Updated: October 26, 2024
It’s crucial to find the right Ontario web design company if you want an online presence that sees significant success. As essential as marketing channels like social media are, any business seeking authority and legitimacy in the face of stiff competition should have a website. It does not matter if you are a small business, entrepreneur, start-up, non-profit, or a contractor, your website is the headquarters around which your online brand is built.
If you’re looking to find the right web design service in Ontario, here are the guidelines to use.
4 Reasons To Hire A Web Designer In Ontario
Before we start, if you are wondering why hire a web design company to build your website, here are four reasons you may want to.
- You don’t have the time to build your own website.
- You don’t have experience building a website and want it done right.
- You want the expertise of how to drive leads and conversions on a website to deliver real results.
- You want a website that stands out from the competition.
Define What You Need For A Website
Before you chase down a web design company to build a website for you, define what you want from a website.
This is an opportunity to set goals and also identify what style of website you want, i.e. eCommerce, a small business site, a blog, etc. You may want specific features included on your site. You may not want a new site, either. You can hire a web design company to redo an existing site or merge elements of certain websites into a single site. Know this.
Sit Down With Your Web Design Service
No one knows your business like you do. Every business is a little bit different from the next. A website design company should be willing to sit down with you or have a phone conversation to discuss your business goals and vision.
Ask About Their Technical Expertise
You may need specific features for your website. Ask your web designer how they can provide said features. If you have a technical background, don’t hesitate to ask about what coding languages they may use, what CMS platforms they prefer, what their approach to SEO is, and if they can scale your website long-term as your business grows.
Verify Their Knowledge Of The Local Market Or Industry
A web design company in Ontario should have knowledge of your target market. They should understand consumer behaviours, industry standards and trends, and have familiarity with the local markets you’re seeking to reach.
Compare Pricing Models And Web Design Packages
Every web design service may work a little differently. Some offer fixed pricing while others have an hourly rate. Request a breakdown of what’s included in a web design package. Especially when comparing between companies, you will find different things included in packages that can make judging cost challenging. Inquire about the costs if you require extra features or revisions.
They Have The Time And Schedule To Do The Work
Even though some web design companies have excellent service, if they are too busy for you, it’ll show. No business wants their website rushed. It takes time to finalize a design, create it, and launch a website. Talk to any web designer you are considering hiring about their schedule and how they intend to allocate resources to your project.
Receptive To Your Ideas And Are Willing To Collaborate
As you present your ideas to a web design company, see how they respond. If they aren’t really listening or are suggesting things that do not align with your business or target audience, they aren’t the right choice. A web designer should be willing to listen to ideas, enhance what they hear, and collaborate on them.
They Are Organized And Can Provide A Plan To Move Forward
A great web design company should have a clear documented process towards crafting a website for you. If they are organized to the degree that they can submit to you a rundown on each stage of development, when to expect completion, and laying out everything they intend to deliver and do, this is a positive sign that they will indeed deliver on the expectations laid out.
Request A Website Audit To Identify Weaknesses
If you already have a website, you may want to ask a web design company to conduct an audit or provide advice on how your existing design can be improved. Some of the things an Ontario web designer may look at are how well a website is performing in relation to the owner’s intended goals, what its Google search rankings are, how well a website is generating leads, and its conversion rate.
Ensure A Web Design Service Understands Your Audience
The design of a website should target the audience rather than the site owner. After all, if you want to maximize your leads, revenues, and success, it’s about finding out what your target audience wants and serving it to them.
Choose Custom Web Design Over Premade Templates
A custom website is tailored to your unique needs and is not built on a premade template. A comprehensive website may or may not include different forms of content, a variety of multimedia components, and unique digital applications. A web designer should be able to customize a web design solution for you and your audience based on what you need and not what templates they have available.
Able To Provide You With A Content Management System (CMS)
Most business owners want control over their websites in the sense of being able to post blogs, edit content, and make basic changes to service or product pages. A CMS, or content management system, should be something your web designer provides. Long after the website launches, a CMS means you can self-manage without having to involve a web designer for basic content posting and similar tasks.
Long-Term Support And Maintenance
A company that can offer you long-term web design support and maintenance is incredibly advantageous. A website, once completed, will require security updates, occasional maintenance, updates, and/or you may have a technical issue you need resolved. Ensure the web design company you hire will be available to help and provide the support you rightfully deserve.
Proven Track Record Of Helping Businesses Like Yours
Search for an Ontario web design company with experience helping organizations like yours and that have a track record of success. They should be able to demonstrate a history of effective lead generation, increasing sales, building mobile responsive sites that specifically target smartphone users, and optimizing all aspects of site design to search engines.
Review Their Web Design Portfolio
Most web design companies offer portfolios of past websites they have worked on. Through these, you can see how well a company can back up its claims. Remember – a website should not only be nice on the eyes but functional as well.
Read Customer Reviews And Testimonials
Survey a web design company’s online presence. Look at their reviews on social media and Google. This is a way to know if past clients were happy with their work. Ensure these testimonials and reviews are not posted directly on a web design company’s website.
Local And National Experience With Top Brands
A skilled and experienced Ontario web designer should not only have experience with local businesses but also those that appeal to a national audience. When you target larger success on a national or international level, you want a website design that’s going to be able to compete. This is the level you want any web design company you hire.
Web Design With Experience In Marketing
Most web design agencies go beyond website design, development, and management. It doesn’t hurt to also have a web design company that knows its marketing. Some of the areas where you want expertise is in local SEO marketing, long-term organic search engine optimization strategies, and attractive CTA-driven content.
They Are Highly Skilled In SEO
An SEO-friendly website utilizing best practices in search engine optimization and quality keyword research is a must. SEO impacts not only how you are viewed on search engines but social media as well. It’s all-around better, more intuitive design and sets you up to maximize the amount of leads you attract.
They Can Attract Leads And Conversions
A website can squander leads if it’s not prioritizing conversions equal to lead generation. Everything on-site must be geared towards conversions, from the design layout to navigation patterns, colours, and how call-to-actions are used.
Prioritizing A Mobile Responsive Web Design
Mobile is where the majority of a website’s users will come from. In this regard, web design should maintain a mobile-first approach. That is to design a website for mobile rather than desktop. If your designer is not capable of enabling a mobile responsive design, find a web design service who can.
See Your Web Design Success In The Numbers
Web design is all about generating results. If your website design strategy is not maximizing results and giving you the kind of digital presence you want, make a change. Sometimes, designs and web design strategies have to pivot. A web design company that’s truly done their job will see it reflected in the results and the numbers.