Should I go for the red Ferrari? Or the black?

These are options worth racking your brains for, don’t you think?

It is a criminal waste of time if you are contemplating the right agency to take your business online. But it is also important that you follow a little protocol before you end up hiring a website development agency.

What is this protocol, you ask?

Well, it is nothing more than a list of 8 simple steps that you must follow before deciding on an agency.

Step 1- Know your requirements

It is always good to know your main goal of developing a website before approaching an agency or vice versa.

To get a better idea of ​​this goal, develop a list of things you would like from your website. The agency will bombard you with questions that you need to prepare yourself for with answers. For example, do you plan to sell individual products or services in an eCommerce format? Would you like a payment gateway integrated into your website? Do you want a dynamic or static website? Are you interested in ROI, converting sales, or building and maintaining a customer base? Or do you just want to launch and raise awareness for your business?

The answers to these questions are also answers to comprehensive questions related to your business. For example, how will your business progress as a website? When do you think you will have logistics to support an online ordering system? Therefore, it is important that you do your homework before the agency puts you in a situation.

Step 2- Know your cost vs. the value of your product or service

Website creation costs may differ from agency to agency. Therefore, it is better to know what could be the deciding factor for both you and the agency.

Make sure you get what you pay for. If you start cutting costs solely to save a thousand or two thousand dollars, you may not be able to get as much value in the long run. Especially, when it comes to delivering results or planning as per your requirements.

This is not to say that you should give in to all of the agency’s demands, but be prudent and consider the efforts made by both parties.

The best way to make this decision is to look at past investments made in marketing and development, add that investment made over five years, and compare it to the cost you’ll incur with this agency. Simple math, right?

Step 3- Identify a strong track record

In this step, you do some research on the agency you hope to work with. It is not always true that only the big agencies are the best, the smaller and newer agencies also have some innovative ideas that could prove beneficial to your business.

Ask the agency to provide you with performance data, client testimonials, and case studies, or demonstrate their approach to problems and measurement tools. Trust us, the agency will be bound if they want to work with you.

Step 4- Exchange communication skills and learn

Today, it’s hard to keep up with changing technologies and technical formats. It is the agency’s job to update it with the latest technologies and use them in the development of its website. But it is also important that you read about them in brief, if not in detail.

Ask the agency about their process, their methodologies, the technology they use, and why they are making certain recommendations or decisions. It is your responsibility to make sure you know exactly what you are getting yourself into. It is true that you need to do your research, but you also need to be knowledgeable about your investment.

Step 5- Pay attention to the content

If your agency is just beautifying your website, then you are probably in the wrong place working with the wrong team. Content is key to ensuring your website drives the results you want. The agency you choose needs to ask the right questions about your audience, your business process, and your industry.

The agency you choose must understand the importance of content. They need to realize that they are creating a framework for your business content. They need to know how your website visitors absorb and respond to your content. Content is all a business needs to build a foundation online. Image, video and everything else copy is just as important as the main content that explains your business. They should talk to their marketing team and client managers to find out the wavelength they share with their clients.

Step 6 – Know what you want to achieve and be realistic

In this step, you should invest some time to know your goal and expectation of your website. Create timelines for your growth.

Think of ways that will help your business grow, as well as be first on Google and drive traffic.

Some goals that you can mark for the first semester plan.

• Generate more leads

• Increase online sales

• Create awareness about the product or service

• Be in touch with the requirements of your customers

Ask your agency about the tools and services they provide to measure the traffic they generate for your website. Make sure the agency understands your sales process so they can help you design efficient plans to upsell from your website.

Step 7 – Know your strategy

An agency will provide you with a clear and concise web strategy. But is that enough? It is important that the strategy they provide gives your business a strong sense of authority, relevance, and trust. You’ll know you have a solid strategy when you can measure its success. When you can measure your success, you can make the right business decisions based on real data.

Ask your agency about their approach in detail. The statement should outline the expected results and the timeframe in which they will be achieved.

Step 8- Maintain the quality of your investment

After launching your website, a good website development agency will maintain a good relationship to ensure that you feel comfortable using and maximizing your website. Depending on your website, the agency will help you upload, maintain and publish content and images. A good agency will support you with analytics data to ensure your website profits are always maximized.

Ask your agency what their relationships with other companies are like. How are you helping other customers? Is there a maintenance or service plan that you can subscribe to for your website?

Conclution

In most cases, you will get what you paid for. But it is also important that you are well prepared, so that you make the right decision. With these eight easy steps, we assure you that you will never find yourself in a situation where you will regret your decision. A little homework, clarity of thought, and collaboration is all it takes to get a custom, value-based website up and running for your business. Design and development together create the backbone of your brand’s digital presence, and content simply makes it all come together. All 3 are equally important to the success of your brand.