In this DNA, everyone wants to have a professional-looking website, which can keep their visitors glued up with it. But there is more to it when you hire a web design agency.
With my experience I can say that there are many problems which you may face when you outsource web design companies to do this work.
Of course web designing is not a DIY work, if you want to give your website a professional touch. But you need to be aware of some common problems which you may face during website development.
I put my efforts to find out all such problems which most of the business persons’ face and have addressed those problems to get a satisfactory smile on customers’ face.
So, what are the main problems? Let’s take a deep dive to know that.
Most Common Problems Working With Web Design Companies
- They Don’t Set Clear Expectations
- They Never Share the Prices Upfront
- They Never focus on after-sales service
- They Have No Clue About SEO
- They Rush To Start Your Project
- They Think about Quick Template Design Only
- Their Content Writing Skills Are Questionable
- They Hide Customer Server Data
- They Try To Lock You For Annual Marketing Deal
- They use jargons
1. Companies never set clear expectations
Client expectations are directly proportional to client satisfaction and project success. One of the challenges among web design companies is to ensure that everyone, especially the client is satisfied with the final outcome and this decides the final outcome. Unfortunately many companies miss their preparatory step which is setting up of project deliverables which down the road leads to complications.They usually rush to sell their service or packages and never give importance to understanding the clients’ business.
How we handle this
We play smartly. This means we understand the vision, mission of the clients’ business. We ensure that clients have realistic expectations regarding website design and final output.
We discuss project deliverables with clients; understand their expectations regarding the timeline and budget. This keeps everyone on the same page. Clarification of all such factors is crucial for customers’ satisfaction.
Such setting up of expectations ensures that our team members and client have the same common goal. This avoids confusion. Also, if we are not on the same page with you, we will never force you to work with us.
We know the time taken to complete a website, and let you know in advance to avoid any future conflicts.
2. Companies never share prices upfront
This is frustrating for many website visitors. Many web designing companies never disclose the price on their website itself. As they expect clients to call them for a quotation or fill the online form for it. This is a frustrating task for many clients. Each client has a budget for website designing. It will be a tedious task for a client to fill the form of several web designing companies, discuss their requirements multiple times and get the price.
It’s true that every company has its own customized need for web design. But they expect some range of price from the web design companies to get an idea. For instance, if you do web designing in $ 1k- $4k and if any client doesn’t have that much budget, he will never waste his time contacting you.
How we handle this
We have mentioned a price range on our website. We know that our website designing range will never be beyond $5000, whatsoever is the customized requirement of the client. Hence we have mentioned a range of $2k-$5k on our website to give an approximate idea to the visitors. There might be some rare occasions when the price limit will exceed the one we mentioned, but at least this range will keep the visitors informed about the figures we will quote.
We have created many blogs regarding our ecommerce website price and what will be included in that price. I often give a price range for web development services on all my offer pages.
We want our customers to compare our pricing and services with our competitors and choose the one which is best for them. We want them to know our entire web designing process right from start till end and make their own decision.
If you are considering making a company or a business website, check out this blog that explains the website design cost for a business website.
3. Companies never focus on after sales-service
This is the sad part of the service. It is obvious for clients to have some doubts when the website becomes live. They expect their outsourced web design companies to help them in such situations. But unfortunately many web design companies leave the clients on their own once the work is done. They may charge extra for any support over email or phone call. As these companies never set clear expectations with the customers in the beginning and never undergo formal written agreement.
An example here, one of my clients had paid for an annual maintenance to a web development company. It took them 2 months to get hold of the person to resolve a contact form bug reported by the user. Can you believe this?
How we handle this
We never leave our clients’ hands after the website is live. Instead we understand that there may be odd technical questions which you may want to ask. We always feel happy to address all such questions.
We also have our own maintenance package which clients can avail. But that is completely optional. Even if clients are not interested in our AMC, we still go that extra mile to help them without charging. As for us, money is not everything, there is more to life!
We also send videos to clients showing how to update their website without taking any help from professionals.
4. Companies don’t know about SEO
We can call Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as the backbone for the success of the website. Your website content is not the only thing which should be SEO optimized, but also your website design should be SEO friendly. But this is the point which most of the designers forgot. They put all their efforts in making the website attractive and creative and leave the SEO part. But without proper SEO optimization your website can never attract search engines and thus even if you have a well-built website, no one can see it.
How we handle this
We have a team of web designers who are well-versed with the SEO knowledge. We take time in web designing, as we think about the website content, layout, technical SEO, menu structure, page speed and much more. Even after considering all such SEO factors, we still design aesthetically appealing websites, which not only attract visitors but also the search engines.
5. Companies rush to start the project
There are companies who are more interested in starting the project instead of understanding the complete requirements of clients. It’s truly understandable that meeting the timeline is important, but that doesn’t mean that web developers cut corners in project lifecycle and processes. Cutting corners like never reviewing the code should be avoided.
How we handle this
We give time to the discovery phase. This implies we explore clients’ requirements, do appropriate research and plan accordingly. We dedicate our first week for discovery calls, to gather client’s information, and complete the research part. In the second week we define the development path, prepare a project outline and send it for client approval. In the third week, we start working on the web designing part and complete it in the timeline which we have given to the client.
We understand clients’ requirement of tight deadlines. But our team plans, builds and does quality review before delivering the website to clients. We never believe in cutting corners and skipping code reviews to meet the deadline. We let our customers know the delivery time of a project well in advance to keep them informed right from the project beginning.
6. Companies look for quick template design
There are companies who directly jump to templates without understanding the business type of clients. With so many creative templates available it is obvious to fall in trap of beautiful themes rather than a practical one which can suit the business needs of clients. For instance, in the case of an e-commerce client, a personal blog template will not work no matter how pleasing and attractive it is.
Also in many scenarios companies use templates with bloated code and scripts which are never reviewed and updated. Such templates are an easy prey for malware and thus making your website more vulnerable to it.
How we handle this
We take a deep dive to understand the features of a client website, before choosing a template. What do you intend to do on your website? For whom it is made? The kind of experience you want your customers to get on the website? Getting answers to all such things makes the selection of website templates easier and straightforward.
As per the budget we can offer you custom or semi theme based designs. Also, we ensure to give different look and feel to the websites of different clients, even if they have the same business. Well! This is our USP. We know which color will be suitable for your business website because of our vast experience in designing.
7. Many companies content writing skills are questionable
Content is an art, but there are many web designing companies whose main focus is only on designing, and content writing is not their cup of tea. Keyword stuffing, repeating the same word repeatedly, writing without knowing the target audience, and not proofreading are some of the common mistakes which many companies do and this hamper the overall ranking of the website.
How we handle this
Along with the designing part, we do have some excellent content writers in the team, who do proper research work, understand the taste of the audience, include keywords in the sentences without disturbing its flow, and avoid repetition of words.
Our first work is to decide the menu structure of your website, and write content as per the design. We believe in a content-driven approach. For many companies content may be the last step, but for us it is the beginning of the journey.
8. Companies hide customer server data
This is the common problem which many clients face while outsourcing any web design company. Customers always look for transparency and getting information about server data is the thing which they should know.
Many companies are not willing to share hosting server data/credential and often end up losing clients due to poor customer service. I got a client who switched vendors because they were unwilling to share hosting data without a premium fee.
How we handle this
We believe in transparency, and hence we let the customers know about their server data, to enhance their satisfaction level.
We handhold our customers in buying their own web server. So, they have clarity from the onset and not rely on web design companies to gather data.
9.Companies try to lock customer for annual marketing deal
Companies always want to retain customers, or customers who remain with them for at least a year. To achieve this many companies try to convince customers for annual marketing deals. Once done, they get assured that the client can’t go anywhere now. This is not the correct way which ultimately results in clients’ disappointment.
How we handle this
We give an option of annual packages to clients, but never force them to opt for it. Instead we believe in delivering amazing customer service, providing value to the customers’ business, and addressing the pain points of the clients. We let the customers know about the factors which are currently lacking in their website, and how our designs can overcome them.
We want our customers to add in our fan list, as most of our customers love to speak about our brand with other clients. So, it’s not always about a year-long contract to retain customers. But our focus is on improving, listening to customers and becoming a company which customers would like to recommend to others.
10. Most companies use jargons
Website designing involves usages of many technical jargons; some of them are not understandable for common people. They may end up using these jargon in their websites like CSS, HTML, PhP etc. Clients that are looking for website designing companies may get confused with all such jargon.
How we handle this
We know that clients only look for conversion-driven websites, which can draw more traffic for them. They don’t worry about technicalities required to build such websites and just look for leads and sales.
We know that clients’ websites may seem complex to us. But we strive not to make it complicated for clients. We avoid usage of fancy jargons and instead speak about the project with the client.
Final Words About Hiring A Web Design Company
So, are you looking for web design companies for your website? Well! The above 10 common mistakes are not applicable for all companies. There are companies who take care of customers’ needs and design websites to meet their satisfaction level. But yes, while availing any web designing services, you must check the reputation of the outsourced company.
The aim of this blog is to let you know about the problems working with web design companies. Do research about the outsourced company and get the right match for you.
If you have read this far, I am sure you can resonate with the above reasons and will be cautious when hiring a web design agency for your next project.
