So you are looking to create your own website to strengthen your online presence and boost your business. That’s a great step. But with so many easy-to-use, “no-coding skills needed” website builders out there, does it still make sense to hire a website design agency?
If you are just a small company that doesn’t have a big budget for web design and development, it can be tempting to take the DIY route.
After all, many website builders promise that they are easy to use and that you can create your own website within a day. There are also so many YouTube tutorials with step-by-step instructions on how to build your website. And you can do it for a much lower price than hiring a web design agency.
While it is true that you can create your functioning website with these website platforms, there is more to building a successful website than just choosing your domain name, uploading content into your website, and crossing your fingers hoping for the best.
Top Reasons to Hire a Web Design Agency
A Cookie-Cutter Website Just Won’t Cut it
Website builders feature both free and premium themes or templates that you can use for your website. Most of them are not at all bad, however, your website can end up looking generic.
A custom, professionally designed website that reflects your brand personality and appeals to your target audience is your best bet to stand out from the crowd.
Save on Time and Effort
Figuring out what works best for your website takes time and effort. Apart from knowing how to use a content management system, you should also keep up with web design, Search Engine Optimisation, digital marketing, content production and management, and so on. Technology is changing all the time these days so this is something that will require commitment.
It is good if someone from your organisation can learn about these things. But it can take a while to learn and will involve a lot of trial and error. In the meantime, your website will not be able to maximise its full potential.
A web design agency can take the guesswork out of web design and development. Professional web designers can complete the job for you more efficiently and you will have more time to focus on other aspects of running your business.
Get the Results you Want
Partnering with a web design agency will give you access to web designers, website developers, SEO specialists, and digital marketers all under one roof. With their extensive knowledge and experience, you can have a website that has the following features to deliver you results.
Stunning Web Design that Reflects your Brand
Your website is the face of your company online. You need to have a great first impression to get your visitor to stay on your website.
Amateur web designers might make the mistake of incorporating a lot of design elements in an attempt to make your website visually appealing. But experienced designers know that keeping things simple and streamlined is better for your website.
Also, the look and feel of your website must reflect the image of your brand. A full-service web design agency will work closely with you to ensure that the design of your website meets this criterion.
Fast Loading Time
Slow page loading time can drive away your potential customers. Studies show that one in four people will abandon a website if it takes more than four seconds to load.
Expert web designers and developers use best practices like reducing redirects, using content delivery networks, optimising images for the web and other techniques to improve the page load time. These sort of things require high level technical skills.
Optimised for Search Engines
SEO helps your website rank higher on the search engine results page so that it can be found by your target audience.
Many factors come into play in how your website will rank on the results page. Most people would be familiar with creating high-quality content and using relevant keywords to improve their website rankings. Aside from this, web design can also affect how search engines find and rank your site.
Web designers follow these practices to optimise the website for search engines.
- Avoid flash in the website
- Make the website mobile friendly
- Ensure readability of your website
- Use descriptive and logical file names for images so that can be read by search engines
- Use the right size of images to so they are optimised to help improve the loading speed
- Create an easy to use navigation
- Use descriptive URLs to help search engines and people to understand your pages
When you hire a web design agency, you can have the SEO specialist and the web designer collaborate in the early stage of your web design project. This will help the web designer create an SEO-friendly site architecture.
Mobile-Friendly and Responsive Web Design
More than half of web traffic comes from mobile devices. That is why your website needs to be mobile-friendly and responsive to give the best user experience to your potential customers. Mobile-friendly and responsive web design also boosts your SEO.
Web design agencies know the techniques and follow best practices to make your website mobile-friendly and responsive.
Enhanced User Experience
A positive user experience will help build your brand’s credibility and lead to more conversions. Professional web designers ensure that your website is designed to provide an enhanced user experience to your potential customers.
How About Freelancers?
Although there are many freelance web designers and developers out there who can deliver quality work, there are some cons to hiring them to build your website.
Freelancers tend to focus on their niche while web design agencies have the complete package. You can benefit from a collaborative work environment from a website design agency. Your project will be seen from different angles so you can expect a better design for your website.
Also, web design companies can devote more time and attention to your project because they have more manpower and can assign dedicated teams just for you, unlike freelancers who often times work individually and when they move onto another project, your project becomes a lower priority.
Partnering With a Web Design Agency is Worth It
Hiring a web design agency may cost more upfront than going the DIY route or hiring freelancers to build or redesign a website for you. But it is a worthwhile investment.
A poorly designed website will not get you the results that you want. Your website may also experience technical issues in the long run.
You’ll eventually need to hire someone to fix the issues that will crop up later. So why not do it right the first time? You will save time, effort, and resources if you partner with a web design company from the start.
Choosing the Best Website Design Agency
The right web design company can help you create a website that brings you results. But how do you find the right one? Here are some things you can do.
- Research web design agencies on the web and check their track record. Find out how long they have been in the business. Check what services they offer. Search for reviews and testimonials and see their online portfolio. Look also into the company culture.
- Make a shortlist of web design agencies based on your research.
- Meet with the agency to discuss the whole process. The web design agency should be able to give you clear and detailed information about their process and answer any questions you may have. They should also quickly understand your company and talk about your particular goals and ideas for the project. Ultimately you should feel confident they are the right partner for your project.
Web Design Agency in Brisbane
Mettro are a proudly Queensland, independently owned and operated digital agency that has been delivering award-winning website design & development and digital marketing for over 20 years. We are dedicated to solving our client’s business problems with smart, simple digital solutions and have the testimonials to prove it.
We’ve built thousands of digital solutions including apps, eCommerce websites, custom software, eLearning applications, WordPress websites and Shopify Websites. Our website design team is second-to-none with a focus on real user experience and creative interface designs, and our website development team delivers quality online customer experiences and measurable benefits to our clients every time. We have a talented marketing strategy and creative team, renowned for designing and producing compelling digital campaigns, effective content marketing strategies, digital marketing and results-driven SEO.
Contact us or book a one-one-one to discuss your website design project!