Learn the Truth about Your Web Design Company by Its Portfolio

When you start building your online business and search for a web design company that will implement all your needs for the web site you must understand that it is a very serious step because you are entrusting your business along with its reputation and future.

That's why it's very important to make the right choice. There are several factors that must define your choice, and one of them is portfolio of previous web design works the company has done. It can tell you more than all words and promises, just be attentive and try to analyze. I will tell you what you must pay attention to:

1) Presence of portfolio

Yes, it seems to be obvious that web design company must have own web site with portfolio of previous works. But don't be astonished too much when you see one without it. There can be various reasons for this but I wouldn't recommend you to tempt fate. Portfolio is like a "face" and it's pride of web design company, it must be full, substantial, and routinely updated?and IT MUST BE!

2) Total number of works

This can tell you much however there is no standard number that will guarantee you are going to deal with web design guru. Yes, 50 successfully finished projects is better than 5, but their quality is also important. Compare the number with period of time during which the company operates in the market and calculate average number of projects per year, month, or week. Remember that average web site design takes 2-4 weeks to be finished.

What this information can give you? Firstly, you can see that the company has got enough expertise. Then this shows that it has stable flow of works, adjusted schedule of development process, and enough staff to perform it, so if you commit your web site design to the company you can be sure that the work won't be for them like a bolt from the blue or well-paid but not feasible overloading.

3) Type of works

Look attentively at each work in the portfolio. How many projects are similar to the one you need by type of site, technology used, industry, and look and feel? At least 2-3? Good! More than 5? Excellent!! None? There can be a reason for this - owner didn't want to make it published, or web site is no more live - so if all other works show professionalism and expertise, you should ask the company if they have ever done the task you need.

If you need any particular technology to be used for your web site implementation it's more than necessary to see examples how the web design company worked with it. However sometimes it happens if the technology is not common used and very popular that the web design company hasn't had chance to work with it for commercial purpose but it might be used for internal projects development, so you will loose nothing if ask the company to show you some examples if they exist.

If you need a web site for exact business, for example dating site or real estate site, it's also better to view such previous works in the portfolio because there are can be specific features and it's better to make sure that the web design company is experienced with them. Also some web design companies make demo packages that also can show you the abilities and experience.

4) Quality of works

Learn carefully each live site (or the ones which are similar to the site you need). How long does it take to load the site home page? A few seconds? Great, the web designer knows how to optimize images. A few minutes? It's normal if this is a Flash site because usually the whole site is loaded at one time, not only the home page; or it's a Flash intro which goes ahead entering the site and also can load longer because of movie and sound.

But if a simple HTML web site loads more than 2-3 minutes and you can't see all images or they are shown partially, you must be watchful. Check another HTML sites from the portfolio - if they are also loading for ages, it's better to search for another web design company because this one is not professional.

All of the aforesaid is correct only if bandwidth of your Internet connection is normal and usually you don't have problems with loading web sites.

Test the site for user-friendly navigation, pay attention to colors combination, and estimate general impression from the site - all this must reflect professional work. But sometimes a web design company is forced to design a site strictly according to the customer's wishes, so if the customer lacks for good taste the site also looks tasteless. There can one or two such sites in the portfolio, but not all!

5) Happy owners

Web design business is a highly competitive area and as in any business there are honest and dishonest players. Sometimes it happens that you see the same site in portfolio of two different web design companies and it's difficult to find the truth to which of them the work really belongs. Some quirky companies place cheap templates in their portfolio with fake owners' contact info.

That's why it's very important to know real references of real owners of the web sites the web design company has made. Ideally this info must be accessible on the web design company site under Portfolio, Testimonials, or Clients sections. Try to contact ALL of the persons listed there and compare their opinions. You may get to know some interesting facts.

6) Own site of web design company

And finally compare the own site of the web design company to web sites presented in its portfolio. Are they similar by quality, technology used, and overall feeling? If the works from the portfolio look much poorer than the own site this can mean that the own site was ordered from another web design company, more professional. Yes, it happens sometimes in web design business that start-up amateur company commits its web site design to "older" professionals. In such case you better to continue searching for another web design company.

So these 6 rules can help you to make the right choice. Don't be afraid to spend longer time for search and analysis, finally you will only benefit by getting perfect web site that will give new prospects to your business and make it more successful.

Julia Ramyalg
Marketing Director of IT-Inventors - professional web design company

Services: Affordable custom web site design, E-commerce web site design, Content Management Software, Real estate web site design.

View Portfolio and References

---

Do Your Website Yourself - 4 Simple Steps to Get Your Dreams on the Web

Many people hire professional web site designers for as much... Read More

One-Product Sales Sites: Avoid These Top Blunders

One product, one long web page: this kind of web... Read More

404 Error - The Page Cannot be Found

A "404 Error" happens when the web server you are... Read More

Ten Tips For Your Web Site Home Page

1. Loading time:try to be below 20kbless number of imagesspecify... Read More

How To Design A Web Site

I'm not a professional web site designer and openly admit... Read More

Keep Your Navigation Simple!

Navigation must be simple. Since it's the backbone of your... Read More

Turn Harmful 404 Error Pages Into Helpful 301 Redirects

It's a fact, Page Not Found, known as a 404... Read More

8 Tips for Designing a Great Website

Square buttons, round buttons, flashy buttons ? will they match... Read More

Website Maintenance: What Does it Take to Manage Your Website?

Every action has a beginning phase where you launch your... Read More

How to Force Your Visitors to Order Immediately!

This may comes as a surprise to you but, if... Read More

Positive Design Attributes for a Successful Website

Designing a website is hard job, and requires you to... Read More

Banner Enchancement - Designing Your Banner

A well designed web site is great to have, but... Read More

How Not To Get Web Design Work

I get the occasional web design lead from my website.... Read More

Graphic Design Can Make or Break Your Web Site

We all want high impact graphics for our Web sites... Read More

Web Design: Use it to Showcase the Message

If you are designing a web site for which the... Read More

What Is Your Websites Most Wanted Response?

You spend time and money promoting your website; but what... Read More

The Brutal Truth

Not too long ago while looking for businesses that do... Read More

Do You Want To Save Time With Your Web Design?

It starts off simply; a few HTML pages, a few... Read More

Keep It Simple, Stupid: The Beauty of a Clean Cut Website

Don't knock it; "Keep It Simple, Stupid" is a great... Read More

Tried and Tested Tips to Improve Your Website - Part 1

1. DO NOT use excessive graphics or banner images on... Read More

Web Site Design Mistakes

Some wise human once said "Learn from the mistakes of... Read More

Color Scheme for Your Website?

Yes, in a world that is obsessed with makeover madness,... Read More

Why Long Web Pages are Better than Short Ones

Many Internet sites that try to sell you something have... Read More

How to Chose Stock Photography for your Web Site

So you've decided to take the plunge. You know that... Read More

Give Your Web Site a Small Business Marketing Tune Up

Your web site is like your car. Both are significant... Read More

Quality of Your Text Layout and Design

Why is the quality of your text layout and design... Read More

The Testimonial Trick

One of the most popular methods of traffic generation is... Read More

The Most Important Question To Ask About Your Web Site!

When you design a website how do you start ?Do... Read More

Get FASTER Download Times By Making BIGGER Web Pages!

As a webmaster you already know how important it is... Read More

10 Tips for Killer Website Design

Does website design make a difference in how long people... Read More

Why Not To Use Web Design Templates For Your Website

In today's age of fast food and high-speed Internet, a... Read More

Your Site Map: Spider Food or Just A Light Snack?

Mechanical spiders have to eat. In fact, they usually have... Read More

Has Your Design Firm Run Amuck With Your Web Site?

What's happening to good web site design? Somehow we creative... Read More