WebwingzWhen it comes to digital services (web design, seo etc.), there are high chances that you must have gone through terrifying experiences with freelancers and agencies. It could also be the other way round for agencies tolerating bad customers.
Being on both ends of the spectrum for 22 years, I have managed to put together the ultimate checklist for choosing the right web design company. This 10 min. reading will help you pick the right agency from now on, and save you from the blacklisters.
1. Observe the Cobblers shoe
You must have heard the saying “the cobbler always wears the worst shoes”. It’s an old expression that means we spend all our efforts serving others and do nothing to support the very real and apparent needs of ourselves.
Most web design agencies will ignore updating their own website. In most cases it will lack creativity and originality. Spend 30 mins reading an agency’s website, and you will know if they are right for the job. Here are a few things to observe when scanning their website.
- Is the design unique and impressive?
- Does the copy have any grammatical or spelling mistakes?
- Are the images used, looking sharp?
- Is the website adaptable on mobile? (a quick test will tell you)
2. Reference checks
Most agencies are almost always all big words. They will go to any extent to impress their prospective clients. So words like passion, best, most, greatest, unparalleled, etc. are used in abundance. One of the quickest ways to find the truth is to get a few reference checks from their past customers. Browse their past works from their portfolio and simply initiate a contact inquiry asking them their experience working with their agency.
Key questions that you want to ask are:
- Was the project completed in the quoted time frame?
- Did the budget overshoot?
- Was the communication timely?
- Was the after sales support satisfactory?
Answers to these questions will easily give you a clarity of what you could expect while working with this agency.
3. Proposal quality
According to me, this is the most important aspect when choosing the agency. Most freelancers or companies I have worked with are not clear with their quotations or proposals. They group items together under a single head, and put a single cost to the row, which makes it hard to understand its worth. As a client I would prefer to have as much clarity on the project scope (page by page), terms & conditions, and lastly the value that I am going to get for the money I am investing.
Here are a few line items to look for in a quotation:
(checkout a good quotation format here)
- Key users and their respective roles in the project
- Executive summary of the project (to ensure both parties are aware of the big picture)
- Project methodology or approach
- Page or module wise scoping
- Main sitemap with navigation
- Functional elements (enquiry form, booking form, live chat integration, ecommerce etc.)
- Hosting details (space, bandwidth, backups etc.)
- SEO scope
- No. of targetted keywords
- Sample monthly reports
- Goals & Objectives
- Regions
- Quarterly milestones
- Payment terms
- Advances
- Milestone payments
- Credit period if any
- Other terms and conditions
- In scope & out of scope items
- Third party expenses (stock imagery, subscriptions, integrations etc.)
4. Friendly & approachable
Every business is different, but all are run by humans. And most humans love to work with people who are friendly and great to talk to.
Choose an agency that consists of people with helping intentions. And who are not commercially motivated, all the time.
Quickly differentiate between sweet talkers and genuine helpers. Here are a few red flags to help you identify.
- Not picking up phone the first time (everytime)
- Delayed responses on email, txt and phone (pre quote period)
- Change of words or commitments during discussions
- Delegating tasks to team members frequently
- Mentioning costs, investments and expenses frequently
- Talking big about past clients, projects and budgets
5. Beware of over & under chargers
Last but not least, any agency that overcharges or undercharges without any clear justification, is a big NO. Logically speaking, more the experience, less is the amount of time required for the task. Hence the project should cost less.
Be cautious with agencies undercharging to desperately pick up projects. If it’s too good to be true, it could be. When the cost involved is drastically low, corners are bound to be cut. That could include hiring freshers or interns for the job, using ready-made templates, using free software tools, grabbing free images or content online, compromising security, and many invisible loopholes.
Here are a few FAQs for reference that may give you a rough idea of how much can your project cost.
Some tips when you receive a project quote:
- Check the inclusions properly
- Understand the cost breakdown
- Carefully read the terms and conditions
- Ask questions if you are unsure about the scope
- Good to know if there’s any room for negotiation. If its beyond 20%, it could be misleading
- Check for dependencies or open ended statements
Conclusion
If you ask me, I will always opt to work with an agency having good intentions than a company with good talent with not so good intensions. A good agency that lacks talent, can still learn, adapt, execute on the job and moreover keep the ball rolling.
Most businesses do not have time to go through this due diligence process every time, as there are a million agencies out there. But investing a couple hours with the help of the above checklist will save you from bitter experiences in important times through your business.
Divya
Sneha
