Choosing a website design company is a crucial decision that every forward thinking business needs to make at some point. Whether it be a re-design of their existing site, or the creation of a completely new one, the importance of this decision can not be understated. The reason why? Well, put simply, a good website will bring in more business, and a bad one will drive away prospective customers.

So, how can a business be sure that they are making the right decision when choosing a website design company?

Firstly, the business needs to know what exactly it is that they require from their website. Rather than just guessing about this issue, a business should undertake some research about their target audience. This involves contacting existing customers and asking them what information and features they would expect to see on the website. Their ideas and suggestions should then be made into a prioritized list

Once it is known what is required, the next step is to make a shortlist of website design companies. Recommendations should be sought from contacts who have recently had websites built for their businesses, and general searches (i.e. “website design companies” or “website designer”) should be carried out on Google. When using Google to find website companies, skipping straight down to the 3rd or 4th page will be necessary if a tight budget needs to be adhered to, as those companies listed on the first couple of pages charge top end prices (typically $5000+).

A shortlist of around 10 website design companies should be made, and these companies should then be contacted so as to find answers to the following questions…

- Do they have an extensive and impressive portfolio?

- Are they flexible as to the types of websites that they can design?

- Can any of their past clients be contacted so as to obtain references?

- Do they have structured planning and implementation processes?

- How soon can they start work on the project?

- Do they do all of the work themselves or do they outsource parts of it to others?

- Do they offer assistance in getting websites listed in the major search engines?

- Will a blog be included in addition to the main website?

- Who owns the intellectual property rights to the final website and the domain name?

- Will they maintain the website after the initial design?

- Is an hourly rate or fixed fee payment structure in place?

- How much payment needs to be made upfront?

- Will they guarantee and stick to the deadlines in place?

The answers to these questions should be used to narrow down the shortlist to 3 or so companies, who should then be asked to give a final quote. If they are told beforehand that quotes are also been sought from their competitors, then their own quote will normally be more competitive. As for a general ball park figure, a well designed 10 page website, will cost an average of $2000. Businesses should be cautious about proceeding with a company that offers to design a website for much less than that figure because the quality of the final website may be questionable.