Perks of Hiring A Web Development Firm

The website of a company is going to represent everything about a company online, and no one wants to leave any stone unturned when it comes to building their ideal company website that projects who they are, what they do and their values. Also, generally, people tend to create their first impression and decide how they feel about a particular company, based on its website. That is why, one needs to be very careful before deciding to whom they are going to give the responsibility of building their online presence. 

If you own a company and wish to build a website for it, get in touch with the experts of TechnoMark – A digital innovation orienting company intending to deliver next-generation solutions and transformations worldwide. Bedecked with a team of thinkers and doers, they build Dreams and transform them into Realistic Digital Products. They’re a team catering to software development and marketing services with juxtaposition of big and small, they call it their very own perfectly tuned size.

Here are a few questions that you should definitely ask a web development firm before signing the contract: 

Does the company do all the work in-house or do they outsource certain aspects of the project?

There are certain things that need to be considered while talking about doing the tasks In-house vs. Outsourcing. There is always going to be a difference between a chair built by the same man and a chair whose legs, armrest and seat were designed by different people. A lot of times, when different aspects of a project are being outsourced, there tends to be visible non-synchronization while viewing the project as a whole. The synergy of the same company having a vision and getting together to create a website will give a more polished and sophisticated touch to the website in itself. 

Outsourcing might also create hassles like surpassing deadlines, rates increasing more than the agreed budget, etc., more third parties are involved in the project. Outsourcing can be acceptable to a certain extent, if the majority of the tasks will be carried out within the firm itself.  

Does the company provide you with a custom website or customized themes? 

A lot of times web development companies have generic websites created for specific themes and sell them to their clients.  This might be acceptable in case the budget is low, but in order to create an authentic and unique brand identity, it is not advisable to have a generic website similar to many others, where the features of your company look are forced to fit into.  It is always recommended to build one’s own customized websites from scratch so that it can be designed in a way that it elucidates and highlights the unique features of the company. 

What is the size of their firm? 

Different firms have different methodologies to carry out their tasks. Large firms are usually seen as more trustable since they will be dealing with a larger number of clients. Small firms also sorted after as they with the small but effective employees will be able to deliver a finer and more organized product. They also have their own cons such as small companies might tend to outsource their work more and in the case of a large company, you might feel like there are just too many people involved. Hire a firm that just has enough workers to meet your requirements and provide you with a high quality website. 

Can the web development firm show some references? 

It is always good to know what you are getting into beforehand. Web development firms usually have some of their best designs ready in hand in order to show them as samples for their potential clients.  Asking for a company to provide with 3 or 4 samples of their previous works will help you to get an idea of what kind of website they will be able to design and to decide whether you want to proceed with them or not.   

 While looking at references, ask the firm to show references that would closely resemble the kind of website you are trying to build so as to see whether their designs go hand in hand with the design you had in your mind. It is also recommended to know about the experiences of the previous clients of the company by viewing their feedbacks and reviews of the firms before getting involved with them. 

How much experience do they have working in your field? 

It is important that the firm that is going to develop your website understands your field and has some experience in working with the kind of business that you do. Firms that can fully understand about your company, its niche and its market will be able to design a better and more effective website as they would know how the business and its customers work.  Hence it would be ideal if your chosen web development firm has previous experience with working in your field.  

On which platform will they be hosting the website? 

There is an ocean of amazing web platforms such as Zyro, Wix, Shopify, WordPress, Weebly, etc., where one can host their websites. Each of these platforms have their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, Webnode is known for its multilingual websites, Zyro and Weebly are known for their beginner-friendliness, Jimdo is a simple platform, but has limited templates, etc. Therefore, it is ideal to do your own little research to analyze which platform is better for your website and to make sure that the development firm you are hiring will be able to host your website on that platform. 

Will they hand over complete ownership of the site after development? 

Some sly web development firms might try to retain their ownership of the site or try to get a percentage of ownership of the site after development.  This is so that they can use the same code and design created for your website for other similar companies that they might work for. Watch out for such conditions before signing the contract and make sure to receive 100% ownership of the website after completion along with the code, graphics, etc. 

Do they provide warranty for the website that they create? 

When the development of the website is completed and is handed over to you, you may find something that feels off or needing improvement or even some elements that the web development firm might have missed to include. Even after a website is created and posted online, you might find certain aspects needing changes, hence it would be vital to solicit for a warranty period, so that the company does not charge extra for every addition that you ask for after receiving the finished website.   

Do they understand your customer’s perspective? 

While building your website, it is important that it is built based on the way that a business’ customer would think. Customers don’t visit a site once and buy immediately, it is a combination of getting familiar with the website through various sources such as advertisements, social media, etc., and then multiple revisits to the website before a customer develops the interest and trust to buy from the company. Hence the company should dynamically get their website designed in such a way that it attracts the visitors to convert into customers and one should make sure that the web development firm they are hiring understands this well. 

Do your ideologies synchronize? Are you both compatible? 

 This is one of the things that most companies don’t pay much attention to when hiring a web development firm or any other firm for that matter. No two companies can work hand in hand if they have conflicting ideologies between each other. Does the web development firm value the same ideologies as you? Where do you both stand on time management, business, morality and ethics? These are some things that you need to ask and observe about the web development company that you are going to hire in for smooth work and in order to bring out the best out of both of your potentials. 

What is their stand on SEO (Search Engine Optimization)? 

“On a broad scale, I see SEO becoming a normalized marketing tactic, the same way TV, radio, and print are traditionally thought of as marketing tactics.” – Duane Forrester, Senior Product Manager at Bing. 

Once the website is completed and posted online, it is also critical for the website to win in the war of algorithms. When users enter relevant keywords in their browsers, it is important that your website comes up for the user to view and hopefully buy from. If a user is unable to view your website in their search results, no matter how beautiful and well-designed your website is, it is going to be of no use. It is required that your webpage is designed in an SEO Optimized manner from the very foundations of building your website. 

Will they be able to provide an outline of the budget required to build your website? 

Every business will need a different set of requirements while building its website. A good web development firm will be able to provide at least an approximate estimation of how much it would cost to design the website you required definitely during the initial stages of discussion itself. Any firm trying to convince you otherwise is certainly trying to scam you, so if you ever come across such a firm, turn the other way and run! 

While discussing the budget of developing your website, only assess whether the budget is worth the website you will be receiving or not. Remember that, your website is going to be the face of your company and opting for the cheapest budget and settling for a weaker website, although might be easier on your pockets, will bring you huge drawbacks and affect your business in the long run. 

How long will it take them to finish the project? 

As much as discussing the budget of the project is important, so is discussing the time period for the completion of the project. Fixing a deadline with occasional discussions about the progress will help you and the firm stay focused on the project. You should be informed about how much time it will take for development, testing etc. It will also make the firm prioritize your project so as to complete it within the time limit. Not mentioning a clear-cut deadline will cause uncertainty for you and might even encourage the web development firm to sleep on or procrastinate your project. Hire a team that promises a reasonable deadline to finish your website. 

 Will they be able to make the website mobile friendly? 

Ask the web development firm whether they will be able to make the website mobile friendly as nowadays, especially after the pandemic, the number of everyday smartphone users have drastically increased. The common man primarily uses his mobile phone to carry out his everyday web searches. For this reason, having a mobile friendly website is as valuable as having a website developed. Since most of the casual searches take place using phones, it is crucial to have a mobile friendly website that would adapt to all kinds of smartphones. 

Do they encourage constant communication between themselves and their clients during the process of developing the website? 

The last thing that anyone will want is having asked for one thing and receiving something completely different. A healthy communication between the firm and their clients is required to build an ideal website. Does the firm consult with their clients before taking any important decisions? How much do they encourage face to face communication with their clients?  These are some factors that will show how much invested a web development firm is into creating the website. 

Concludingly, by asking the above questions, one will be able to get a very good idea of the web development firm. It is good to consult with at least 4 or 5 web development firms before deciding which development firm to proceed with. The ultimate goal of a business is to gain customers, and a good website will assist in that process by announcing it to the world through the internet. Hope you received all the information that you were looking for about choosing the right web development firm for your company.