Web design agencies - What to look for

A little bit of history

The look and feel of your website will be vital in attracting and retaining customers. Here we show you the most important factors to consider when planning to launch your business online.

Whether you're a fledgling operation or an established bricks and mortar company looking to create an online presence, your choice of design agency could see the beginning of a beautiful relationship, or force you to look back in anger.

Gone are the days when web design was the province of anyone with a basic grasp of HTML. Design studios now house people with many specialist disciplines, offering services from creating complex proprietary technology, to post-launch support and marketing. However, charlatans still exist, so it's important to make the right choice of partner from the start.

The first consideration for most companies will be cost. Design services range enormously in price. A few years ago businesses were forced to choose either a freelance deisgner (typically charging between £300-500 a day) or a reputable design studio (many of whom would not consider a contract worth less than £50,000). This trend effectively meant that small to medium sized businesses found it very difficult to find 'quality' new media solutions at an affordable price.

Fortunately for us, times have changed. When the dotcom bubble finally burst in 2000, many highly-skilled designers and programmers suddenly found themselves looking for alternative employment. The result - a new wave of new media agencies cropped up focussing on providing quality solutions to the SME market.

Ultimately, your choice of agency will depend on many factors, including the type of business you are putting online. If the website is the core of your business, then post-launch support offered by some agencies could be invaluable. Some parts of the site may need redesigning at the last minute, or the software behind your e-commerce set-up may need tweaking.