Want to get your North Carolina business’ website designed professionally? Here are a few questions you must always ask when choosing a web design agency in North Carolina.
Waking up in the 21st century, a website is a must-have today for any business, especially after the pandemic. Right from a mom ‘n’ pop store to a well-established corporation; must have a website that not only outlines what the business or company is about but also has a neat and appealing design.
Today, businesses in large amounts have switched to operating digitally where all that a customer can rely on is a website. Of course, there are social media and other marketing platforms to simply reach out to customers. However, that isn’t just what a business wants to do.
A website can help a business to broadcast its customers what and where it is, what are its objectives, showcase its products, and do a lot more all under one roof. In short, it gives a business more power and abilities to set a tone and build an image in the minds of its customers.
If a website is this resourceful, wouldn’t it be worth working on its design and make it look better? Here’s a nice piece of factoid – HubSpot’s research says a whopping 93% of users would leave a website if it was badly designed. Well, that means your web design poses so much of an impact that it could even cost you a customer!
What are my options for Web Design Agency in North Carolina?
Well, now that you have hopefully understood why a web design is so important for a website, you might be wondering how to start. Now, there are three options you are left with when you are in North Carolina:
- Hire a full-time front-end developer
- Outsource to a qualified web designing freelancer
- Hire a web design agency in North Carolina
Well, let us say you chose to outsource to a web design agency in North Carolina. There are things you must keep in mind before going ahead. Make sure you ask certain important questions. As someone rightly said – “All that glitters is not gold”. You must be cautious when choosing agencies.
It isn’t a petty job you are getting done. It is your website – one of your sources of income, a medium to tell the world who you are and so much more, you are handing over to the agency.
So, to help you out with the same, here’s a list of 10 questions we recommend you ask a web design agency in North Carolina. Let’s begin.
1. Can we see your portfolio?
The first and foremost question you should ask any web design agency in North Carolina is their portfolio of the websites they’d have designed previously.
However, it is not always easy to find real live websites that they claimed they designed, because usually web designers create custom-made templates for portfolio creation. So, it is recommended you ask beforehand. However, it is always advisable you ask them for real-website samples so you can have proof.
Make sure their collection fits the trends. A sleek, neat, and minimalistic web design reflects the credibility and authenticity of a business. Check out what the head honchos of your industry are doing, and try to match their design.
2. Do you make custom web designs from scratch or modify themes?
Well, this is yet another crucial question to ask when you are hiring a web design agency in North Carolina. Ask why? It is because the prices you are paying depend highly on this.
Web design agencies use different strategies when designing a website for you. They might offer to design your existing website, create a design from scratch, or they might even use existing premium themes and customize a bit as per your requirements. Creating a design from scratch is expensive.
However, it is always recommended that you ask whether you really need a website made from scratch or if your requirements can be fulfilled by revamping the existing site.
Whatsoever it may be, it is recommended that you ask how it is going to be so you can agree on reasonable rates.
3. Will you use third-party plugins or extensions if needed?
It is important to ask if your website will rely on any third-party plugins or extensions for any functionalities. This is important because the higher the number of third-party extensions or plugins there are on your website, the slower it becomes.
Around 3-4 small to medium-sized extensions are fine to have but they might be a problem if they are posing an impact on your website’s performance.
Make sure the plugins they are going to add aren’t heavier ones. If the web design agency is offering performance optimization services, then it is still alright to go ahead with heavy plugins too.
4. What will be the duration and total cost of the project?
The next thing you need to ask is the duration and cost of the project. The time taken and cost for your project will largely depend on the scope of your requirements. Get a proper estimation of the timeline and deadline of the project and the cost.
Grab an idea of the same from any other web design agency in North Carolina, and if the estimation differs drastically, then ask them about the launch.
You don’t want to start the project and end up knowing the agency will take months to complete your project. Most agencies will charge you an extra if you need express delivery.
5. What other services do you offer?
Most web design agencies offer several other services along with designing websites. Services like SEO-optimization, content writing and/or upload of existing content, hosting, logo and other graphic designing, and more.
Ask what services you will get in your package and cross-check with any other web design agency in North Carolina to see if the quality and rates are approximately the same. If the agency is small, chances are they might not have as many services.
6. Who will own the code and source files?
Really important! When hiring a web design agency in North Carolina, it is a must to ask whom will the code, source files, fonts, images, domain, etc. reside with.
You don’t want to end up landing on a website that matches yours after the project! Make it a point to clear the terms and conditions before you sign the contract.
7. What content management systems (CMSs) can you work on?
Every web design agency has its own specializations concerning content management systems. The most popular CMSs are WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Magento. Finding a web design agency in North Carolina for these platforms is quite easier.
Ask them what all platforms they can work on. If you have a live website already, you need an agency that can work on your website’s CMS. WordPress is great for blogs, websites of businesses, and the like. On the flip side, Drupal and Joomla are recommended if you want to open a forum or community that are usually heavier websites.
8. Will you test my website for bugs before it goes live?
Make sure the web design agency performs testing of your website and checks for errors and bugs before they launch it for your visitors. You don’t want to face issues on your website after you’ve finished the contract with them. Most importantly, check for reviews of the web design agency in North Carolina on third-party platforms.
Normally web designers debug code at every level and several times before finally submitting the work to clients. However, it is always better you ask. You should also be able to share your opinions on the final output before the launch. Finally, ask them to describe what kind of testing will they perform.
9. Will I get a maintenance service after the completion of the project?
Sometimes, it may happen that you came across errors or bugs after completing the project with the web design agency in North Carolina. In such cases, all you would need is maintenance. Ask them before you start the project if such a thing happens, will you be provided with a maintenance service or not.
Moreover, check with them if they are offering a warranty after the project is complete.
10. Will my website be responsive on every screen size?
Lastly, when choosing a web design agency in North Carolina, make it a point to ask them whether your website will be mobile, tablet, and desktop responsive.
Your visitors and customers might use devices of different screen sizes. You really cannot afford to miss out on any of them only because your website didn’t look nice to them!
Final thoughts on what web design agency in North Carolina to choose?
Choosing a web design agency in North Carolina can be challenging given the high number of web designers in the state. Ask these questions to every web design agency that you approach to get a better idea of the prices in proportion to the services and if they fit your budget.
