Stacy Franklin, the Founder of Kanso, came to work with me after choosing a website design company that wasn’t right for her.
This is something that can happen when a business owner is starting out. They have lots of decisions to make and sometimes the outcomes don’t always go their way.
If you are at the point in your business where you are choosing a website designer to work with, Stacy’s testimonial and this post will help you make the right decision for you.
Choosing the right website design company helps you avoid an expensive mistake
Hiring a website design company is expensive.
And typically you have to hand over a non-refundable deposit of some sort to start the project. The deposit could be anywhere from 20-50% of the project total.
So before you sign a project contract and pay a website deposit, you want to know you are making the right decision. If you end up changing your mind later and not being able to get your deposit back, it could be really bad for the momentum of your business.
Unfortunately for Stacy, it wasn’t until she had started the project with the initial company she chose that she realised there were some things beyond website functions that were really important to her including project management and communication style.
Every website design company approaches things differently so it’s hard to know how things are going to be set up within a project, but Stacy didn’t let it stop her.
When things just didn’t feel right she flagged it with them and amicably stopped the project as she didn’t want to become a nightmare client for them as well as not being happy with how the project was managed.
She had connected with me before, so she got back in touch and we started her project together with a clear plan of action and aligned communication styles.
What a website design company should deliver beyond the basics
For me, as well as the design and function of the websites I create for my clients, the project management, communication and general customer service are really important to producing a successful outcome.
If the relationship I build with my clients and the attention I pay to them during a project doesn’t make them feel heard and considered, the project isn’t going to reach its full potential.
These are the things I put in place during every website design project to ensure my clients and I have a positive and collaborative relationship:
Asana Timeline for project management:
I create an Asana timeline for each project with all the project stages clearly broken down.
This will make sure we can both stay on track with deadlines within the project and we know what is coming so we know what to prepare next.
Also I think it’s important that the client can see what I’m working on during periods where there may be less communication, like when I start developing the website online.
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Clearly state what the client has to provide:
Getting your website (and your branding) designed is a big job but it can never just come out of nowhere.
The business owner themselves needs to provide the following
- A brief for the design of the website
- Copy for each page of the website
- Photos to use on the website
- What the goal of the website is
I make sure my clients know what they need to provide to me and when, so we can avoid delays and get the best out of the project.
Live calls for each round of design:
I make sure I show each round of design on a live call rather than sending a video of me talking through the design or a website prototype link with no context.
Without the live element of a call I think designers lose that really important gut instinct response from a client. This is really important feedback.
If the client seems unsure about some design decisions straight away I think it’s good to witness that so you can pick up on it and get to their true feelings so you can incorporate it into the next round of design.
If a designer is just emailing you a link each time it just becomes another task on your to-do list rather than a true collaborative and exciting experience that can produce incredible results for your business.
The incredible results that come from my website design process:
And by incredible results, I’m talking about things like doubling your revenue like my client Fiona did. Fiona loved the process of really getting to tease through the design decisions so she could be sure the end result would encapsulate all her brilliance and showcase it to the right people.
And lo and behold, it did exactly that. Check out Fiona’s story in full here.
The real reason people choose the wrong website design company
Sometimes business owners are sold a certain idea of what will make them successful, even though it might not be right for them.
And sometimes with all the best intentions and research in the world business owners can still end up making the wrong choice. That’s just life. In business, if you are brave enough to face them, you will always learn from your mistakes. So it’s not all bad.
But when it comes to choosing a website design company, the biggest mistake I see people make is hiring a company based on budget alone.
Obviously starting your own business is a huge investment and money can be tight at the beginning, but ask yourself why a company can provide a service so much cheaper than another.
More often than not the cheaper company has stripped out any time for their clients’ to be heard and give feedback.
The project management will be non-existent as they try and get your website out the door as quickly as possible, no matter what. And they have to, if they want their cheaply priced offer to be profitable.
So if you’re seeing some really cheap web design offers out there:
- Beware of hidden prices
- Look closely at the quality of their work
- Ask about the project management and feedback process
- Ask for some client results. Have any of their clients made their money back with the website they created?
Everybody wants great results from a website they spent good money on, but like I said that doesn’t come out of nowhere. Make sure you work with a web designer who has a clear process, listens to your feedback and has gotten real results for their clients, not just a cheap price tag.
What a great website design company experience feels like
When you choose the right website design company for you, everything will just click.
You will align on design style, communication style and a real sense that your designer wants you to succeed.
Stacy’s company, Kanso, attracts the attention of big global companies because of the brand and website that back up her brilliance.
Fiona said in a LinkedIn post recently that:
“Projects just go better—and feel way less like a “task”—when you find someone who speaks your language and you actually enjoy working with…I’m thrilled with both the overall brand and the website we created. They bring me so much joy and, as it turns out, new clients!”
If you feel like I could be the right website designer for you, book a call with me and let’s chat all about your goals and vision for your business.
