There’s no shortage of web designers around these days but still people I speak to have regularly been let down by supposedly professional web designers they’ve hired. Often times work is completed below the expected standard or in some cases not completed at all. In many cases the problems have been so bad the company has had to look elsewhere for a new designer (hence contacting us!).

This got me to thinking, how would I go about choosing a web design agency if I needed a site built. My hope is the list below will help you make an informed decision and choose a good web designer who will get your project done to a high standard. Hopefully these tips will help you choose a great agency for your project.

1. Look for a local design company

The majority of our web design work is for local companies because things are just easier that way. There’s plenty of benefits to hiring a local web design company. This will allow you to hold meetings regularly to discus progress, problems and new ideas. If any issues do arise they’re so much easier to sort out face to face. The other benefit of a local designer is they should be able to bring in ideas of how to reach the local market in your area. Google local is a good place to start, just search for web designer + your area i.e. website designers Brighton!

2. Check out their past work

You don’t necessarily need a designer who’s built sites for similar businesses. Its often better not to have a design similar to competitors. You should however review the portfolio of your design company and see if you like their style of design and can see it being applied to your business.

3. Great sites start with great website briefs!

Make sure you start with a clear idea of what your website needs to achieve before you think about contacting designers with your brief. I’ve seen many web design projects fail because of poor briefs- don’t become a statistic!. A good designer will be able to help you thrash out ideas and tell you what they think will and won’t work. Ultimately thought the better your brief, the more likely your project is to succeed.

4. Face to face planning meetings are essential

This is where it’s useful to work with local web design companies rather than firms on the other side of the country. I’d suggest trying to visit at least a few designers to get a feel for they’re different ways of working and ideas they can bring to the table. Communication really is key with a web design project so be sure that you get on well with the designer and vice versa!. You’ll need to work closely together so this will really help!

5. Don’t go for the cheapest option

Don’t be tempted by the cheapo web design solutions who offer to build you a site for a fixed price without seeing your brief. However ask yourself how highly you value your web business. Good web design pays for itself over the years the site is live so don’t be afraid to spend a little more on getting a quality designer to build your site!.

Oh and if you’re after a UK web design company why not have a look at my. If you’re looking for a UK based web designer feel free to check out my web design company in Brighton. Good luck for your web design project:-)

Lastly- find out more about planning a web design project with this article on hubpages