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» Why your organization should have a professional website?
Websites are a key part of a company’s online presence strategy. It acts as a map that introduces the brand and helps users navigate through the features of the product, reviews on the company, and information on delivery and shipping. Today, open-source content management systems like WordPress have made it easy for anyone to create a website in no time. However, a business organization requires more than just that. Here is why you should invest resources in building a professional website:
› Credibility:
Most consumers prefer to search for products and services on the internet before buying them. A professional website that shows up as soon as they enter the name of your company adds credibility to your brand and product. Without a website, your business might lose a competitive advantage as you have no platform to advertise your strengths.
› Cost and time effective:
Despite the initial cost of designing and developing, a website generally costs less than any other promotional vehicle. It is easy to access and can reach a wide audience. An online catalog can provide lots of information about your product and save the time spent on explaining this to your customers one-on-one. Further, once your website is up and running, it is available indefinitely.
› Improve customer base and showcase your work:
A website performs the dual function of developing customer-engagement while simultaneously advertising your product through portfolios, images, or testimonials. FAQ pages and newsletters can answer all your customers’ questions and keep them up-to-date. What better way to go the extra mile than by sharing valuable and relevant information on your website.
» Why your organization must choose expert developers and designers to build your website?
It is impossible to create a top-of-the-line and unique website with these so-called free website templates available online. A website represents the quality of your product and it is important to include images, headers, plugins, and code to ensure that your vision is turned into reality. Without a background in IT or programming, this will prove to be Greek and Latin. However, for professional web development companies, it is all second nature. Further, hiring a web design company will offer your users an attractive and dynamic website with the benefits of customization. The web designer will evaluate your business and products, and work with you towards your goal for the website. Search Engine Optimization techniques and the use of the latest technology for the development and maintenance of your website will make the growth of your business more probable. None of these benefits are offered by the basic cookie-cutter tools online. Thus, hiring a web design and development agency is crucial for the success of your website.
The Basics of Website Building:
» What are the elements required to build a website?
› Navigation
Easy to navigate web design and accessible menu items are important to ensure that the user always knows exactly where they are on the website. Site maps focused on functionality and interactive buttons are innovative ideas that can improve user experience.
› Content
When it comes to websites, the content is king. Search Engine Optimization determines placement to ensure that your website reaches its maximum target audience. The content must be informative, easy to read, concise and engaging to create an effective website.
› Search
A search tool is vital to ensure that users can quickly find the exact information they are looking for without having to comprehend complicated site maps.
› Accessibility
Based on your target audience, it is important to ensure that your website is available both on desktop and mobile phones. It is also crucial to ensure that key information like contact details and product description is placed in an easily accessible area.
› Branding
Visitors should immediately make a visual connection between your logo, print material, and your website. The website should represent your brand, contribute to the memorability of your branding, and enhance the image of your business.
» What are the steps for building a website?
› Goal-setting:
It is important to identify the aims and objectives behind the website. Is the website focused on the brand’s core message or a particular product with a specific focus? What are the personas of the target audience and the brand attributes? Competitor analysis and creative brief can be great tools to begin goal-setting.
› Identifying the scope:
For the smooth functioning of the process of web development, it is important to collaborate with the experts and identify the core scope and functionalities. If the goal of the website gradually changes or expands through the process of development and design, not only will the final product be increasingly different from the original vision but with budget and time constraints, it will also, become unrealistic.
› Sitemap and Wireframe creation:
A sitemap acts as a blueprint of your website and will give the designer a clear idea of the web architecture and the mutual relationship between the various pages and content elements. The next step is to build a mock-up of the wireframe in order to store the visual design and identify gaps. Balsamiq, Moqups, Sketch, and Axure are popular sitemap and wireframe creation tools used by professionals.
› Content and Designing:
Curating engaging content both in terms of how it is written and how it is presented is the next crucial step. Attention catching phrases presented with the right structural elements serve best. Designing themes can begin with existing branding elements, color choices, and logos. High-quality designing can give a professional look while simultaneously increasing clicks, engagement, and revenue.
› Debugging:
Once the development and designing are completed, it's time to test and debug. This involves ensuring that all pages of the website are loading, all links are working, and that it is clear for launch across browsers and devices.
› Launch:
Once all bugs are identified and fixed, it's time for the big day. However, launching the website is not the end of the process. The website needs constant maintenance and some elements still might need fixing. Regularly updating the content, keeping up with the present trends of the industry, and adding new features even after the launch will ensure better engagement.
» What are the types of expert services required to build a website?
› Research and Development:
The first step to developing creative ideas is gathering the right information. Understanding a client’s requirements is the primary goal of the team. A list of design stages, their tasks, and the research is curated to select the right technology for the website design.
› Coding:
Transforming a code into a well-developed design is a skill that requires technical expertise. Clean coding is a key element in the development of a responsive and professional web layout that is in line with your business goals.
› Expert Consulting:
A good web developer with a vast knowledge of coding can turn any project around. Having a skilled personal managing the project improves the quality of the website and makes the process easier and efficient. Different software and strategies are involved in the design and redesign of websites.
› Launch and Maintenance:
The real test of how well a website is built comes post-launch where regular updates, good content, and smooth functioning are of utmost value. Viewer analytics, UI/UX interface, de-bugging, and website maintenance are tested and optimized with top browsers to make your website an easy find.
Web Development:
Before you Begin
» What to do before you start looking for a Web Development Company?
› Know what you want:
Hiring a web development agency without knowing what you want is as good as not hiring one. A website is a virtual platform that showcases your services, products, and other information for potential clients to know and contact you. Your platform should be user-friendly and a way forward for the smooth functioning of your organization. Evaluating a business structure, strategies, and the target audience is the first step to ordering a web solution.
› Smart Pockets:
Each company quotes a different price for the same task. A web developer that charges less for the initial development may have higher costs for post-launch maintenance. While a web developer that charges more in the initial phases may charge less for the maintenance. Either way, a company with expertise, good resources, and commitment will give you the desired results. Compare quotations, customer service, and reviews of different web development agencies before you settle on one. Remember, it is crucial to focus on the quality of the product over the cost of it.
› Content:
No two websites are the same and what makes them unique is their content. If you decide to write and create your content by yourself, beware that it will be a long and tiresome process. Keep ample time aside to invest in your content, and don’t forget to include things like FAQs, legal documents, and other paperwork. Hire a professional if that’s too much to do on your own. After all, a little help never hurt anyone.
› Old search engine rankings:
“Error 404: Page not found-” An ordeal for visitors and a nightmare for business owners, this error pops up when search engines cannot locate a particular webpage. When the format of a website or a web app changes because of the website redesign, additional features, or shifting content, the search engine can lose the structure of your previous domain and subdomain. In such a scenario, you risk losing all your content. So double-check that your website development firm integrates 301 redirects to update search engine indices.
Facts and Figures:
» What should you know about choosing the best web development services for your business?
Types of Web Developers Today:
› Front End:
Also known as the ‘client’s side’, front end development focuses on what the client sees when they visit your website. Elements like fonts, colors, backgrounds, menus, transitions, etc. are all developed by a front end developer. A good front end developer interprets their client’s ambition and translates it into a framework for the best user experience. They target potential obstacles and execute solutions to solve program issues. Some front-end languages and frameworks are HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Angular.
› Back End:
Focused on the ‘internal logic’, back end developers are equipped with the knowledge of the server, the application, and the database. These three objects are crucial to the proper functioning and communication of the web browser. Back end web developers prioritize the gathering and display of correct information. Some back-end languages and frameworks are PHP, Python, Java, and .NET.
› Full Stack:
The best of both worlds, full-stack developers are fluent in both front-end and back-end development. They are experts in understanding, executing, and problem-solving in different fields that make a website. Full-stack developers must be well versed with at least one front-end and one back-end programming language. Their versatility and flexibility have made them a popular choice in recent times.
Types of web development languages:
› Java:
An all-round OOP language, Java is used for the programming of android, desktop, and web application development. Its backward compatibility, platform independence, multi-purpose language, and a spectrum of open source libraries make it a go-to business application requirement. Extremely secure, it follows the system of stack allocation and assists distributed computing, multithreading, networking, XML praising, utilities, and database connections.
› Java Script:
A front-end language, JavaScript is widely used across web development companies. It is the best choice for I/O processes due to its event-driven programming that stems from Node.js. It is suitable for all platforms due to its speed, improved website interface, versatility, and data validation functionality. Java Scripts’ ECMA specifications, along with plug-ins like Greasemonkey, provide regular updates and are useful in a wide range of programs.
› Angular:
Angular is a framework that makes coding easy for website developers. It assists in the development of complicated and large programs with business logic, efficiency, and eye-catching visual elements. Extensions like Snippets, CLI along with its inbuilt MVC allow a developer to conjure a range of applications. A two-way the data-binding system allows the creation and use of framework templates in Angular.
› PHP:
Used to build and run web applications quickly, PHP is a generic language utilized in developing server-side applications. It functions across systems like Mac, UNIX, and Windows with a plethora of frameworks. It is simple to use, caters to a large community of web developers, and has great debugging with the Xdebug extension.
› Python:
Python is one of the best backend languages available today. It is straight-forward and powerful and can conveniently be integrated with programming languages C and C++. A basic requirement for any developer, Python easily handles heavy tasks, computational science, statistics, and mathematics. It sports a multitude of libraries and frameworks like SciPy, Pandas, Scikit-Learn, etc. that help in the development of programs based on GUI, Data science, machine learning, and network servers.
› CSS:
A basic technology utilized by top web development agencies, CSS is used to tailor a website by using a style language sheet. In combination with HTML, it is used to add visual elements like colours, layouts, fonts, etc. to a web page. A mark-up language, CSS is compatible with XML, SVG, and XUL documents.
› Other:
web development languages include SQL, .NET, HTML, C#, React, VueJS, Shell, Go, etc.
» How to choose the right web development language?
If the long list of web development languages left you confused, here are a few factors that can help you make the right choice for your website and web apps.
› Target Platform:
The platform where the website will run is the first step to selecting a web development language. All languages do not support all platforms, hence one must pick a language that caters to their target platforms. For instance, codes written in C language allow the platform to run on Windows and Linux based systems.
› Flexibility and Performance:
While a language has its limitations, it must accommodate additional features and have a rapid speed with smooth function.
› Project Size:
The scale of the project determines the size of the set of tools needed to solve the coding issues. As a client, one should evaluate their requirements, the project size, and opt for a language that offers a multitude of libraries and community support to tackle coding problems that may arise.
› Tool Support:
For web development, it is a smart call to choose a tool-oriented language with a simple structure and a multitude of frameworks and libraries.
» Where can you find the best web development company?
Lists of so-called top web development companies available on the internet are useless if they are not based on well-researched criteria and comprehensive data. Thus, to help your organization find the perfect web development company that meets your requirements within your budget, the above list has been curated based on qualitative and quantitative factors including data analysis of hundreds of expert reviews and on-ground experience and technical expertise to provide a one-stop solution to your probing.
» Questions to ask before you hire a web development company
Your website is your identity in the online world. It requires every bit of questioning and careful deliberation before jumping on the bandwagon of developers. So don't hesitate and ask.
1. What is your process for getting to know me and my brand?
A web development firm that involves you in the project is one that believes in giving you the best of their services. Your website is a virtual reflection of your brand, key to your future growth, and brand value. Asking the firm about its strategy to understand your business will give you a better understanding of the firm’s policies and processes. In case you have an existing website, the development company can choose to run analytics on to figure out user behaviour and other statistics. These will help you identify the dos and don’ts to improve the structure of your webpages.
2. Do you have any experience in my industry and with similar websites?
A good web developer with a vast knowledge of coding and the industry can turn any project around. Having skilled personnel manage the project improves the quality of the website and makes the process easier and efficient. While this holds true, some clients operate in unique fields and prefer development experts with prior knowledge of their line of work.
3. What are your strategies to ensure the site is SEO friendly?
Search Engine Optimization tools are integrated into a website to provide clients easy access to webpages with relevant content. SEO utilizes keywords so that your website appears on search engines like Google and Yahoo when these words are searched. SEO is fundamental to the structure of the website as it is a core feature that generates visitor traction. The best websites are planned around SEO and its tools. It is a good idea to ask your web developer about their process of SEO integration.
4. Realistically, how long will the project take?
Meeting deadlines is crucial to any project. A good scale to measure the delivering capabilities of any web development services is the projected timeline of the project. The project duration will depend on factors like the scope, details, features, and issues that arise. The more complex your website is, the more time it will take.
5. How will Do you handle hosting, security, and maintenance?
While some firms choose to host their sites internally, most web development companies opt to have websites hosted by their web partners. Though this is popularly practiced, it is important for you to understand the implications of such an arrangement and figure out safety measures like Website Application Firewalls to protect your data. CMS updates, regular back-ups, and website maintenance are other key features required for the unhindered performance of your website that your agency must provide for.
6. What’s included (and not included) in your price?
It is imperative to understand where your money will be going, when, and why. Each agency quotes a different price for the same job. Sit down with the team as they outline the different stages of design and the budgeting for each. Pay for the services and features you want and get a clear understanding of the billing process before signing a contract.
Additional Questions to ask for hiring the top web design and development company
1. Could you refer some of your previous clients? Can I connect with any of them? 2. Have you served any clientele in my business niche before? 3. Where do you stand in terms of experience - as an organization and as a design team? 4. Do you complete the entire project in-house or outsource certain aspects of it? 5. Could you help me understand your web design process in detail? 6. What would be my role throughout the project? 7. Will you assign a central point of contact? 8. Who will take care of the content which is supposed to go on the website? 9. Which details or inputs am I required to share before you commence the design process as well as while the project is in progress? 10. Will the design be fully customized? 11. Will your design appear consistent with an equally appealing user experience across devices? What is your method to ensure the same? Will that cost additional pricing? 12. Will the design work effectively on various platforms? 13. How can I offer feedback on the project? 14. How do you handle revisions in the project? 15. Which CMS (Content Management System) do you suggest we should use that aligns with our goals and requirements? 16. How will you assure the project won’t miss any deadlines? How would you compensate for the delays if at all those take place? 17. Do you consider page speed, as well as website optimization, while designing the site? 18. What is your procedure to check the quality? 19. Do you test the end product or follow testing after completion of each phase? 20. How do you make sure that the web design adheres to all the standard design guidelines and best practices? 21. What type of measures would you take to refrain from any security loopholes? 22. What should we do to stay within our decided budget? 23. What additional services do you offer that can be beneficial for my website? 24. Can you break down the pricing for a better understanding? 25. Who would own the website and its content once it is live? 26. Would you continue to offer support even after the website is live?
» Factors on which you should shortlist a web development company
It comes as no surprise that many have little to no knowledge about website development. This is where Web development companies come to our rescue. But before we get to them, a few minutes spent on organizing our thoughts can help us make a good decision.
› Experience:
A web development firm has a direct impact on the project and thus, it is important to find someone who understands you. A web developer with experience in working for a business of your scale and type is better equipped to comprehend your goals and future ideas. An agency with less experience may not have a smooth ride while completing your project.
› Quality of Work:
A good portfolio is a testament to the agency’s capabilities, so be sure to check it. Reviews and referrals go a long way in establishing the credibility and the competency of a web development company. The more experience a developer has, the better his output quality ought to be. So set your expectations accordingly.
› Technology Used:
Understanding what one wants is half the solution to a design problem. The other half of the solution lies with a good web development company. Choose platforms and programming languages that give you control over your content. Integration of Google Analytics, Hotjar, and other tools can help you tabulate traction, reviews, and reactions that a website receives from its audience.
› After Sales Support/ Ongoing Support:
An organization that understands your immediate needs and helps you plan for the future is one with the most comprehensive outlook for your project. Before signing the contract, remember to ask about the support and services the web development company offers and the costs that it will incur. It would also help to gain a clear picture of website repair, security, and maintenance.
› Cost:
It is often at costing that one draws the short stick. Many companies lose clientele because of their pricing. Some companies charge on an hourly basis while some have a monthly subscription. Get quotes from different agencies before settling on one. Choose a development company that doesn’t overcharge you and gives you the best of their services.
» What is the average cost and time taken by a web development company?
Even though different web development companies price the same task differently, research into the ongoing quotes revealed the following stats:
Small Size of Business
• Type: Simple website • Price: $1,000 - $10,000 • Time: 1-2 months
Large Size of Business
• Type: Complex website • Price: $95,000+ • Time: 2-5 months
Moreover, different phases of web development incur different costs:
Type
• Typical website: $100 - $500 • Custom feature-rich website: $30,000+
Type
• Custom complex website • Launching and designing: $12,000- $150,000 • Routine website maintenance (per month): $35 - $5000 • Routine website maintenance (per year): $400 - $60,000
Developers can be found in any part of the world. Different countries regions have different quotes for web development:
USA
• Simple website: $2,000 - $4,000 • Medium website: $5,000 - $35,000 • Large custom design website: $20,000 - $1,00,000+
Europe
• Simple website: $1,000 - $3,500 • Medium website: 3,500 - $20,000 • Large custom design website: $18,000 - $1,00,000+
Asia
• Simple website: $400 - $600 • Medium website: $800 - $3,000 • Large custom design website: $4,000 - $1,00,000+
Australia
• Simple website: $2,000 - $4,000 • Medium website: $4,500 - $35,000 • Large custom design website: $20,000 - $1,00,000+
These values are assumed based on research. They are influenced by many factors and solely depend on the requirement of the client and the services of the Web Development Company.
» What are the factors that affect the cost and time taken by a web development company?
› Project size:
Project sizes vary from small to medium to large. These business websites comprise 10 to 20, 20 to 40, and 40 to 50 pages respectively. The scale of the project affects the costing because it requires the creation of multiple web pages to fit on the same HTML. This requires a great understanding of coding that comes only with experience.
› Design style:
Different individuals prefer different styles for their websites. Some prefer the same layout on all web pages, while some prefer different layouts on each webpage. This leads to a great deal of design from the developer to create multiple unique structures for your website. As a result of this the costing increases as the number of layouts increase.
› SEO integration:
SEO is a special tool that allows web pages to be easily accessible for search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. Whenever a company generates new products it needs the advice to optimize these for better marketing from search engines. SEO integration and other analysis tools incur extra costs.
› Technical knowledge of databases:
In cases where a database is to be combined with your website, it requires an experienced person to handle the problems that arise.
› E-commerce functionalities:
E-commerce portals like PayTM, GPay, etc. have a whole set of tools associated with them. Using them on the website requires a whole new system of users and products to be accommodated. This greatly affects the budget.
Web Designing:
Before you Begin
» What to do before you start looking for a web designing company?
› Understand your project requirements:
While the internet does have great ideas, it lacks the uniqueness that is specific to your brand. Assess your requirements and your goals to create an outline of what you need and what you want your website to deliver. This will help you estimate the logistics of the project and the type of team you need to hire.
› Design wish list:
Many of the clients may not be designers, but every one of them has a vision for their website. One must curate these ideas and themes in a design checklist to accelerate the process. A website built from scratch and a website redesign are two different services with their respective necessities. You need to discern which service you need before going any further.
› Calculate a realistic project timeline:
Estimating the timeline of the project is essential to selecting a team. A firm will save more time when compared to two-three freelancers. Discuss with your web design company regarding the type of availability of experts, communication, and meetings, the scope of delays, approvals, and other information to establish a realistic timeline for the project.
› Inquire about the net expenditure for the whole project:
Having thought of a certain budget for your website prevents you from overspending. Like many businesses, a good web designing company is recognized by people for their work. Research on the prior undertakings of the company and view their finished product portfolios. Deduce a reasonable budget for the entire project from this research.
Facts and Figures:
» Everything you need to know about choosing the top web designing company for your business
The Two Types of web design:
› Adaptive:
Adaptive web design utilizes two versions of a website that is customized to adapt to different devices and browser widths. The device adaptation is based on a ‘user-agent’ that alerts the server about the type of device opening the page. The browser width adaptation makes use of media-queries and breakpoints to switch between versions.
• Pros: You get what you see. Faster page speeds and flexibility. • Cons: ‘Device type’ websites will appear broken in small browser windows. Limitation of certain effects.
› Responsive:
Responsive web design constantly responds to changes in the web browser. It makes use of two tools, a flexible grid of percentages and breakpoints that use media queries.
• Pros: It is flexible, versatile, and is receptive to all screen sizes. • Cons: Can be a challenge when it comes to custom designs. Needs extensive testing and design configuration.
Types of web design tools:
› Website builders:
A software programmed to help you create a website. There are two types of website builders, adaptive and responsive.
› Adaptive website:
Without requiring a single line of code, adaptive websites like Wix and PageCloud are the best visual website builders. They employ a drag-and-drop approach with exceptional WYSIWYG capabilities.
› Responsive website:
Webflow and Froont are responsive websites that do not require a client to write the code. It gives them control over every element of the website, but it requires complex tools.
› Desktop tools:
Apps like Sketch and Photoshop are very popular for web design. Desktop tools are used to create a sample design before sending it to a development team to deal with the technical requirements.
» Where can you find the best web designing company?
Reliability and expertise are the deciding factors on choosing a web design company review website that you can trust. Lists without relevant data to back their claims only add to your confusion and are meaningless in the real world. Thus, the above list is formulated by experts based on data-oriented objective and subjective factors that affect your experience with a web design company to ensure that you don’t have to spend your valuable time surfing through countless websites.
Questions to ask before you hire a web design company:
1. Do you have a portfolio?
Many designers showcase their work portfolio on their websites. Review their work and decide if their style is similar to what you’ve envisioned.
2. What types of conversion strategies do you suggest?
Website design is more than just aesthetics. It uses conversion strategies like lead magnets and pop-ups to generate the required user experience. Ask what strategies are recommended.
3. How long will it take to complete my web design?
In business time is money. The more time your website spends online, the more the audience viewership it gathers. The quicker your website designing can be achieved, the sooner it will be up and running. This should help with your decision making in terms of judging the company's timeliness.
4. How will we communicate throughout the project?
A web designer who gets you, is one you will give you what you want. A strong designer understands the know-how of the process and provides you with suggestions and solutions that may never have crossed your mind. It is a good practice to discuss with your designer their preferred mode and frequency of communication.
5. Who supplies the images for the website?
Visual Content is perhaps the most important part of any website design. Find out if the website design agency will provide photos for your website or you will have to generate that content. Stock images can be used once they’re paid for.
6. Will I be able to review and approve the work as the project progresses?
Designing is not a one-step process. It requires multiple stages and goes through many iterations. Establishing checkpoints and payment terms are important to the pace and the quality of the project.
» Factors on which you should shortlist a web design company
› Portfolio:
Innovators in their own regard, website designers are required to possess a wide spectrum of skills and creative wisdom when it comes to building a website. A website design agency with an impressive portfolio is a testament to the agency’s confidence in their work.
› Pricing strategy:
A comparison of quotes and payment packages of different website designing firms will show slight discrepancies in the numbers. Select a firm after gathering all the information about it, including reviews. Avoid over-spending.
› Social media presence:
A web agency’s social media presence gives you an estimate of their internet marketing skills. Choose an agency with a good hold of internet marketing to boost the website on all platforms.
› After-support and maintenance:
Every webpage on the website must function at full capacity all the time. A company with a 24-hour hour problem address system aids in quick issue solving.
» What is the average cost and time taken by a web designing company?
• USA - $100-$175 per person per hour • Outside USA - $55-$75 per person per hour
Projects are billed differently depending on the task. They can be invoiced per project, results based billing, or a flat fee. It is important to ensure that costs are discussed beforehand and the time of the project is accordingly determined. Both these factors vary based on the level of expertise, location, type of website, and industry.
» What are the factors that affect the cost and time taken by a web designing company?
› Customization & Design:
Templates are not unique to your brand. Custom design requires the website to be designed from scratch which requires a lot more work from web designers.
› Search Engine Optimization (SEO):
SEO target search engines to help your website be found easily. SEOs require expert skill that comes with experienced personnel who charge more than freelancers.
› Content List:
A website comprises multiple webpages. Each webpage sports a variety of content both, visual and written, to provide information to your visitors. The content requires research and design from the web designer.
› Usability & Navigation:
Universal design can make or break the webpage. It is important to make the design understandable and approachable. Websites with complex navigation fall on the expensive side.
› Content Management System:
Content management systems give you control over your website's content. It provides you the option of updating your website yourself. Integrating them into the website incurs a cost.
› Functionality:
Features like a chatbox, email, e-commerce, etc. require websites with higher functionality. Higher the functionality, the higher the cost.
» Web Development Vs Web Design
Contrary to the popular belief that web development and web designing are the same, they're two different aspects of the same field.
Major Differences: The biggest difference between developing and designing is that one is functionally driven while the other is creatively inclined.
Roles
WEB DESIGN:
• Design and creation of relational schemes. • Creation of web layouts, visual design elements, and the design prototype. • Placement and the layout of website pages with client-provided content. • Need to visualize how a site will look and feel.
WEB DEVELOPMENT:
• Routine maintenance of existing sites and applications. • Develops layouts into user-friendly applications. **•**A software developer who works with programming languages to create a higher level of interactions on a website such as the integration with a database system. • Mostly widely used databases are MySQL, Mongo DN, SQL Server.
Skill Needed
WEB DESIGN:
• Creative graphic skills • Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator) or other design software • Graphic design • Logo design • Layout/format • Placing call-to-action buttons • Branding • Wireframes, mock-ups, and storyboards • Color palettes • Typography
WEB DEVELOPMENT:
• Advance HTML/CSS/JavaScript • CSS pre-processors (i.e., LESS or Sass) • Frameworks (i.e., AngularJS, ReactJS, Ember) • Libraries (i.e., jQuery) • Git and GitHub • Basic PHP script or ASP script
Software Commonly Used
WEB DESIGN:
• Basic Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Designer Software or • Affinity Photo Software • Brackets • Content Management System
WEB DEVELOPMENT:
• Divvy • XAMPP • Sublime Text
› Major Similarities:
The biggest similarity between the two is that they both focus on web and website development as a whole. Both disciplines require some fundamental understanding of each other to carry out their work. Knowledge of programming languages, SEO, and CMS systems showcases the collaboration between the two skill areas.
» How do they affect the experience of your website?
Together they create the entire experience for a website. The two skill areas stem from two different mindsets. A web developer will find it difficult to create an attractive web design. In the same way, a web designer faces challenges when it comes to logically constructing the layout for a website. Having stated that, website companies are one’s best bet to getting a good website as they provide their clients with the best from both worlds. A company also has other employees like graphic designers, programmers, and project managers to effectively manage the projects.
» What are the latest trends in developing and designing a website?
› VR and AR:
With the advent of technology, Virtual reality is now at the center stage. It allows users to consume media in the form of 360 videos and interactive images.
› Responsive Web Design:
One responsive web design is taking over the web scene. Responsive web design promotes businesses and web users to think of mobiles as the primary device for internet surfing.
› Voice search and Instant Answers:
Like Alexa and Siri, voice search and instant answers will become a part of the website culture in the near future.
» Things to consider before choosing the dream website team of developers and designers
› Front and backend development:
Select a team with both front end and back end developers as they both have different tasks to perform. Having a team with just either one of them is like a half-baked cake.
› Not just one specialization:
Select a web design and development agency which is fluent in multiple technologies and languages as they will deliver the solution best suited to your needs.
› Understanding the need for the project:
It is important to pick a company that understands you and delivers more, if not the same as your expectations.
› Research and development:
If research and development initiatives are the core value of the company, then it is the one you should go for.
› Flexibility:
The number of revisions a web designing company predicts to have for your website will give you an idea of the caliber of the designers the company employs. It is also an estimate of the flexibility of the designers to change the design in case you don't like it.
» What to do once you hire a Website Development Company and web Design Company?
Integration of the website development and website design is crucial to ensure that your vision for your website is turned into reality. Here are a few things you should do after the hiring process to ensure the smooth functioning of your project:
› Clarity and communication:
Know exactly who is doing what. You are the bridge between your web development and design company so it is important to ensure that there is a clear division of labor and the cycle of coordination during website building is handled effectively. Finally, when it comes to integration, ensure that your web development company knows all the technical details of your design.
› Set review dates and follow them:
Ask for updates on the process and ensure that the hired companies know exactly what is expected of them by the next review date. Be involved in the process and closely monitor the progress to avoid miscommunication. Set a flexible timeline and ensure that both projects are moving steadily.
› Be prepared:
Pay on time to ensure that there is no delay from your side. Understand that some details are going to change based on implementation decisions. Accommodate for unexpected issues and have a working relationship between the companies and yourself to handle post-launch issues.» Why your organization should have a professional website?
Websites are a key part of a company’s online presence strategy. It acts as a map that introduces the brand and helps users navigate through the features of the product, reviews on the company, and information on delivery and shipping. Today, open-source content management systems like WordPress have made it easy for anyone to create a website in no time. However, a business organization requires more than just that. Here is why you should invest resources in building a professional website:
› Credibility:
Most consumers prefer to search for products and services on the internet before buying them. A professional website that shows up as soon as they enter the name of your company adds credibility to your brand and product. Without a website, your business might lose a competitive advantage as you have no platform to advertise your strengths.
› Cost and time effective:
Despite the initial cost of designing and developing, a website generally costs less than any other promotional vehicle. It is easy to access and can reach a wide audience. An online catalog can provide lots of information about your product and save the time spent on explaining this to your customers one-on-one. Further, once your website is up and running, it is available indefinitely.
› Improve customer base and showcase your work:
A website performs the dual function of developing customer-engagement while simultaneously advertising your product through portfolios, images, or testimonials. FAQ pages and newsletters can answer all your customers’ questions and keep them up-to-date. What better way to go the extra mile than by sharing valuable and relevant information on your website.
» Why your organization must choose expert developers and designers to build your website?
It is impossible to create a top-of-the-line and unique website with these so-called free website templates available online. A website represents the quality of your product and it is important to include images, headers, plugins, and code to ensure that your vision is turned into reality. Without a background in IT or programming, this will prove to be Greek and Latin. However, for professional web development companies, it is all second nature. Further, hiring a web design company will offer your users an attractive and dynamic website with the benefits of customization. The web designer will evaluate your business and products, and work with you towards your goal for the website. Search Engine Optimization techniques and the use of the latest technology for the development and maintenance of your website will make the growth of your business more probable. None of these benefits are offered by the basic cookie-cutter tools online. Thus, hiring a web design and development agency is crucial for the success of your website.
The Basics of Website Building:
» What are the elements required to build a website?
› Navigation
Easy to navigate web design and accessible menu items are important to ensure that the user always knows exactly where they are on the website. Site maps focused on functionality and interactive buttons are innovative ideas that can improve user experience.
› Content
When it comes to websites, the content is king. Search Engine Optimization determines placement to ensure that your website reaches its maximum target audience. The content must be informative, easy to read, concise and engaging to create an effective website.
› Search
A search tool is vital to ensure that users can quickly find the exact information they are looking for without having to comprehend complicated site maps.
› Accessibility
Based on your target audience, it is important to ensure that your website is available both on desktop and mobile phones. It is also crucial to ensure that key information like contact details and product description is placed in an easily accessible area.
› Branding
Visitors should immediately make a visual connection between your logo, print material, and your website. The website should represent your brand, contribute to the memorability of your branding, and enhance the image of your business.
» What are the steps for building a website?
› Goal-setting:
It is important to identify the aims and objectives behind the website. Is the website focused on the brand’s core message or a particular product with a specific focus? What are the personas of the target audience and the brand attributes? Competitor analysis and creative brief can be great tools to begin goal-setting.
› Identifying the scope:
For the smooth functioning of the process of web development, it is important to collaborate with the experts and identify the core scope and functionalities. If the goal of the website gradually changes or expands through the process of development and design, not only will the final product be increasingly different from the original vision but with budget and time constraints, it will also, become unrealistic.
› Sitemap and Wireframe creation:
A sitemap acts as a blueprint of your website and will give the designer a clear idea of the web architecture and the mutual relationship between the various pages and content elements. The next step is to build a mock-up of the wireframe in order to store the visual design and identify gaps. Balsamiq, Moqups, Sketch, and Axure are popular sitemap and wireframe creation tools used by professionals.
› Content and Designing:
Curating engaging content both in terms of how it is written and how it is presented is the next crucial step. Attention catching phrases presented with the right structural elements serve best. Designing themes can begin with existing branding elements, color choices, and logos. High-quality designing can give a professional look while simultaneously increasing clicks, engagement, and revenue.
› Debugging:
Once the development and designing are completed, it's time to test and debug. This involves ensuring that all pages of the website are loading, all links are working, and that it is clear for launch across browsers and devices.
› Launch:
Once all bugs are identified and fixed, it's time for the big day. However, launching the website is not the end of the process. The website needs constant maintenance and some elements still might need fixing. Regularly updating the content, keeping up with the present trends of the industry, and adding new features even after the launch will ensure better engagement.
» What are the types of expert services required to build a website?
› Research and Development:
The first step to developing creative ideas is gathering the right information. Understanding a client’s requirements is the primary goal of the team. A list of design stages, their tasks, and the research is curated to select the right technology for the website design.
› Coding:
Transforming a code into a well-developed design is a skill that requires technical expertise. Clean coding is a key element in the development of a responsive and professional web layout that is in line with your business goals.
› Expert Consulting:
A good web developer with a vast knowledge of coding can turn any project around. Having a skilled personal managing the project improves the quality of the website and makes the process easier and efficient. Different software and strategies are involved in the design and redesign of websites.
› Launch and Maintenance:
The real test of how well a website is built comes post-launch where regular updates, good content, and smooth functioning are of utmost value. Viewer analytics, UI/UX interface, de-bugging, and website maintenance are tested and optimized with top browsers to make your website an easy find.
Web Development:
Before you Begin
» What to do before you start looking for a Web Development Company?
› Know what you want:
Hiring a web development agency without knowing what you want is as good as not hiring one. A website is a virtual platform that showcases your services, products, and other information for potential clients to know and contact you. Your platform should be user-friendly and a way forward for the smooth functioning of your organization. Evaluating a business structure, strategies, and the target audience is the first step to ordering a web solution.
› Smart Pockets:
Each company quotes a different price for the same task. A web developer that charges less for the initial development may have higher costs for post-launch maintenance. While a web developer that charges more in the initial phases may charge less for the maintenance. Either way, a company with expertise, good resources, and commitment will give you the desired results. Compare quotations, customer service, and reviews of different web development agencies before you settle on one. Remember, it is crucial to focus on the quality of the product over the cost of it.
› Content:
No two websites are the same and what makes them unique is their content. If you decide to write and create your content by yourself, beware that it will be a long and tiresome process. Keep ample time aside to invest in your content, and don’t forget to include things like FAQs, legal documents, and other paperwork. Hire a professional if that’s too much to do on your own. After all, a little help never hurt anyone.
› Old search engine rankings:
“Error 404: Page not found-” An ordeal for visitors and a nightmare for business owners, this error pops up when search engines cannot locate a particular webpage. When the format of a website or a web app changes because of the website redesign, additional features, or shifting content, the search engine can lose the structure of your previous domain and subdomain. In such a scenario, you risk losing all your content. So double-check that your website development firm integrates 301 redirects to update search engine indices.
Facts and Figures:
» What should you know about choosing the best web development services for your business?
Types of Web Developers Today:
› Front End:
Also known as the ‘client’s side’, front end development focuses on what the client sees when they visit your website. Elements like fonts, colors, backgrounds, menus, transitions, etc. are all developed by a front end developer. A good front end developer interprets their client’s ambition and translates it into a framework for the best user experience. They target potential obstacles and execute solutions to solve program issues. Some front-end languages and frameworks are HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Angular.
› Back End:
Focused on the ‘internal logic’, back end developers are equipped with the knowledge of the server, the application, and the database. These three objects are crucial to the proper functioning and communication of the web browser. Back end web developers prioritize the gathering and display of correct information. Some back-end languages and frameworks are PHP, Python, Java, and .NET.
› Full Stack:
The best of both worlds, full-stack developers are fluent in both front-end and back-end development. They are experts in understanding, executing, and problem-solving in different fields that make a website. Full-stack developers must be well versed with at least one front-end and one back-end programming language. Their versatility and flexibility have made them a popular choice in recent times.
Types of web development languages:
› Java:
An all-round OOP language, Java is used for the programming of android, desktop, and web application development. Its backward compatibility, platform independence, multi-purpose language, and a spectrum of open source libraries make it a go-to business application requirement. Extremely secure, it follows the system of stack allocation and assists distributed computing, multithreading, networking, XML praising, utilities, and database connections.
› Java Script:
A front-end language, JavaScript is widely used across web development companies. It is the best choice for I/O processes due to its event-driven programming that stems from Node.js. It is suitable for all platforms due to its speed, improved website interface, versatility, and data validation functionality. Java Scripts’ ECMA specifications, along with plug-ins like Greasemonkey, provide regular updates and are useful in a wide range of programs.
› Angular:
Angular is a framework that makes coding easy for website developers. It assists in the development of complicated and large programs with business logic, efficiency, and eye-catching visual elements. Extensions like Snippets, CLI along with its inbuilt MVC allow a developer to conjure a range of applications. A two-way the data-binding system allows the creation and use of framework templates in Angular.
› PHP:
Used to build and run web applications quickly, PHP is a generic language utilized in developing server-side applications. It functions across systems like Mac, UNIX, and Windows with a plethora of frameworks. It is simple to use, caters to a large community of web developers, and has great debugging with the Xdebug extension.
› Python:
Python is one of the best backend languages available today. It is straight-forward and powerful and can conveniently be integrated with programming languages C and C++. A basic requirement for any developer, Python easily handles heavy tasks, computational science, statistics, and mathematics. It sports a multitude of libraries and frameworks like SciPy, Pandas, Scikit-Learn, etc. that help in the development of programs based on GUI, Data science, machine learning, and network servers.
› CSS:
A basic technology utilized by top web development agencies, CSS is used to tailor a website by using a style language sheet. In combination with HTML, it is used to add visual elements like colours, layouts, fonts, etc. to a web page. A mark-up language, CSS is compatible with XML, SVG, and XUL documents.
› Other:
web development languages include SQL, .NET, HTML, C#, React, VueJS, Shell, Go, etc.
» How to choose the right web development language?
If the long list of web development languages left you confused, here are a few factors that can help you make the right choice for your website and web apps.
› Target Platform:
The platform where the website will run is the first step to selecting a web development language. All languages do not support all platforms, hence one must pick a language that caters to their target platforms. For instance, codes written in C language allow the platform to run on Windows and Linux based systems.
› Flexibility and Performance:
While a language has its limitations, it must accommodate additional features and have a rapid speed with smooth function.
› Project Size:
The scale of the project determines the size of the set of tools needed to solve the coding issues. As a client, one should evaluate their requirements, the project size, and opt for a language that offers a multitude of libraries and community support to tackle coding problems that may arise.
› Tool Support:
For web development, it is a smart call to choose a tool-oriented language with a simple structure and a multitude of frameworks and libraries.
» Where can you find the best web development company?
Lists of so-called top web development companies available on the internet are useless if they are not based on well-researched criteria and comprehensive data. Thus, to help your organization find the perfect web development company that meets your requirements within your budget, the above list has been curated based on qualitative and quantitative factors including data analysis of hundreds of expert reviews and on-ground experience and technical expertise to provide a one-stop solution to your probing.
» Questions to ask before you hire a web development company
Your website is your identity in the online world. It requires every bit of questioning and careful deliberation before jumping on the bandwagon of developers. So don't hesitate and ask.
1. What is your process for getting to know me and my brand?
A web development firm that involves you in the project is one that believes in giving you the best of their services. Your website is a virtual reflection of your brand, key to your future growth, and brand value. Asking the firm about its strategy to understand your business will give you a better understanding of the firm’s policies and processes. In case you have an existing website, the development company can choose to run analytics on to figure out user behaviour and other statistics. These will help you identify the dos and don’ts to improve the structure of your webpages.
2. Do you have any experience in my industry and with similar websites?
A good web developer with a vast knowledge of coding and the industry can turn any project around. Having skilled personnel manage the project improves the quality of the website and makes the process easier and efficient. While this holds true, some clients operate in unique fields and prefer development experts with prior knowledge of their line of work.
3. What are your strategies to ensure the site is SEO friendly?
Search Engine Optimization tools are integrated into a website to provide clients easy access to webpages with relevant content. SEO utilizes keywords so that your website appears on search engines like Google and Yahoo when these words are searched. SEO is fundamental to the structure of the website as it is a core feature that generates visitor traction. The best websites are planned around SEO and its tools. It is a good idea to ask your web developer about their process of SEO integration.
4. Realistically, how long will the project take?
Meeting deadlines is crucial to any project. A good scale to measure the delivering capabilities of any web development services is the projected timeline of the project. The project duration will depend on factors like the scope, details, features, and issues that arise. The more complex your website is, the more time it will take.
5. How will Do you handle hosting, security, and maintenance?
While some firms choose to host their sites internally, most web development companies opt to have websites hosted by their web partners. Though this is popularly practiced, it is important for you to understand the implications of such an arrangement and figure out safety measures like Website Application Firewalls to protect your data. CMS updates, regular back-ups, and website maintenance are other key features required for the unhindered performance of your website that your agency must provide for.
6. What’s included (and not included) in your price?
It is imperative to understand where your money will be going, when, and why. Each agency quotes a different price for the same job. Sit down with the team as they outline the different stages of design and the budgeting for each. Pay for the services and features you want and get a clear understanding of the billing process before signing a contract.
Additional Questions to ask for hiring the top web design and development company
1. Could you refer some of your previous clients? Can I connect with any of them? 2. Have you served any clientele in my business niche before? 3. Where do you stand in terms of experience - as an organization and as a design team? 4. Do you complete the entire project in-house or outsource certain aspects of it? 5. Could you help me understand your web design process in detail? 6. What would be my role throughout the project? 7. Will you assign a central point of contact? 8. Who will take care of the content which is supposed to go on the website? 9. Which details or inputs am I required to share before you commence the design process as well as while the project is in progress? 10. Will the design be fully customized? 11. Will your design appear consistent with an equally appealing user experience across devices? What is your method to ensure the same? Will that cost additional pricing? 12. Will the design work effectively on various platforms? 13. How can I offer feedback on the project? 14. How do you handle revisions in the project? 15. Which CMS (Content Management System) do you suggest we should use that aligns with our goals and requirements? 16. How will you assure the project won’t miss any deadlines? How would you compensate for the delays if at all those take place? 17. Do you consider page speed, as well as website optimization, while designing the site? 18. What is your procedure to check the quality? 19. Do you test the end product or follow testing after completion of each phase? 20. How do you make sure that the web design adheres to all the standard design guidelines and best practices? 21. What type of measures would you take to refrain from any security loopholes? 22. What should we do to stay within our decided budget? 23. What additional services do you offer that can be beneficial for my website? 24. Can you break down the pricing for a better understanding? 25. Who would own the website and its content once it is live? 26. Would you continue to offer support even after the website is live?
» Factors on which you should shortlist a web development company
It comes as no surprise that many have little to no knowledge about website development. This is where Web development companies come to our rescue. But before we get to them, a few minutes spent on organizing our thoughts can help us make a good decision.
› Experience:
A web development firm has a direct impact on the project and thus, it is important to find someone who understands you. A web developer with experience in working for a business of your scale and type is better equipped to comprehend your goals and future ideas. An agency with less experience may not have a smooth ride while completing your project.
› Quality of Work:
A good portfolio is a testament to the agency’s capabilities, so be sure to check it. Reviews and referrals go a long way in establishing the credibility and the competency of a web development company. The more experience a developer has, the better his output quality ought to be. So set your expectations accordingly.
› Technology Used:
Understanding what one wants is half the solution to a design problem. The other half of the solution lies with a good web development company. Choose platforms and programming languages that give you control over your content. Integration of Google Analytics, Hotjar, and other tools can help you tabulate traction, reviews, and reactions that a website receives from its audience.
› After Sales Support/ Ongoing Support:
An organization that understands your immediate needs and helps you plan for the future is one with the most comprehensive outlook for your project. Before signing the contract, remember to ask about the support and services the web development company offers and the costs that it will incur. It would also help to gain a clear picture of website repair, security, and maintenance.
› Cost:
It is often at costing that one draws the short stick. Many companies lose clientele because of their pricing. Some companies charge on an hourly basis while some have a monthly subscription. Get quotes from different agencies before settling on one. Choose a development company that doesn’t overcharge you and gives you the best of their services.
» What is the average cost and time taken by a web development company?
Even though different web development companies price the same task differently, research into the ongoing quotes revealed the following stats:
Small Size of Business
• Type: Simple website • Price: $1,000 - $10,000 • Time: 1-2 months
Large Size of Business
• Type: Complex website • Price: $95,000+ • Time: 2-5 months
Moreover, different phases of web development incur different costs:
Type
• Typical website: $100 - $500 • Custom feature-rich website: $30,000+
Type
• Custom complex website • Launching and designing: $12,000- $150,000 • Routine website maintenance (per month): $35 - $5000 • Routine website maintenance (per year): $400 - $60,000
Developers can be found in any part of the world. Different countries regions have different quotes for web development:
USA
• Simple website: $2,000 - $4,000 • Medium website: $5,000 - $35,000 • Large custom design website: $20,000 - $1,00,000+
Europe
• Simple website: $1,000 - $3,500 • Medium website: 3,500 - $20,000 • Large custom design website: $18,000 - $1,00,000+
Asia
• Simple website: $400 - $600 • Medium website: $800 - $3,000 • Large custom design website: $4,000 - $1,00,000+
Australia
• Simple website: $2,000 - $4,000 • Medium website: $4,500 - $35,000 • Large custom design website: $20,000 - $1,00,000+
These values are assumed based on research. They are influenced by many factors and solely depend on the requirement of the client and the services of the Web Development Company.
» What are the factors that affect the cost and time taken by a web development company?
› Project size:
Project sizes vary from small to medium to large. These business websites comprise 10 to 20, 20 to 40, and 40 to 50 pages respectively. The scale of the project affects the costing because it requires the creation of multiple web pages to fit on the same HTML. This requires a great understanding of coding that comes only with experience.
› Design style:
Different individuals prefer different styles for their websites. Some prefer the same layout on all web pages, while some prefer different layouts on each webpage. This leads to a great deal of design from the developer to create multiple unique structures for your website. As a result of this the costing increases as the number of layouts increase.
› SEO integration:
SEO is a special tool that allows web pages to be easily accessible for search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. Whenever a company generates new products it needs the advice to optimize these for better marketing from search engines. SEO integration and other analysis tools incur extra costs.
› Technical knowledge of databases:
In cases where a database is to be combined with your website, it requires an experienced person to handle the problems that arise.
› E-commerce functionalities:
E-commerce portals like PayTM, GPay, etc. have a whole set of tools associated with them. Using them on the website requires a whole new system of users and products to be accommodated. This greatly affects the budget.
Web Designing:
Before you Begin
» What to do before you start looking for a web designing company?
› Understand your project requirements:
While the internet does have great ideas, it lacks the uniqueness that is specific to your brand. Assess your requirements and your goals to create an outline of what you need and what you want your website to deliver. This will help you estimate the logistics of the project and the type of team you need to hire.
› Design wish list:
Many of the clients may not be designers, but every one of them has a vision for their website. One must curate these ideas and themes in a design checklist to accelerate the process. A website built from scratch and a website redesign are two different services with their respective necessities. You need to discern which service you need before going any further.
› Calculate a realistic project timeline:
Estimating the timeline of the project is essential to selecting a team. A firm will save more time when compared to two-three freelancers. Discuss with your web design company regarding the type of availability of experts, communication, and meetings, the scope of delays, approvals, and other information to establish a realistic timeline for the project.
› Inquire about the net expenditure for the whole project:
Having thought of a certain budget for your website prevents you from overspending. Like many businesses, a good web designing company is recognized by people for their work. Research on the prior undertakings of the company and view their finished product portfolios. Deduce a reasonable budget for the entire project from this research.
Facts and Figures:
» Everything you need to know about choosing the top web designing company for your business
The Two Types of web design:
› Adaptive:
Adaptive web design utilizes two versions of a website that is customized to adapt to different devices and browser widths. The device adaptation is based on a ‘user-agent’ that alerts the server about the type of device opening the page. The browser width adaptation makes use of media-queries and breakpoints to switch between versions.
• Pros: You get what you see. Faster page speeds and flexibility. • Cons: ‘Device type’ websites will appear broken in small browser windows. Limitation of certain effects.
› Responsive:
Responsive web design constantly responds to changes in the web browser. It makes use of two tools, a flexible grid of percentages and breakpoints that use media queries.
• Pros: It is flexible, versatile, and is receptive to all screen sizes. • Cons: Can be a challenge when it comes to custom designs. Needs extensive testing and design configuration.
Types of web design tools:
› Website builders:
A software programmed to help you create a website. There are two types of website builders, adaptive and responsive.
› Adaptive website:
Without requiring a single line of code, adaptive websites like Wix and PageCloud are the best visual website builders. They employ a drag-and-drop approach with exceptional WYSIWYG capabilities.
› Responsive website:
Webflow and Froont are responsive websites that do not require a client to write the code. It gives them control over every element of the website, but it requires complex tools.
› Desktop tools:
Apps like Sketch and Photoshop are very popular for web design. Desktop tools are used to create a sample design before sending it to a development team to deal with the technical requirements.
» Where can you find the best web designing company?
Reliability and expertise are the deciding factors on choosing a web design company review website that you can trust. Lists without relevant data to back their claims only add to your confusion and are meaningless in the real world. Thus, the above list is formulated by experts based on data-oriented objective and subjective factors that affect your experience with a web design company to ensure that you don’t have to spend your valuable time surfing through countless websites.
Questions to ask before you hire a web design company:
1. Do you have a portfolio?
Many designers showcase their work portfolio on their websites. Review their work and decide if their style is similar to what you’ve envisioned.
2. What types of conversion strategies do you suggest?
Website design is more than just aesthetics. It uses conversion strategies like lead magnets and pop-ups to generate the required user experience. Ask what strategies are recommended.
3. How long will it take to complete my web design?
In business time is money. The more time your website spends online, the more the audience viewership it gathers. The quicker your website designing can be achieved, the sooner it will be up and running. This should help with your decision making in terms of judging the company's timeliness.
4. How will we communicate throughout the project?
A web designer who gets you, is one you will give you what you want. A strong designer understands the know-how of the process and provides you with suggestions and solutions that may never have crossed your mind. It is a good practice to discuss with your designer their preferred mode and frequency of communication.
5. Who supplies the images for the website?
Visual Content is perhaps the most important part of any website design. Find out if the website design agency will provide photos for your website or you will have to generate that content. Stock images can be used once they’re paid for.
6. Will I be able to review and approve the work as the project progresses?
Designing is not a one-step process. It requires multiple stages and goes through many iterations. Establishing checkpoints and payment terms are important to the pace and the quality of the project.
» Factors on which you should shortlist a web design company
› Portfolio:
Innovators in their own regard, website designers are required to possess a wide spectrum of skills and creative wisdom when it comes to building a website. A website design agency with an impressive portfolio is a testament to the agency’s confidence in their work.
› Pricing strategy:
A comparison of quotes and payment packages of different website designing firms will show slight discrepancies in the numbers. Select a firm after gathering all the information about it, including reviews. Avoid over-spending.
› Social media presence:
A web agency’s social media presence gives you an estimate of their internet marketing skills. Choose an agency with a good hold of internet marketing to boost the website on all platforms.
› After-support and maintenance:
Every webpage on the website must function at full capacity all the time. A company with a 24-hour hour problem address system aids in quick issue solving.
» What is the average cost and time taken by a web designing company?
• USA - $100-$175 per person per hour • Outside USA - $55-$75 per person per hour
Projects are billed differently depending on the task. They can be invoiced per project, results based billing, or a flat fee. It is important to ensure that costs are discussed beforehand and the time of the project is accordingly determined. Both these factors vary based on the level of expertise, location, type of website, and industry.
» What are the factors that affect the cost and time taken by a web designing company?
› Customization & Design:
Templates are not unique to your brand. Custom design requires the website to be designed from scratch which requires a lot more work from web designers.
› Search Engine Optimization (SEO):
SEO target search engines to help your website be found easily. SEOs require expert skill that comes with experienced personnel who charge more than freelancers.
› Content List:
A website comprises multiple webpages. Each webpage sports a variety of content both, visual and written, to provide information to your visitors. The content requires research and design from the web designer.
› Usability & Navigation:
Universal design can make or break the webpage. It is important to make the design understandable and approachable. Websites with complex navigation fall on the expensive side.
› Content Management System:
Content management systems give you control over your website's content. It provides you the option of updating your website yourself. Integrating them into the website incurs a cost.
› Functionality:
Features like a chatbox, email, e-commerce, etc. require websites with higher functionality. Higher the functionality, the higher the cost.
» Web Development Vs Web Design
Contrary to the popular belief that web development and web designing are the same, they're two different aspects of the same field.
Major Differences: The biggest difference between developing and designing is that one is functionally driven while the other is creatively inclined.
Roles
WEB DESIGN:
• Design and creation of relational schemes. • Creation of web layouts, visual design elements, and the design prototype. • Placement and the layout of website pages with client-provided content. • Need to visualize how a site will look and feel.
WEB DEVELOPMENT:
• Routine maintenance of existing sites and applications. • Develops layouts into user-friendly applications. **•**A software developer who works with programming languages to create a higher level of interactions on a website such as the integration with a database system. • Mostly widely used databases are MySQL, Mongo DN, SQL Server.
Skill Needed
WEB DESIGN:
• Creative graphic skills • Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator) or other design software • Graphic design • Logo design • Layout/format • Placing call-to-action buttons • Branding • Wireframes, mock-ups, and storyboards • Color palettes • Typography
WEB DEVELOPMENT:
• Advance HTML/CSS/JavaScript • CSS pre-processors (i.e., LESS or Sass) • Frameworks (i.e., AngularJS, ReactJS, Ember) • Libraries (i.e., jQuery) • Git and GitHub • Basic PHP script or ASP script
Software Commonly Used
WEB DESIGN:
• Basic Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Designer Software or • Affinity Photo Software • Brackets • Content Management System
WEB DEVELOPMENT:
• Divvy • XAMPP • Sublime Text
› Major Similarities:
The biggest similarity between the two is that they both focus on web and website development as a whole. Both disciplines require some fundamental understanding of each other to carry out their work. Knowledge of programming languages, SEO, and CMS systems showcases the collaboration between the two skill areas.
» How do they affect the experience of your website?
Together they create the entire experience for a website. The two skill areas stem from two different mindsets. A web developer will find it difficult to create an attractive web design. In the same way, a web designer faces challenges when it comes to logically constructing the layout for a website. Having stated that, website companies are one’s best bet to getting a good website as they provide their clients with the best from both worlds. A company also has other employees like graphic designers, programmers, and project managers to effectively manage the projects.
» What are the latest trends in developing and designing a website?
› VR and AR:
With the advent of technology, Virtual reality is now at the center stage. It allows users to consume media in the form of 360 videos and interactive images.
› Responsive Web Design:
One responsive web design is taking over the web scene. Responsive web design promotes businesses and web users to think of mobiles as the primary device for internet surfing.
› Voice search and Instant Answers:
Like Alexa and Siri, voice search and instant answers will become a part of the website culture in the near future.
» Things to consider before choosing the dream website team of developers and designers
› Front and backend development:
Select a team with both front end and back end developers as they both have different tasks to perform. Having a team with just either one of them is like a half-baked cake.
› Not just one specialization:
Select a web design and development agency which is fluent in multiple technologies and languages as they will deliver the solution best suited to your needs.
› Understanding the need for the project:
It is important to pick a company that understands you and delivers more, if not the same as your expectations.
› Research and development:
If research and development initiatives are the core value of the company, then it is the one you should go for.
› Flexibility:
The number of revisions a web designing company predicts to have for your website will give you an idea of the caliber of the designers the company employs. It is also an estimate of the flexibility of the designers to change the design in case you don't like it.
» What to do once you hire a Website Development Company and web Design Company?
Integration of the website development and website design is crucial to ensure that your vision for your website is turned into reality. Here are a few things you should do after the hiring process to ensure the smooth functioning of your project:
› Clarity and communication:
Know exactly who is doing what. You are the bridge between your web development and design company so it is important to ensure that there is a clear division of labor and the cycle of coordination during website building is handled effectively. Finally, when it comes to integration, ensure that your web development company knows all the technical details of your design.
› Set review dates and follow them:
Ask for updates on the process and ensure that the hired companies know exactly what is expected of them by the next review date. Be involved in the process and closely monitor the progress to avoid miscommunication. Set a flexible timeline and ensure that both projects are moving steadily.
› Be prepared:
Pay on time to ensure that there is no delay from your side. Understand that some details are going to change based on implementation decisions. Accommodate for unexpected issues and have a working relationship between the companies and yourself to handle post-launch issues.
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