Planning to give your website a makeover? Or have you just launched a new business and want to get your website up and running? Are your clients complaining about slow load time, frequent error messages and boring content?

If the answer to any of those questions is Yes, that’s just the start of your journey.

So what’s the big deal about a website? Didn’t people run businesses all this while without the benefit of one?

Of course they did. But you could do that quite comfortably up to a decade ago. Today, not having a website, or worse, having a poor one can cost you clients, reputation and money.

Take a glance at the numbers:

• According to March 2021 statistics, there are more than 100 million websites currently in the US
• That’s the number of websites yours has to compete with, and we’re only talking about America
• Users on average take just about 0.05 seconds to judge your website and more than 90% of people’s initial impressions are based on the site design
• A major chunk of a site’s appeal is design-based
• Poor user experience (UX) drives 80% of customers to a competitor’s website
• If your website is mobile-enabled and has responsive design, many previously dissatisfied customers will return
• More than 80% of users expect websites to load in less than 3 seconds
• Slow loading times can lead to revenue losses of more than $2billion
• Pages with videos lead to more than 80% of users spending more time on the website
• Personalized content entices 34% of visitors to make unplanned purchases

Keeping these facts and figures in mind, it’s crucial that you hire the best web design services in Sacramento.

Finding The Best Web Design Service

If you’ve already worked with a web design service, that gives you an edge. Working with design professionals who know you and your business provides a degree of ease and comfort.

You would also be familiar with their working style, capabilities and design philosophy.

That’s a great place to start. WHY this project is important is a question to ask yourself.

You want it to:

• Generate more business and expand your customer base
• Reflect changes in your business such as expansion, mergers, acquisitions, new product lines, fresh talent, and more.
• Sync with your other marketing and automation tools, CRM
• Manage payment gateways and e-commerce functions
• Enable personalization and enrich customer engagement
• Provide your contact details

This brings us to the big question about finding the best design professional to leverage the full power of your website. You want to make it a truly eye-catching, informative, educative, original and memorable experience for visitors to engage with you and your brand.

First off, let’s look at WHERE to find the best website designer:

You can find them via recommendations from trusted friends, family members, co-workers, or your own marketing team. This is one of the best ways to hire, because it provides not just the finished product for your real-time viewing, but also gives you authentic feedback on working style, capability, skills, ethics and pricing.

Another place you can get in touch is via a tendering process if you’re keen on giving the contract to a large design company.

Google and other search engines, job portals, online chat forums, are another rich source of information.

If there’s a website you absolutely love, get in touch with the designer, even if it’s a competitor’s website.

Another aspect is WHICH kind of designer you are looking for.

There are pros and cons in hiring freelancers vs a design studio. Freelancers are a budget option and they could be easier to work with on an individual basis, if they’re able to meet deadlines and not get into cost-overruns. They also have a single point of reference and may not have an office location.

Design agencies are a safer option and they have a diverse, multidisciplinary group on board to tackle different aspects of the project.

WHAT kind of work do you need is the next question to ask yourself before hiring.

Is it a design overhaul, or completely new build? You also need to know if they’ve worked in your sector of industry/business before. This will give you a chance to view their portfolio and judge for yourself. On the other hand, some experts may feel that going with fresh talent is a better idea, because you get a bright, new perspective, unique creativity and out-of-the-box design.

The kind of after-launch support, digital marketing, content sourcing and management, analytics, SEO, promotion of the site they provide. Ask whether it’s a full-service agency and would they offer design, programming and training sessions for your team. Do they pay extra attention to UX?

A vital aspect of choosing the right designer is HOW to judge their expertise.

Take a detailed look at their own website. This should ideally be the best example of their work. It should showcase their tech expertise, design experience, skills, creativity and style. In particular, look for easy navigation, modern aesthetics, responsive design, optimal loading speed, great content, visual appeal, functionality and great UX.

Look at their body of work with an eye to getting a clear understanding of what the end product will look like. Check whether the clients match you in terms of size of business, sector, scale and/or nature of operations.

Check WHOM you’ll be working with. With large design companies, there is a clear division of responsibilities. Ensure that you know whom you will be working with, and what their capabilities are.

Finally, WHEN to launch the project is something you will have to discuss with your entire team. If it’s a design makeover, there could be downtime of your existing website or some functions may not be available. Set up a series of meetings with the design firm and be mindful of how things go.

Check if you and your team are comfortable working with this team. They should also pay attention to your ideas, concepts, goals and aspirations and your own expertise/experience as a business-owner. Remember that this project could extend over several months.