But judge for yourself. Whether you are looking to us for design services or another company, here’s a good set of criteria to judge companies by:

Great Website

A great website design company should have a great website – how can they not? A website converts site visitors into buyers. This is one of the main reasons why you’d want one, in the first place. Your design company should know this and should be able to pull this off for themselves.  A great website combines elements that make your site work: looks, interesting content, optimisation, a Call to Action that works, among others.

Impressive Portfolio

One of the first things you should ask for from web design companies is their portfolio. This would contain a list of previous clients, with project details and probably a screenshot of their design. You should get a good idea about a company’s suitability through their portfolio. Look at the designs, and see if these are visually appealing. Assess the project details to see if the design company has done similar projects as yours. You are looking for expertise and experience. A company with similar projects presumably has a grasp of what your industry needs.

References/ Testimonials

It also helps to get the word of another individual or business that’s been in your place, and can attest to the skills of your web design company. Some web dev companies will have testimonials on their sites but, of course, be wary of this. You can always invent “testimonials.” Look for those with links to the project sites and contact persons. Initiate a short chat with a couple of these endorsers. You’ll find that a happy customer will have time to say a good word or two about your design company.

Site Details

You would want a design company that’s not just about design. A good design makes a good impression; but then again, the internet is not just about good impressions. The website also has to be optimised and with interesting content. It should be easy to load, and have an uncluttered look. The same standards that your website will be judged by should have been applied on your design company’s site. After all, they should know what would appeal to their online audience, as well as the search engines.
Check out details such as meta content (page title, description, and image alternative text, among others), Call to Action, navigation, form and company contact details. The design company’s website should be straight-forward, easy to navigate, and have visible contact information.

When your design company has passed these criteria, begin to talk about your project. Your website should be a collaboration between you and your designer. Talk about your goal and vision, and see how your designers can make this better with their web experience and expertise.