Did you know it takes about 0.05 seconds for people to form an opinion about your website? During that time, they will decide whether they should push on or leave and visit another.

To make sure they stay, you need a website that is both enticing and easy to navigate. The last thing you want is a cluttered website with a clunky design and bad user experience. About 88% of online consumers won’t come back due to a bad experience.

How do you make sure that your website looks good, attractive, and runs smoothly?

You need to hire the best web design agency for this endeavor. Don’t worry if you’ve never done this before. We’re here with a few important steps to guide you in picking the right one:

1. Take Note of Your Budget

Setting off to look for the best web design agency? Before you do, you need to know the budget you have available for the project.

Have a definite number written down on paper to set expectations.

Make sure that your budget also has flexibility in it, allowing for upsells. Another thing of note is in aiming to pay less than the budget available.

Having a budget will narrow down which agencies you can hire. Some might be too expensive and you can scratch these off.

2. Get the Pricing, Fees, and Breakdown

Sure, you now have a few agencies that fit your budget but make it a point to check what that agency offers for the price they ask. Inquire on the pricing and fees for the services they offer.

You will also need to research on the packages and non-packaged services that they offer. Ask if the pricing includes SEO, Content Strategy, Information Architecture, and other essentials.

It’s also important to look for hidden fees. Take time to read the small print and look for penalty fees, down payment charges, and service charges. Look for things like a declaration that the agency keeps the money even if they didn’t finish the web design project.

3. Check with Their Past Clients

Check into their past clients and look into their experiences with the web design agency. A look into an agency’s portfolio also gives you an idea of what they have accomplished. But on top of that, it also gives you contact information.

By contacting these clients, you can glean into their efficiency and work ethics in the project. If the clients spoke highly of the agency, you will be in good hands.

Learn from previous clients and customers that worked with the agency. From the information, you gathered, make your decision from that point.

4. Take Note of Client Retention Rate

Along with looking at the agency’s previous clients, also ask about their client retention rate. Most of the companies maintain a high retention rate. Anything below that 50% indicates something shady about the agency.

On the other end of the spectrum, an agency with higher retention rates indicates client satisfaction.

Aim for agencies with the best client retention. It will guarantee excellent service and quality with the design they provide for your project.

5. Ask for a List of People Working on the Project

When working with a web design agency, you need to know who are the people involved in the project. What you want is to get the name and contact information of the representative working on the project with you.

This provides you with a point person to inquire about the progress of the design project. They can also answer your questions as well as provide you updates, and also discuss possible alterations.

This brings forth a sense of responsibility, ownership, and it reflects a disciplined culture for the agency. This way, you know who to contact for the outcome of the web design project.

Other aspects of this would include people in charge of updating the website.

6. Inquire About the Project Timeframe

Projects take time to complete. With that said, you need to know the estimated timeframe for the project to complete.

While unforeseen circumstances may bring out obstacles that could delay the project, this lets you and the agency plan ahead and around these problems.

Ask for an estimated timeline to help you monitor your progress. This way, you can make sure the design stays on track and that you don’t blow your budget out of proportion.

7. Also Ask About the Platform, CMS, and Ease of Use

When it comes to web design, there is a wide variety of platforms available for use as a framework for the website. These could be homegrown management systems unique to the agency or it could be something as popular as WordPress.

When hiring a web design agency, always ask about the platform and CMS. Ask if it would be easy to use and if it would allow you to edit content without their assistance. Whenever possible, you can ask for some training in using them.

8. Set Concrete and Achievable Criteria with Deadlines

Once you have gone through the steps above, it is time to set concrete and achievable criteria. Set deadlines on how you can achieve them.

This effectively provides you a detailed timetable which you can track your progress with, which we mentioned previously. Seeing them being ahead of schedule with the project, it shows that you have picked a good partner.

You’re more successful with the project when you have more specific criteria for the agency to achieve. General goals will tend to provide wiggle room that may result with the agency missing the mark.

For this service, you need a capable and reliable partner for your web design project.

Pick the Best Web Design Agency!

Finding the best web design agency can be quite a task. You need to find one that provides the best value for your budget. Go find one that fits your needs, make sure they work with you with all your concerns and questions.

This way, you partner with an agency that would provide you your money’s worth through their excellent service and quality design.

Did you find this guide helpful? Check out our other guides and tips for more.