| Professional Web Site Design Can Increase Website Traffic and Sales Conversions |
A Professional Web site design doesn't just look good; it helps attract visitors and increase sales. Finding the right creative web design company can save money while avoiding hours or weeks of frustration launching. A good web design can be affordable and yet effective if you pick the right web design company! According to website design experts, executive decision-makers must look at ten factors when determining if a professional web design company is a good fit for their web design project:
1. Professional Website Designers always communicate well
When business leaders complain about Web page design, they often put "communication" at the top of their lists. In many cases, young freelance designers accustomed to text messages at midnight don't connect well with corporate clients that prefer phone calls at nine in the morning. Professional web design firms understand the importance of consistent communication in the mode the client prefers, including:
2. Website Design Projects Always Focus on Results
Open-ended assignments cause clients of Web design companies the most grief. In a bad working relationship, clients can feel like the Web design professional runs a taxi meter every time they want to make a small change. Web Design Industry experts advise against entering open-ended billing relationships with Web designers until the maintenance phase of a project. Some of today's most effective Web design companies blend the traditional method of charging by the hour with flat fees for software installation.
3. Smart Web Designers Make Billing Easier For Clients
Professional web site design companies ask for twenty to fifty percent of a project's fees before the start of the project. In fact, few experienced Web designers will start a project for a new client without some kind of retainer. To accommodate businesses of all sizes, professional web design companies accept major credit cards. Novice Web page designers will often reveal their status by demanding an entire project fee up front, offering to start work without a deposit, or refusing to accept a company's purchasing card.
4. A Professional Web Design Company Shares Its Source Code
Like other creative professionals, Web designers maintain current portfolios representing their best work. Savvy company leaders can request contact information for clients included in a Web design portfolio. Experienced Web designers take their portfolios even further by including testimonials from satisfied clients. Comparing designs along with the measurable results they achieved can show prospective clients that a Web design firm really means business.
5. Flexibile Web Designers Use Open SourceTechnologies To Save Clients Money
The top web site design firms can address the project's technology and the user interface (UI) needs. Open source publishing and e-commerce tools can help many business customers achieve a professional result without spending money on expensive, custom solutions. Some of the most popular and effective open source Web site design technologies include:
6. Professional Web Design Companies Blend Stock and Scratch sources
Even Web designers grow tired of reinventing the wheel with every new project. Some teams speed projects along with stock templates and images. At the other end of the spectrum, the most experienced Web design teams craft each Website from scratch. Companies like DreamCoDesign specialize in finding the right spot on this spectrum for a prospective client by customizing a stock template or publishing platform.
7. Top Web Design Firms Distinguish Betwen Web Hosting and Web Site Design
Many design firms offer complementary or low-cost hosting to clients, usually as part of annual maintenance packages. Business experts recommend weighing the options of using an in-house hosting solution against the expense of hiring an independent Web host. Companies like One Source Marketing Solutions, that maintain their own collection of always-on Web sites, can make stronger uptime assurances than freelance Web designers with vague affiliate agreements.
8. Creative Web Designers Let Clients Handle Minor Updates
Most Web site design projects can be classified into three major categories:
The most effective Web design professionals tend to save their skills for launches and major revisions. Experienced Web designers develop architectures for Web sites that more easily accommodate major revisions. These plans often include publishing platforms that allow clients to make their own minor updates in-house or with the help of a less expensive Web professional.
9. The Best Web Design Companies Understand Open Standards and Accessibility
Web standards can include adhering to best practices for interface design, such as making hyperlinks on a page easy to find. Web standards can also include a focus on keeping sites accessible to most Web browsers. Many businesses must also comply with state and federal guidelines for accessibility by site viewers with impaired vision and other medical conditions. However, many of the same accessibility features that keep customers happy also help sites improve their rankings with search engines. Skilled Web site designers understand how to prevent clients' sites from being unusable.
10. Top Web Design Companies Are Honest About Their Rates and Delivery Times
Like other creative professionals, Web designers often adhere to the adage that suggests a client can always have two of three attributes from a list that reads, "good, fast, and cheap." Selecting a Web design firm solely on the basis of its hourly rate might not reveal the true value. A more expensive firm may have a smaller waiting list because it possesses the skills necessary to complete projects more quickly. Likewise, a patient client can find tremendous value in a Web designer with a longer turnaround time. Understanding the relationship between rates and project deadlines can prevent disaster during critical projects.
Case Study: Professional Web Site Design Triples Sales Conversions For Specialty Online Retailer
Sometimes, the right Web design can help an already successful business leverage its advantages even more. John and Kendra Fields launched their company from a spare bedroom. Specialty Optical Systems (SOS) sells replacement light bulbs for microscopes, serving a market tailor-made for the Web. A basic Web site allowed them to attract customers who used to track down specialty bulbs by phone. Before long, the Fields' growing business enjoyed a customer conversion rate of just under one percent. Company leaders earmarked a budget of $5,000 to discover what a professional website design could do for their business.
Although a few web design companies prices were twice what the Fields' had budgeted for the website re-design project, the web design firm that John and Kendra selected, used open source tools to build and re-design the SOS online store front to fit their budget. With many of the same features as more expensive e-commerce tools, the open source tools allowed SOS staff to completely control the customer experience online. Meanwhile, the enhanced product cataog search and browsing capabilities allowed more website visitors to find what they were looking for and purchase it online. Within six months, the conversion rate tripled and the Fields' projected the new website design project would pay for itself within a few quarters.
Top Web Design Companies Stand Out From The Crowd
When you choose web design companies for a new website or the redesign of your existing website, initial impressions make all the difference. The best web design companies display all ten of these bove traits and are 'maniacly' focused on customer satisfaction. More importantly, they make clients feel comfortable about wading unfamiliar web 2.0 terminologies such as ajax, php, java, flash, apache etc.
Finding the right web site design company can save a small business hundreds of dollars in time and costs.
