When we are not familiar with web creation, we delegate to professionals and digital agencies (or that is almost always the best option anyway). Whether we have an idea in mind or if we start from scratch, it is practically inevitable that we wonder at some point what are the best web design agencies. We’ll try to answer the question with a list of good practices (or you can jump directly to the answer by clicking here).
What are the best web design agencies? We teach you to look for the green flags
When you ask Google: «is there a web design agency near me?», Google delivers. Dozens of pages of results. Nowadays, physical closeness is not a requirement for a well-done job. And, while that multiplies your choices, it also multiplies the competition between agencies.
In an increasingly globalized market, the management and creation of digital content is one of the few professions that has a consistently optimistic prospect, (as Rosa Martí points out in this Spanish Esquire article). This means that digital agencies are pushed to offer added value to its services with respect to other offers. This can be problematic when we do not know if what we are reading is a genuine description of the skills of a professional, or if it is a desperate first-I-get-the-client-and-then-I-see-how-I-do-it kind of claim.
Along with the growing need of having an online presence, each day a new web creation tool is launched, aimed to non-profesional users. The usage of this kind of software is great if the project in hand accepts that kind of quality standard. But it can be a problem when said tools are used systematically as a so-called professional resource.
If what you need is to raise an e-commerce or to build your brand, your site must convey credibility. That is why it is so important that you know what to look for when you are scanning web design agencies. Here’s a list of green flags that should lead the way on your search.
Both client and agency evaluate each other
When you first make contact with an agency, it is a good sign if they check out your project too instead of saying yes right away. This doesn’t mean they are not going to take it.
Believe us: when a web design agency takes the time to assess whether they can take you in as client or not, you will eventually be thankful for the little wait ten times out of ten.
It is always better to wait a little while to obtain an answer than to be unpleasantly surprised later on. Sometimes, designers are just too swamped to take on another project that’ll probably end up at the bottom of their already overflowing do-to list. Other times, the needs of the project might exceed the resources of the designer.
The best web design agencies have a global vision
Us digital professionals know that, even when we specialise in a single aspect of web development, we always end up depending on other departments sooner or later. Not taking into account all aspects of web development and management while designing it will be a long term problem inevitably.
You want an agency that worries as much about usability, user experience and making other people’s job easier as about the design itself. Having a nice site is important, but so is adaptability, load speed (especially now that it factors into ranking), and crawlers being able to interpret the content of what is showing up on screen.
Look for and interdisciplinary team
Is there anything more satisfactory as a client than seeing a good web design job? Yes: a good web design job that takes SEO into account. Allright, perhaps that isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about what your site will look like. But, over time, we will be glad the designer did their magic having in mind that the site will have to be ranked later on.
When us copywriters, SEOs and writers get hands on the project to try and maximize its chances to show in the first results of SERPS, our work is infinitely easier and more effective if the design has been made with all aspects of future work in mind. That is why looking for interdisciplinary teams is an excellent starting point.
An original design: the talent bit
A global vision, the respect for other people’s work and the honesty with the client are important factors, but nothing is as important as the talent of the web designer.
Just like it happens with any creative discipline, web design requires talent, practice and technique. The practical and technical part can be acquired through dedication, research and study. The talent part, we’ll leave it to the philosophers. We only know for sure that having someone on the team that provides the artistic POV is an undeniable advantage.
In our case, we have a secret weapon: Pilar Orellana’s magic touch. She is the head of our Design Department. Having her on our team allows us not only to convey through image and symbols whatever it is that a project requires, but also to count on her impeccable taste, indisputable skills and expert knowledge.
Do you have a project in mind and want to identify the best web design agencies? Ask us about it.