Web Design Companies

How We Evaluate the Website Design Companies

To bring you the best web design on the market, we thoroughly researched the various aspects of how these companies do business and the value they produce for their clients. We checked out the companies’ own websites and their clients’ websites, expecting the same respect and appreciation for midsized companies, enterprises, and small start-ups alike. Here are the main categories we explored to make sure you choose the website design company that suits you best:

1. Company service focus
2. Ability to meet quality goals
3. Online reputation, reviews, interviews
4. Team management, customer support
5. Cost efficiency, value for money

Company Service Focus

To help you decide which of the top web design companies are for you, we’ve listed the primary industry focuses and main services they offer. We prioritized companies whose primary focus is web design. After all, we didn’t want to let their online reputation and any positive reviews relating to other services like digital marketing or app development mask lower-quality web design. Most companies, however, do both web design and web development or offer separate logo design and branding services.

Depending on how far ahead you are with your business vision and website framework, it may be a good idea to combine different features like graphic and web design (if you don’t yet have a logo) or web design and branding (if your brand is not clearly defined). Some web design firms may also recommend web development experts to craft a responsive and fully functional website for your business.

We have also listed the main industry focus or a few niches each web design company has worked with. Whether you’re looking for companies specialized in ecommerce, healthcare, medical, real estate, or web design for law firms, we have featured companies with experience in every industry. This is important, as you’ll want to take advantage of their experience to help you meet industry goals in a broader sense. You should always bear this in mind when shopping for web design agencies.

Meeting Quality Goals

When web design is done effectively, the minute you visit a web design agency’s website, you know what they’re about. There are several important quality standards that we want to see. We evaluated over 70 companies, and you’d be surprised how many we dropped after seeing their own websites. Some common issues included messed-up alignment, ineffective use of contrast that draws the viewer’s attention to the wrong things, a chosen type that’s difficult to read, or too small letters. About 20% of the websites were ditched right away because they didn’t tick this box. If some of the allegedly top website design companies can’t make their own websites look good, there’s little they can do for others, right?

Understanding the customer’s business objectives and goals is a key aspect of web design—and any business cooperation in general. What is the website’s primary purpose? To amuse, inform, or sell products? Ideally, these parameters are clearly stated before the design process even starts, and everything is done with regard to this information. Who is the site meant for, and what do they expect to find there? Does the website follow the target audience’s navigation logic? Do the visuals entice the user’s attention and imagination? 

A responsive web design is a must when it comes to delivering a quality final product. The best website design companies ensure that all websites are equally approachable, appealing, and functional across all devices. That’s where desktop and mobile design come to mind. So we have checked at least 15 of their clients’ websites’ responsiveness to make sure no quality is lost when moving from desktop to mobile web design. 

Most web designers use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. On an open webpage, HTML and other languages provide information on the style and structure related to the header, footer, and page layout in general, as well as site colors and image positioning. We checked if the website design agencies are using up-to-date web design software to produce websites that work well in various browsers and devices. We also paid close attention to exactly how easy it will be to keep using the website in the long run.

The content of some websites is updated on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis. That’s why most use simple creation tools, as it makes optimization easier. We interviewed customers to check just how easy it was for them to keep their website operational with little need for ongoing support from the web design firm.  

Whether they outsource web design teams or have in-house designers, the most effective website design firms’ project management and design teams are innovative and creative; they know their aesthetics and are fully aware of the high stakes of a user-centric web design. 

Online Reputation, Client Reviews, Interviews

After evaluating whether every website design firm was good enough when it came to the value they provide for their clients, we decided to dig deeper. We ditched a large number of web design companies during the first phase of the evaluation process, so when it was time to conduct client and employee interviews, the company list had already been culled pretty well. 

We took a deep dive into the companies’ inner workings to find out if their quality of service would match our standards. It was also important to check how effective each web design company was at communication. A great deal of your cooperation with your web designers of choice will be process-based—and it can go on for months. Therefore, it’s vital to choose a top web design firm that will provide value that represents your core beliefs and message, your brand, and your unique plans for the future. 

In order to make sure your work relationship is professional, easygoing, and enjoyable, we went through company reviews on Trustpilot, Google, and elsewhere. We also set up a pretend venture and signed up for these companies’ services; we then flooded them with tedious questions and demands so we could observe their behavior. Only the most respectful, courteous, helpful, and precise answers landed firms on our top web design agencies list.

The companies we listed were tested for the following company culture features:

• Successful, two-way communication with clients, and whether the company is client-oriented and open to suggestions, comments, questions, and cooperation.
• Response frequency, or how quickly the web design agency responds to email. How about messages on social networks or complaints? Are they available when they say they are?
• Adherence to deadlines, living up to prognoses, and whether the company is honest and realistic. Keeping promises and making correct assessments means a great deal when time is money. So we interviewed clients and checked online credentials and reviews. Only the website design studios that honor their agreements made it to our list. 
• Transparency in reporting, or whether the web design firm checks in with you when any large piece of work is finished. Mistakes and misunderstandings always occur, but the damage is reduced greatly if mistakes are caught early. Company portfolios gave us a fine insight into their work plans and organization style.

Team Management and Customer Support

• Contemporary, proven team communication and project management tools

We made sure your ride will run smoothly by checking each company’s management style. Some website design companies will even switch to the management tool your employees are already using to better suit your needs. Check if this is an option. 

• A client-focused approach

Integrating you, the customer, into the design process will help build more appropriate, custom solutions and reduce expenses. We did some mock tests and client interviews to make sure you’re covered.  

• Employees are kind, and stress levels are low

When are employees stressed? When their future is insecure, when their planning skills are terrible, and when they fear for their projects’ success in the absence of proven strategies. There’s no room for this sort of behavior as you work with your chosen website design company. 

Cost Efficiency and Value for Money

The cost of the best web design services depends on a wide array of factors. During our pricing evaluation process, we sought out cost-effective solutions instead of focusing on particularly pricy or cheap ones. 

• We checked company characteristics like transparency, honesty, and adherence to deadlines to ensure there are no hidden technical and financial pitfalls. We made sure you’d be covered.
• We checked specifications like the services offered and industry focus or niche experience. You can use these indicators to find the best website design company for your budget level, technical expectations, and the amount of time you’re willing to invest. Top web design firms charge between $10,000 and $50,000 per project.

What You Need to Know Before Hiring a Professional Website Design Company

Define Your Goals and Objectives

Even the most accommodating design agencies can’t help you unless you give them a clear idea of what you want. If you have already developed your brand, help them incorporate it into their design. If you haven’t, some companies offer branding and logo design services, along with website design companies for small businesses and/or enterprises. 

Know Your Audience

You need to understand exactly where your audience comes from to build an excellent UX/UI design. Companies with more niche experience can help you out with this one.  

How Large Is Your Business?

Some web design companies only work with big enterprises, while others specialize in small to medium-size firms; this criterion will be listed in the table.

What's Your Budget?

Check the minimum project size on our table and call the companies to see if they’re willing to make compromises. We advise you not to go cheap with this one, as the competition is fierce.

Consider Hiring a Website Design and Development Company With Expertise in Your Industry

The leading agencies are often able to adapt their knowledge to serve clients across various domains. It’s, however, helpful to look for options that have already driven success for businesses like yours. For instance, if you’re an ecommerce business, you might want to consider limiting your choices to the best ecommerce web design companies that understand the challenges of doing business in the online space. 

Finally, decide on your pricing preferences, and you’re ready to go! Enjoy the process, and your visually stunning, user-friendly, easy-to-navigate website will soon be the envy of your competition. You might also want to turn to some of the top UX design companies to offer the most compelling digital experiences to your customers.