Characteristics of a Strong Website Design Team
If you're thinking about updating your business website, the first step is to find a well-rounded team you can trust. Here are a few things to keep in mind when trying to find the right agency for you:
Be Sure to Work with a Team - There are many one-person-shops out there who likely charge very low fees for building websites. While we applaud individuals with experienced backgrounds in Design, Marketing, Engineering, Quality Assurance and Project Management, we don't see too many of them out there in the market. Also, you get what you pay for. You shouldn't cut corners in a way that could have a negative impact on your brand.
Make Sure the Team Is Well-Rounded - An effective website is made up of a variety of moving parts. Make sure your team includes individuals with expertise in the following:
- Designer - provides the look and feel and enhances the brand
- Marketing/Content - creates effective messaging for your audience (and search engines!)
- Engineer - quality website programming for speed and responsive display, and built according to SEO best practices
- Project/Account Manager - point of contact for the entirety of the project and ongoing support
Custom Design Services Offered - Many shops use templated (pre-built) themes to create websites. We at LyncServe do not recommend using templates to build your website for a variety of reasons. But, if a templated website is your only option, be sure that your designer can apply custom updates as needed. Your website should be updated often and according to the needs of your customers, sales and marketing department, etc. Templated websites make it difficult to add those little touches that differentiate you from your competitors.
Marketing/Content - Marketing is one of the most overlooked areas of a website. What often happens is people tend to think that writing your own content and pasting that into the website is sufficient. While it's great for the client to describe their business and the services they provide, it helps to have Marketing/Content review and tweak for high quality messaging that has an impact on your audience.
Support - Always get to know the support policy provided by the organization building your website. While creating the site, you can expect a lot of back-and-forth with the team. The key is what happens after the website is launched. Make sure you have access to some type of account manager that you can contact directly whenever you have a question or concern. Websites should be treated as projects continually in motion, and you're going to need various levels of support throughout the lifetime of the website.
There is plenty to think about when deciding on a team to build a website that accurately represents your brand and helps solidify your online presence, but the major hurdle to get over is Trust. There are countless companies who've been burned by individuals or agencies that did not live up to their promises. Make sure you get to know the team you're going to be working with, research their portfolio, and even get feedback from some of their existing customers. This simple research can go a long way.
Please consider this advice when selecting your website development team. Also, check back for updates to this post, as we'll be adding more pointers in the future.
If you're interested in a new website, and would like to research or contact LyncServe, here are some helpful links:
