It’s sad to say, but

half of our clients have horror stories about shady web developers they’ve worked with in the past. From having their websites held hostage as a ploy to milking them for more money, to losing rightful access to their sites entirely, or to having a malfunctioning and non-operable website delivered after paying full price… We’ve heard it all, and it’s heartbreaking, but greedy and malicious people exist in all industries. So, we want to offer some tips on how you can find the right web design company and protect your digital purchase.

Choosing a web developer/web designer can be challenging when you don’t know precisely what you’re looking for; and in an online industry where freelancers and digital marketing companies of all skill levels and backgrounds exist, this is where one can become intensely overwhelmed.

Pick a Specialist
Many freelance web designers give the impression that they can do it all when the reality is that most digital marketing designers are either experts in graphic design or web development. As much as these fields are in relation to one another, it can be rare to find someone who is an expert in both. Depending on how intricate your web design needs are, you may want to consider going with a web design agency that has a team of both graphic designers and web developers to balance the workload.

View Their Portfolio
If a web design company is lacking an online portfolio, or even worse, a website, run for the hills. A web design portfolio is a great way to verify the quality, style and type of work you can expect to receive. Ensure that their portfolio pieces are truly their designs by visiting the live website and checking out the footer of each website (typically, the footer will state who the web design is by, if the owner of the website allows for it).

Go With Web Maintenance
You should definitely consider selecting a web design company that offers maintenance packages. This will ensure that your website remains up to date for security reasons, and allows your website to stay fresh with content updates – something you may consider easy to do by yourself at first, but that could easily become time-consuming and frustrating as you balance it with the upkeep of your actual business operations. A web developer that offers monthly web maintenance packages, removes the anxiety that comes with the risk of potentially losing your website to hackers, or incorrectly updating your site and having it go offline due to your lack of inexperience. Leave it to the experts, and don’t choose a web developer that just leaves you high and dry to maintain updates once they deliver your website.

Speak and/or Meet Up
Once you have your list of web design companies to select from, get in contact with them directly. This will confirm whether or not their communication styles are compatible with yours, and it will give you the opportunity to see how they handle client relationships. If you’re able to, meet up with them and feel their vibe. Assess whether they see you as just another number in their portfolio, or if they’re genuinely passionate about helping you build your brand. Gauge how much they’re trying to upsell you. If they’re trying to get you to purchase unnecessary features and services, consider going somewhere else.

An even easier solution to finding a web design company is by selecting us, Digital DressUp, but, of course, we’re just a teeny bit biased. We’re a small but compassionate team; we’ll never sell you services we know you don’t need, and we truly care about making you shine online, all while keeping you within your desired budget. We respect your small business because we get it, we’re a small business too!