Custom web design can be a beautiful thing. It can also turn into a nightmare, depending on how prepared you are with content, how reliable the agency you choose is, and many other variables. However, if your website needs advanced functionality, or you have a specific design in mind, custom web design is necessary.
Whether you’ve decided custom web design is the route you’re going to take, or you’re still considering templated web design, great. We’re going to walk you through the questions you should be asking, both internally and of potential agencies, as well as outline the steps to make the process of building a custom website (or having someone build it for you) as painless as possible.
Getting your ducks in a row
If you currently have a website with relevant content, you’re at least one step ahead. If you’re creating the site from scratch, then creating content just became your most important step. When in doubt, remember the more content the better. Part of figuring out what content will go on your site is figuring out how many pages you need and what content will go where.
You have your content. Now what?
Now that you’ve decided what content you’re working with, you will have to figure out how the content will be displayed and, more importantly, how the user experience will be on your site. Depending on your industry, or your budget, you may need some advanced functionality, such as an interactive map or a customized shopping page.
Questions to ask potential agencies about your custom web-design project
- What content management systems do you work with?
This is an important question because not all content management systems (CMS) are created equal. There are many user friendly content management systems. A few of our favorites include Studio PFG (Shameless Plug), HubSpot’s COS, or even WordPress. Depending on how your current site was developed you may need to stick to a certain CMS and may want to explore agencies based on whether or not that CMS is a strength so you don’t end up being the client who bankrolls their learning curve.
- Can you show us some examples of sites you’ve done?
Also an important question. If you’re talking with an agency, or even an individual, you’ll want them to provide some sort of proof that they are capable of building a complex, beautiful, user-friendly website. Also, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to call a few references and to ask for references. A great agency should be able to easily provide you a list of delighted customers for you to talk with. You do this when hiring an employee or a contractor for a big home repair project, right? If they can’t, or won’t do this, just move on to the next one.
- What’s your design and communication process like?
Does your agency have a ux designer on staff? Will there be design sessions where you can meet with the designer, account manager, project manager, and/or developer? These are important questions to ask ahead of time because the design process is important. You, the client, should be able to relay your design ideas and requirements to the designer. This will help keep everyone on the same page, as well as an opportune time to hash out each idea while keeping the user experience in mind. Communications in these projects is paramount. Getting to know how the agency communicates ahead of time to ensure it works well with your preferences is a smart move.
- How long will the whole process take?
This can be a loaded question with a ton of variables. A successful web design project requires solid cooperation between the client and the agency. If the client has their content ready to go with clear design ideas ready, the process goes much quicker. Design changes, late content additions and the approval process are all things that can stalemate the web design process.
- Do you offer ongoing support or hosting?
This is a very important question. A custom website is a big investment. It’s important to make sure the agency, or individual has a strong suggestion for hosting and ongoing support. Some agencies provide hosting on their own servers and are managed by an in-house developer. If you’re making a big investment in your web presence, getting a little “insurance” policy and knowing what level of support and feature/benefits are included is a good thing to uncover upfront.
There are a variety of hosting options out there, but being on a dedicated server certainly provides its advantages over cheap shared-hosting servers from some of the big names in hosting, where you have thousands of websites on one server. You could be getting penalized by search engines like Google for being “in a bad Internet neighborhood” and not even know it. Another common issue/risk of being on a shared-hosting server: If one website acts up, it may cause the whole server to go down. Think of it like a team. If one player acts up, the whole team is punished.
- You’ve picked an agency, now what?
Depending on the agency you’ve chosen, they may offer other services. Whether it be an ongoing website design retainer, such as a growth driven design model, or an ongoing online marketing partnership, both options can be extremely beneficial. In fact, they also help with lead generation and customer acquisition, while giving you a competitive advantage. Re-doing your website can help move the needle but really great marketing is something that is never “finished.”
Can’t ProFromGo just do it for me?
Yes, of course we can. And we’d love to. If you’d like to learn more about our custom web-design process, feel free to get in touch to schedule a consultation or check out some of our resources. We’ll be happy to help.
