A team of expert web developers can bring your vision to life on the web. But there’s a lot more to successful web development than you might assume—for instance, UX experts need to ensure that responsiveness and navigation are intuitive, and QA engineers verify security standards and privacy compliance.
If these acronyms have you feeling lost, don’t sweat it. As a web development company with years of industry experience, we’ve helped countless clients build visually stunning, user-friendly, and secure websites from scratch. Not only that, but we also go the extra mile by educating our clients on every aspect of their custom web solution.
Are you interested in learning more about what to look out for in web development from a WordPress Web Design Firm? Take it from us. In this article, we’ll go over six must-know aspects of web development that you should be mindful of before getting started.
- Pinpoint Companies That Suit Your Unique Needs
Although cookie-cutter websites are becoming increasingly popular these days, the truth is that no two websites are the same. Every website has unique branding, or some aspect of its functionality is simply unlike the rest. Your task is to find what look and functionality you need and to find service providers who specialize in them.
There are web development companies to suit any type of business. Whether you need a simple website or one that is complex and interactive, there is a company out there that can help you. To find the best web development company for your needs, start by identifying what your specific needs are.
This can include anything from design to hosting and programming. Once you have a good idea of what you need, research web development companies that specialize in those services.
As a potential web development client, you need to do your homework and shop around for firms that have created websites that resemble the finished product you’re searching for. If you’re an e-commerce company, you need to find Shopify experts or web design companies that have a proven track record of e-commerce development.
The same goes for any other website functionality. Before hitting the market, first, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I need a shopping cart and checkout functionality?
- Do I need a photo or product gallery?
- Will I need both backend and frontend access to my website?
- Will web traffic emanate mostly from mobile or desktop users?
- Who is my target market?
These are all critical questions to ask oneself before getting started with custom web development. In short, steer clear of any company or agency that doesn’t have proven expertise in developing the specific kind of website you need.
- Third-Party Service Integration
Many websites need access to third-party KPIs in order to introduce payment options, allow for social media integration, track customer data, or do any number of advanced functions. However, not every service provider is well-suited for this type of web development.
We recommend contacting several service providers to find out if they have the necessary support to integrate third-party applications and plugins. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a situation where your service provider doesn’t have the tools or experience to fully realize your project.
- Content Creation Services
Your website is going to need written content, including landing page copy, service pages, product descriptions, calls to action, an “About Us” page, and possibly a blog section. These are all necessary components of a rankable, high-value website. The issue is that someone has to write all of the content that appears on your website. If you don’t have the writing chops to do it yourself, you’re going to have to hire a content writing service to do it on your behalf.
Fortunately, many web development agencies offer copywriting and content writing for an additional fee. Make sure you inquire about these services before hiring them to develop your website, or else you may find yourself on the hook for a much higher bill than you anticipated.
- A Winning Portfolio
See which websites are part of your prospective web development agency’s portfolio, and thoroughly inspect them for quality assurance. Are there visible bugs or layout issues on the screen, or does the website take several seconds to load in full? If so, you may want to rethink your relationship with this company. (At present, the median website load speed on desktop is 2.9 seconds—if you’re slower than this mark, your SEO performance is going to take a hit.)
My recommendation is to gather a list of portfolio URLs from a prospective web development company and input each of them on SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz, or any other keyword research tool you may have. See if they have a higher domain authority (DA) or domain rating (DR) score. If several of their websites have high DA or DR scores (i.e., >50), then take this as a major vote of confidence.
- Budget and Timeline Considerations
Whoever you hire to create your website is going to have to contend with two main constraints: your financial budget and your temporal budget. In other words, your economic limitations are hugely important considerations to bear in mind when searching for a web developer.
All budgetary details have to be ironed out with your web developer before you get started, and ensure that you have a price quote finalized in writing. Otherwise, you may end up with a project that costs you far more than you can afford. The same goes for deadlines. Unless you have a project delivery date codified in a contract, you could end up with a delivery long after you actually need it.
If you’ve never put together a web design contract, here’s a helpful guide containing six elements you must include in your contract. Otherwise, you might get burned by your service provider.
- Company Reputation
In today’s hyper-competitive web development market, a service provider’s reputation is paramount. Google every developer’s company name and read customer reviews on their Google account. The same goes for their social media profiles (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), as well as review aggregators and consumer protection websites like the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot. If there’s a trend of negative reviews, look elsewhere.
Do Your Homework Before You Outsource
It should go without saying that your website is one of your company’s most important assets. Whether you’re a solopreneur or a bustling enterprise, you need to make sure you invest the right amount of time and resources into your web presence. But you’re better off with no website than with one created by the wrong developer.
In this article, we’ve touched on six of the key priorities you need to keep in the back of your mind when shopping for a web development agency. Whether you’re located in the area or overseas, consider hiring Little Dragon Media, a web development company in Toronto, to create your next website from start to finish.