To make things easier for you, here at Arkom we have come up with several of the most important selection criteria that we believe will help you make an informed choice when it comes to getting the right web designer for your organisation.

Portfolio of work:

Look at the web designer’s portfolio of past projects - it is the quickest and easiest way to decide if they are the right company for your needs. Although your first impression of the company will usually be their own website make sure you look deeper into their portfolio. Expect a portfolio of at least five great websites – and look for a good variety of work.

Cost:

Web design companies can have very different ways of charging. Some may charge high set up costs and low recurring fees. Some will pull in customers with a low set up cost and then charge high recurring fees. However, most professional web design companies work on a bespoke basis – and will therefore not publish specific prices. They WILL however, be able to provide you with a ball-park figure based on a technical and/ or design brief.

Skills:

Whether the design company has the right skills depends entirely upon your requirements, aims and objectives. Do you require Flash animation, database design, client log-in areas or search engine optimisation? If so, can the web design company produce such work?

Qualifications:

It is perfectly acceptable to ask for the credentials of the designers or other key members of the company. Whilst qualifications themselves do not indicate whether a company is capable of the job, it is one way, when combined with other parameters, to judge their experience and expertise.

References:

Always look for a company that provides some kind of client feedback. However, one problem with relying solely upon published references is that no company would publish a poor reference. Make sure the source of the quote is published – alongside their contact details. Most people genuinely enjoy offering recommendations – so don’t worry about making a quick phone call or email to previous clients to ask for impartial advice.

Size of Company:

Largely speaking, the size of the company provides you with no indication to the quality or work they can produce, or the services they can provide. Don’t let your preconceptions about the size of companies get in the way of the facts.

More important considerations are whether they are going to be proactive – and if they can offer a high level of support. Companies that do not provide a landline phone number or address will almost certainly be harder to contact when you need them the most.

Deadlines:

Make sure that your projected timescale is achievable by the company. The complexity of the site will affect this greatly – and the designer will need a specific brief before being able to provide timescales.

Personality:

Perhaps most importantly make sure you get on with your web designers. Many web design projects can last months or even years – so a high level of compatibility will ultimately make the process considerably more enjoyable for everyone.

So choosing the ideal web designer to work with you can be a tricky process but if you follow the steps outlined above you should be almost be there.

If you require more information on choosing a web designer contact Arkom on 0114 282 3444 or click here to contact us.