So you’ve decided to trek down the digital marketing trail and are looking for an online presence. All you need to do now is find an agency that can build a website that will convert.

That’s easy enough right?

Wrong.

With such fierce competition in the web design/digital marketing arena, you want to be assured you choose a company that understands your business and can develop a strategy that guarantees you ROI.

They understand the digital market

Web design is not just about creating a pretty website. Sure, you want an online store that is aesthetically pleasing and reflects the quality of your business, but it is also has to function and achieve your end goals.

The digital market is an ever-evolving and highly complex arena. Understandably for many of our customers it’s downright confusing – even daunting. Your web design agency should therefore be able to explain how it works and tell you how they will make it work for you.

So ask questions. If you get fobbed off with answers like, “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that, we know what we’re doing,” they probably don’t. If they use technical words that make no sense, they are using the ‘if you can’t convince, confuse’ approach.

Unless a web agency convinces you they understand the digital arena close the door on that particular line of enquiry and move on to your next choice otherwise you will be left disappointed.

They understand strategy

If you are investing in a web presence, you need a strategy that will ensure you are visible in search engines. This doesn’t happen overnight after the launch of your website, hence why you need a strategy.

Let’s put it this way. You wouldn’t buy a car blindfold. You wouldn’t drive it blindfold either (I hope).

A good web design agency will offer a concise web strategy that goes beyond the design of your website. What you are looking for is a design that is relevant to your business, a presence that gives you trust and authority and a brand that catches the eye and warms the heart.

They think about content

This point is a direct step from the previous two. Content comes first, before design, before strategy, before branding. If a web design agency does not ask you about content they do not understand the digital market and do not have a strategy.

Before an effective web design can be put in place, you need to know how you intend to communicate to your audience. How will your customers interact with your site to find information they are looking for? How many services do you have and how much copy you need to sell your products?

You communicate to your audience through content and your customers interact with your content within the framework of your web design. If the design cannot house your content, there is a communication breakdown. See how important this step is?

When you’re in talks with a web design agency, if they don’t ask questions about your goals for the website, who your audience is and how you intend to communicate with them, you are likely to get a Kim Kardashian website – it looks great, but no one is really sure what it actually does.

When choosing a web design agency, make sure you ask questions. Even moreso, make sure you get answers.

Want to know more? Talk to us.