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Shkalix is a talented group of web designers, developers, user experience researchers, and project specialists that share a devotion toward pioneering intelligent digital solutions. We’ve re-engineered the web design industry to efficiently Solve some of the most challenging issues that businesses face everyday. Our user centric websites are designed to connect and clearly communicate with your target audience. We take pride in our work to create a better user experience. Contact our Chicago Web Design team to explore how you can start getting better results.
When it comes to web designers in Chicago, there are hundreds upon hundreds of options to choose from. But how do you find the best web designer for your company? Is there a winning formula when selecting a digital agency that can cater to your project requirements? Many web companies may claim that they have the best service and deliver the best results or that they have a truly unique approach, but are they?
Here are the pertinent questions to ask when hiring a Chicago web design company:
Hiring an experienced design company to design your next website should have extensive experience developing and designing sites for at least five years. Extensive experience proves that the web design companies in Chicago can handle virtually any project that clients throw at them. One of the biggest challenges for new website companies it's creating website outside of their comfort zone. This means if you are trying to have a fully custom website with custom features, they may not have enough experience to finish the job, and may even abandon the project altogether. Always ask how long they have been in business, what type of projects they've been working on, as well as the evolution of the company, and how it has grown over the years. This is a great litmus test to see whether or not they will be capable of building you a website that would help your company grow. Also, ask them about client retention. Client retention is a great way to assess the quality of work as building an effective website is one of the best marketing tools for your business. If the web agency consistently produces winning web pages, rest assured that their clients will keep coming back to them whenever they need their web presence updated.
Select a company that has a diverse portfolio and various technologies that they have used in the past. Ask them how many projects have they worked in the last few years as well as how many different Industries do they have experience in. It is better to select a web design company that operates in many different niches versus one that only works with a specific group of clients. Specialization in web design may sound like a good idea at first, but what ends up happening is all the websites they develop look very similar if not the same. This may hurt your brand image as well as make your company blend in, further reducing your branding identity. A proper website needs to be designed with the latest techniques and technologies that cater directly to your audience and customers to see a positive return on investment. Your website should be one of the most important marketing assets your business has. Your website should be the employee of the month, every month.
Niche website design firms who only focus on one type of business rarely produce great results since they are so deep into the niche that they ignore external factors that separate your business from mediocre results to extraordinary design results. The advantages of hiring a multidisciplinary web design and development company are that they select elements that work in other niches and combine them with contemporary designs to give your brand a fresh and innovative approach to your online presence.
Having a local web design firm has many advantages. It will save on travel if in-person meetings are necessary, as well as make it much easier to communicate with the team when the team is in the same time zone. There's nothing wrong with having national clients, but be suspicious if most of the clients are national, and none of them are local. Most reputable design and development agencies have a healthy mix of local and national clients. Example question to ask: are most of your web clients located in Chicago?
It is preferable to select web designers who work in house rather than outsourced to deliver better quality results. Outsourcing often leads to miscommunication, missed deadlines, as well as lack of quality since the reason most companies outsourced to freelancers or students to save a few dollars in labor costs. If you want your project to be done right, look for a full-service digital agency rather than a freelance option. For example, all of our web designers and developers are in-house, which gives us ultimate control over the quality, security, and deliverables. We strive to create an environment that helps produce winning web design and development projects. Make sure that the team is multidisciplinary, where they employ web designers, web developers, and graphic designers all under one roof to prevent any outsourcing of certain parts of the project. Outsourcing is one of the biggest reasons for a delayed project.
Professional web design companies use project management tools when working on any project. When building out a website, communication can get lost very quickly via email. It is important that your web design and development agency uses the latest project management system to keep track of all progress and communications between you and the design firm. When building out a small five-page website, email communication can be sufficient. But if you are building out anything a little bit more complicated that's more than ten pages, a project management system is a must. If the web development team does not use a project management system, it is reasonably confident that they either lack experience or have never taken on a large project where email communication would not suffice. This one question can be an excellent litmus test to see whether your developers can handle complex projects. It doesn't matter if they use an off-the-shelf project management system such as Basecamp or a proprietary system that is built by the web design agency as long as the software does the job.
Different solutions will require different technologies based on the requirements. For some websites, the WordPress CMS (Content Management System) may be a perfect fit. WordPress has excellent SEO functionality, very flexible, and built for businesses that would like to update the content themselves. For other projects, WordPress may not be a perfect fit. Each different technology has its pros and cons, specializing in serving a purpose for which it was built. It is up to your web team to come up with the tactics and strategy to see which technology would best suit your application in an affordable and cost-effective way.
Hosting also plays a significant role; your web design team should know which hosting is best for your application to deliver a fast and secure web page viewing experience for your clients. Every modern website should have a content delivery network, also known as CDN, designed to have your site closer to your website visitor area. Many CDNs are global so that if anyone visits your website from any part of the world, your website will load quickly and adequately with minimal delay. Always hire an expert that is focused on leveraging technology designed for the growth of your website. Each aspect of web development needs to utilize a data driven approach, especially when offering eCommerce solutions as this industry is thriving on data.
Having a mobile responsive website is very important. Most of today's media is consumed on a mobile device using 4G internet. Even if you have a sophisticated B2B service or product, the initial steps that your prospect may be taking to research your company are done via a mobile device. Every website that we built is mobile responsive that will look beautiful on virtually any device. Each mobile web site needs an exceptional UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) no matter how they access your site. Providing responsive web pages for your customers will greatly boost the number of visitors. Better UX equals happier visitors.
This question Is very important to ask: which marketing features will be built into the website? For example, if your website serves a purpose for lead generation, it is essential to have the proper digital Integrations. Integrating your website with a CRM can make your business run smoother without the need for double entry. Other marketing Integrations may include email autoresponders or landing pages for the different products and or services that you offer. When creating a new website, SEO is often a significant feature that is frequently overlooked when web pages are developed. All websites that we build include SEO software that helps optimize your content to make it easier for search engines to find your web page online.
Can your business be found online when searching for your product and or service? (an example would be something like "web design companies in Chicago IL" ) . Make sure that your web site, when built, will have a multi-channel approach where your target consumers are analyzed, and proper optimization takes place to boost conversion and generate more sales.
Bonus Tip: Be cautious when the web design company talks a lot about their awards. Over the years, a ton of companies popped up that started giving awards to website design development companies. The reason for this is that these award companies are making a ton of money by sponsoring listings with a pay-to-play placement. There are many sites out there that say the top 10 best web design agencies in Chicago or something similar to that. This means absolutely nothing. If awards are the biggest thing that your web design company is talking about, that should be a red flag. Look for companies who express genuine interest in trying to help your business grow and complete your objectives and goals with a professional solution. Many web companies use these awards as marketing tactics and solely for that purpose alone and not for a benchmark on the quality of results. Remember, these awards are just a list. Whenever you have a funny feeling about a web company that has a lot of awards, just trust your gut.
Are you looking to get a price for your project or discuss options? Get a free quote today - Call us at (773) 217-9321 - We look forward to hearing from you! Shkalix - serving the windy city since 2010.
