Columbus web design firm interpretation of showing you're better than your competitors

If you're better than your competitors, shouldn't your website be better than theirs?

If you think so, it's critical to get the right web design firm. And unless you know the right questions to ask, you may be getting locked into the wrong web design company.

When looking at any web design company's bottom line numbers, please keep in mind: just like with any specialist (consider your industry and how you're different from your competitors), not all web designers are the same. When it comes to selecting a web design firm, consider these points, and be sure to ask these questions:

  • Do they do custom designs or use templates? Are they using a template that'll make your site look like so many others, or are they developing a custom design that's unique to your organization? If the designer’s site looks like it’s based on a template, that’s what you’ll be getting for your site as well.
  • What content management system do they use? Getting a content management system (CMS) is like getting a new car – or spouse. Be sure to take a “test drive” or two before making a commitment. If the CMS isn’t low maintenance, it’ll make life more difficult than it needs to be. Click here to see that Drupal is one of the top 3 CMS’s around;
  • Do they build responsive websites? Google changed their mobile search algorithms to demote websites not built as responsive mobile web design. Make sure your web design firm has expertise to build responsive websites.
  • Do they have a marketing perspective (is it all about them... or all about you?) Dogs are good marketers: they make you seem like you’re the center of their universe. Marketing is like that: it’s not about you, but about your customers. Read the design firm’s website: if its all about them, and not how they make their customer’s lives better or easier, they’re not marketing-focused;
  • Do they know what content marketing is? Content marketing is creating content that your audience Likes, links to, and shares. When you do that, you'll be way ahead of your competitors. Since you're an expert in what you do, show it by educating your audience, especially if your competitor's aren't.
  • Can they help us with social media? Search engines are using social signals (ie: the things your friends or customers  link to, "Like," and share) as relevant to their search engine rankings. The more back links you have to your website, the more it means people like you, so the higher your website will appear in the search results.
  • Do they use Google’s Keyword Tool? Do they research what phrases people Google to find your products & services? We can tell you exactly what phrases people Google to search what you do. Using the wrong word or phrase will not help people find your site (unless they search for you by name). And since more people don’t know you (or us) than do, the right keywords are critical.

Check out the personality of their website. Does the design firm have dumb stock photos on their site? If so, that’s what you’ll be getting on your site! Do they say you’re how awesome they are? And do you believe them? If that's who they position themselves, so that's how they'll position you. You want you website to educate, engage and entertain, and if a Columbus web design firm can't do that for themselves, it's very likely they won't be able to do it for you.

We like to share this type of information because we think we bring these things to the table, and most other web design firms don't. So know what to ask, and when you do, the chances of getting the right Columbus web design firm for you will go way up.