do you specialize in SEO?
Search engine optimization is the act of applying innovative techniques such as original content and responsive design to search engines so they can be pulled up quickly by using specific keywords. SEO is an important factor of web design and without SEO, a website isn’t likely to flourish to its full potential.
10. What do you think of my current website?
An outside perspective is always appreciated! Ask the agency what they think of your current website. Start the conversation and go in-depth on how it can improve for better results.
11. How will you be able to optimize my website for SEO and page speed?
Optimizing your web pages is very crucial if your goals are to rank high on search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. This means your website should consist of original content that directs to specific keywords that search engines can read so it could raise its authority. Page speed is the amount of time the page loads when being visited. The average loading time for a page should be less than 3 seconds.
12. Will you handle hosting and security?
Hosting and security are known to be important factors for a website. Hosting for your website is when you register your website to the World Wide Web directory. You want to also make sure that websites are secure completely. This includes upkeep on your website and installing plugins to decrease the chances of it getting hacked.
13. Do you offer a maintenance plan?
Maintenance plans are usually the web design agency’s responsibility to make sure the website is kept up to date and content is being updated regularly. This is usually a small fee of $300-600 a month.
14. Will you provide me any kind of training to help maintain my website?
Most contracts that web design agencies offer already have a certain amount of training for clients to maintain their websites. Training occurs a few hours a week. Most clients opt-out of this and take the maintenance fee due to them focusing on their actual business.
15. How can I be involved?
You want to ask to be involved in the project, even if you aren’t familiar with the process. This is a win for everyone involved! You learn what it takes to build a successful website as well as inputting your creative ideas to the web designer.
16. How many clients do you have?
The number of clients is a reflection of how good the agency is at what they do. If they have a multitude of clients at the same time, you can conclude they know how to put smiles on their clients’ faces with their services!
17. How do you stay organized?
Web agencies multitask with multiple clients just like you. Being aware of their workflow is a perfect determination of how they will prioritize your project. This shouldn’t be a deal-breaker but it’s good information to keep in your mind if you do decide to do business with them.
18. Do you design websites for a specific industry?
Depending on your business, this question is an important one to ask to understand their experience levels. For example, if you are in the restaurant business, you’d like to work with a web design company that has the experience and knowledge of how constructing websites for restaurants. This can make the designing process clearer and easier to work with.
19. Do you design logos?
If your business doesn’t have a logo, we recommend creating one for your company. Most web design agencies have a graphic designer who designs logos for the company’s that they work with. Ask them about logo designs! We’re sure that they can sketch a perfect one out for you.
20. What images will you be using for my website?
Images on a website make a big difference if you are planning for search engines to index your website. Image SEO is a practice that helps Google or other search engines read your site and conclude if this is great information for the public to view. Everything makes a difference when it comes to using images for SEO, that could be placing the right size, utilizing unique images, and writing SEO-friendly alt-text. When discussing this topic, your web agency will recommend using original images. Take their advice when it comes to this.
21. Do you provide a warranty after the website is completed?
Website warranty is pretty much the same as doing a maintenance plan for your website. Most likely, your web agency will recommend signing up for the warranty maintenance plan to help upkeep your website for better rankings.
22. How long will it take you to complete the website?
Creating a website takes time, especially when customizing a website from scratch. This is the perfect question to ask if you have a deadline waiting at the end of the line. Although, you must not rush a creator crafting their masterpiece. Keep in mind the deadline and ask how you could help to speed up the process.
23. How many hands will be on this project?
Building a website travels through many phases and it’s important to know who is working on what. You may have a pristine UX designer crafting an outline of your website that is passed onto a full-stack developer coding the website from both ends.
24. Will you provide me with mockup designs before you start coding?
Before they start building your final website, make sure that you have a say in the creative process. You don’t want them to disregard your ideas so this is a great way to remind them that you want to look through the design before the final build.
25. What software does your agency use?
Many web design software is at a web designer’s disposal. Popular Softwares are Adobe Dreamweaver, Wix, Adobe XD, WordPress, etc. Once you get the answer to these questions, take a moment to research this software and look at the features of what they offer.
26. Do you offer any other marketing services besides SEO?
Speaking as a digital marketing agency, we believe that it’s important to combine web design with marketing. Marketing services besides SEO may include e-mail marketing, social media marketing, pay-per-click, content marketing. It’s important to understand the depth of how far your web design agency is willing to go when it comes to showcasing your site to the public.
27. What have your strategies looked like with past clients?
You’ve checked their portfolio and everything looks great! It’s time to ask deeper questions like what strategies they’ve found to be successful when working with clients. Every client is different with different demands and needs. It’s good to know where their mind is at while creating your website. When working with clients, most web designers create with marketing in mind to make sure that their clients get a bang for their buck. Ask further questions about how they’ve thought of these strategies and how they’ve executed them.
28. Do you recommend a blogging section for my website?
Adding a blog to your website is proven to raise rankings and add personality to your brand. Writing SEO-friendly blog posts reflects on how search engines read your website. If your website has original and useful information, they will make sure that you rise the rankings as it can benefit the public.
29. Are you able to help me get to number one on Google?
Reaching number one on Google consists of hard work and dedicated content. SEO should be on everyone’s mind if they want their website to reach the masses. Usually, agencies don’t guarantee this outcome but asking this question can help you read the confidence they have. If they’ve helped numerous websites reach the first page on Google, you can believe that they’ll do the same for you. This may raise the cost you initially budgeted for, but it will be completely worth it when you get a high ROI.
30. Do you plan on using any Content Management Systems?
Content management systems are WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Joomla, and many more. Every content management system operates differently from the other. It all boils down to what’s going to be most effective for your website. If you plan on utilizing SEO, we recommend leaning toward WordPress as we’ve seen much more success with WordPress than the others.
31. Should we buy the domain name? Or is it included already?
Any business or organization that plans on having an elite internet presence should buy a domain name. If you are serious about growing your business, you should buy your domain name as soon as possible. This can help protect your business assets, copyright, and positions you to have a high reputation for search engines.
32. Will my current website be down or will you create a brand new website?
This all depends on you. If you want the agency to redo your website as a whole, then yes it will be. If not, your previous website will be deleted and you can opt for a fresh new start for your business.
33. How many pages will my website have?
The more pages the merrier. Creating more pages for your website will have a positive impact on your website authority. Remember, each page must be relevant to your business. If you plan on optimizing your SEO, you should ask how they plan on optimizing those pages for higher visibility on the internet.
34. Once the website goes live, do I own it?
Since you have paid for the website, it will be yours. Web agencies will give you all the information to access your site as an administrator. Like we’ve stated before if you opt-out of your maintenance plan, the agency will be able to train you on how to access and manage your website.
35. Can my website be ADA accessible?
An ADA-accessible website is very important for those who are hearing or visually impaired. We suggest having your website accessible to everyone.
36. How do you measure results after our website goes live?
Measuring results is crucial in making sure that your website is performing as you initially predicted. Most agencies use software such as Google Analytics, Bing Analytics, and other third-party programs that help you measure your website. Measuring your website is the same thing as maintaining the revenue of a physical store. You may have a bunch of people walking throughout your store but the key is to find what people would want to buy.
37. Is there a way I could analyze my website statistics without contacting you?
Ask your web agency if you could have access to some of the programs that they use. Most likely, they’ll give it to you. Once you get your access, do some separate training on what to look for when observing these numbers. For Google Analytics, Google offers multiple courses on how to work the analytics platform.
38. What if I don’t like the initial design?
Be honest if you don’t like the design the agency makes you. Agencies understand that sometimes you won’t like the product that they’ve created for you. They will be understanding, hear your ideas out and create something that’s more catered to your taste.
39. Once my business grows, are you able to expand my website?
A great way to expand your website is to fill your website with fresh SEO-friendly content with information that can benefit your visitors.
40. Do you provide e-commerce services?
E-Commerce is a mastery skill that coincides with developing an online store. Ask your agency if they can help with marketing your online store after creating your website. Marketing a store is completely different from marketing a website. Your goal is to convert visitors into customers that can drive revenue for your business.
41. Will you be outsourcing any work?
Building a website is hard work and sometimes designers outsource work on certain aspects to help achieve their goals. Agencies will be honest about this but most likely they have someone on their team so outsourcing wouldn’t be necessary.
42. What kind of IP address will I be given?
An IP address is a unique string of numbers that identifies the information being sent to the server. The internet must have a grasp on to differentiate computers, routers, and websites. They are mathematically produced by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. There are many kinds of IP addresses: consumer, private, public, dynamic, and static. Most likely the agency will provide you a public or private address.
43. Will you integrate social media into my website?
When it comes to building a brand, social media is a great way to showcase your company’s personality. Adding social media to your website can have a great lasting impact on your business. Integrated social media will increase your site’s link building and has a positive impact on your SEO.
44. How many revisions will you allow me to have?
This is an important question if you are involved in the creative process of your web design. Web agencies allow unlimited revisions but they offer only a certain amount for free. Revisions are not free. This is why agencies offer a mockup design before creating the final product.
45. Do you include landing pages?
Landing pages are a great form of advertising your website. We recommend using landing pages for giveaways, email sign-ups, and paid ads. This should fall within the marketing strategy. Agencies should charge too much since it’s very easy to make.
46. What do you charge?
Prices very for web design. We can’t speak for everyone but at Web Daytona, our prices are between $85-120 per hour based on what the client requests.
47. What can we do with the budget I have?
Most web agencies are strict about their pricing because they’ve spent countless hours constructing a fair charge for their clients. With this in mind, don’t be afraid of stating what you are willing to pay. Agencies have a hard belief in creating something from nothing. They should be able to offer something beneficial even if it’s out their range.
48. Is there a contract?
Make sure you read your contract thoroughly. The contract should state the price, what they are servicing for the price, and the timeline of when the project will be complete.
49. How do you accept payment?
Web Design agencies take payment in numerous forms. Be aware of how they take your payment, you don’t want to PayPal or Venmo any agency. You want the payment to be official so you’re able to document it if any problems arise!
50. When can we start?
You’ve got some compelling answers to many of your questions and you’re impressed! Ask them when you’re able to get the ball rolling and start your project!