What do you look for when choosing an agency to redo your website?

A lot has changed for your business over the last few years and now it’s time to redo your website. You’re not even sure what that means anymore given how fast technology is changing. Less than a decade ago “mobile design” wasn’t even a thing. I remember reading books on how to build mobile-specific websites. Usually, they’d reside on a subdomain like “m.webfor.com”. That came and went in a few years while we quickly moved towards mobile responsive design.

In the most basic sense, responsive design simply means that your site scales down appropriately based on the screen resolution or window size that’s displaying the site on the user’s machine or device. Now that most people have a smartphone and use their device to find businesses or services near them, it’s paramount your site is delivering the experience they expect.

…and this leads me to…

How do I find the right agency to help me?

Here are a few tips to help you get started.

1. Start with Google and reputation – Do a quick Google search and look up agencies in your local area. Look up their reviews and see what people are saying about them. Even if an agency has a few bad reviews, look into the responses. If the responses sound meaningful and honest, then I wouldn’t totally discredit them because they’re taking the time to follow up and improve.
2. Visit their websites – Take a look at their websites and see how well they maintain their own online presence. Sometimes, this can be a sign into how much the company invests back into its own products and brand. An agency that maintains its site on a regular basis is more likely to have a diverse creative portfolio.
3. Check out case studies – If they have a website, they should have some form of case studies or galleries available. If not, there’s probably a competitor who will. Sometimes this is the difference between attracting and not attracting clients for an agency. Look for work that aligns with your goals. Are you looking for something innovative, rugged or clean? You should be able to feel some of that through the case studies provided.
4. Look for the service you want – After checking out the work agencies provide, dig into their services. Often times you’ll know in seconds if an agency is reputable and can do the work you’re looking for. Need e-commerce development? Then look for that content on the site in the form of images and text.
5. Choose a few agencies – Always select a couple of agencies to contact and see how fast they respond. Pay attention to their language and get to know their process a little bit. Chances are, you can save yourself some time by not meeting with an agency that’s trying to oversell themselves.

Now, I know you’re super busy and don’t always have time to dig, but these initial steps will help you get the information you need to take that next step. All that said though, there are a few things you should watch out for.

Save yourself some time and look out for these things.

Not everything is as it seems so keep an eye out for these things that could be early warning signs.

1. Too much ego – If an agency spends all their time talking about themselves, their accolades and how special they are you should tread softly. A well-rounded agency will spend some time talking about themselves initially, but ultimately it should be all about you. Period.
2. Lack of depth and detail – When you’re getting pitched at any point in the agency’s process really observe the level of detail or lengths they’ve gone to prepare for your meetings or phone calls. A 5-slide presentation is short and sweet, but it can also be too little. You want to know what the agency can do and if you’re a detailed person like I am, then you’re going to want a lot of information upfront.
3. Ask a lot of questions – Asking questions is a good way to find out how committed the agency is to the opportunity to work with you. Some will try and push you through the door to get the sale without divulging a lot of what they plan to do. You can save yourself some time and energy by not proceeding with a group that’s force-feeding a price down your throat.

These are just a few things to look out for from agencies in our area. Having been in business for over 10 years, it’s our goal to provide customers with the most information we can provide while balancing high-quality work and a high level of customer satisfaction.

Relationships, results, and return on investment are values we share and judge our work against each and every day. If you would like to learn more about us, please feel free to reach out.

As always, thanks for reading.