How to Choose the Best Web Design Company for Small Businesses

Being a small business owner in the digital age can be rough. In order to get more business through your website, you have to be visible to search engines while competing with some of the largest companies in the world. When you're running on a small budget or slim margins, choosing a website designer that suits your needs will be key to your success.

Here are some factors to consider when selecting a website design company for your small business:

     • Experience. Another part of the digital age is the reality that just about anyone can set up shop as a "web designer" and essentially use a cheap web template to churn out identical websites for various customers. Will your business have a website? Yes, technically. Will it be a good one that helps you grow your customer base? Not likely.

     When you're vetting a web design company, having a basic understanding of their experience in the field is important. You can do this by asking to see a portfolio of other sites the company has created, checking out online testimonials and reviews, and asking other trusted individuals in your industry for their experience. If you're looking for the best website creators, they should have these items available for your review.

     • Communication. If you attempt to contact a web design firm–whether it be by phone or email–and you get little or no response, you can generally expect that same level of service throughout your project. If you truly want the best website builder for small businesses, look for someone who offers the level of customer service that you deserve. Look for prompt responses, a willingness to answer questions, and genuine interest in hearing and fulfilling your needs as a potential client.

     • Reasonable Pricing. A good website design company will have at least a small "menu" of services to choose from so that you can customize the website design or website improvement package that best fits your budget.

When working with small businesses, the best website designers will understand that you need the biggest bang for your buck. You don't have the full-fledged marketing departments that large corporations have, and yet you're still competing with those large corporations for space on Google's front page of search results. Your small business website should use a number of web design strategies that make a site both affordable and successful.

All of these elements ultimately add up to a final key trait: Understanding small business online needs. By having experience in the field, great customer service, and affordable prices, your web design company is showing you that they understand the exact features that make you a successful small business owner because they employ those features themselves.

At Surge Web Design, a Boise-based web design company, we can help you retain your small business image while also helping you increase your web traffic to compete in the wide world of digital marketing.

Elements of Great Small Business Web Design

We mentioned above that having a small "menu" of services is important when choosing a web design agency. So what should you be looking for? What are some website design strategies that will enable you to compete online?

First, it's important to understand that one of the most significant differences between large corporation online marketing and small business online marketing is the ability to pay for extended ad campaigns. Next time you do a Google search, pay attention to the first few results that you see. Almost all of them have the tiny gray tag marked "Sponsored" somewhere near the title. That's because the company behind the search result paid to be placed toward the top of the list.

Not only is this strategy out of reach of most small business owners, it is also only temporarily effective. As soon as you stop paying for that ad space, your website stops seeing a traffic increase.

At Surge Web Design, our goal is to create web content that consistently brings your website more potential customers. We want your business to continue to grow as long as that is your goal, without the exorbitant fees and maintenance of paid ad campaigns.

Some of the website content creation strategies that we find especially effective include:

     • Search Engine Optimization (SEO): You can't have a relevant conversation about web design and website content writing without discussing SEO. In short, SEO means building frequently used keywords into the main text of your site so that Google knows your site is meaningful and informative. It will help your business stand out from low-quality, poorly-designed competitors and help your site improve its search engine ranking for good. To learn more about SEO, you can read a previous blog post 7 Benefits of SEO Marketing or check out our SEO services page for more information.

     • Quality, Custom Website Content Writing: When your website is written just for you by experienced writers who involve you in the process, it shows. Take, for example, North End Wellness, also based in Boise, ID. North End Wellness has the potential to fade into the hundreds of listings of counselors in the Boise area. However, their website features custom biographies and clear explanations of the types of therapies they offer so that their potential customers know exactly what makes North End Wellness different. If you'd like the same treatment for your business, our professional web content writers can help.

     • Creating a Positive Business Image: Something as simple as a consistent website template utilizing a clean, representative logo can help your business stand out as professional. Our logo design services can help if you haven't already established this or if you'd like to refresh your image.

     • Blogs: The more active and informative your webpage is, the higher Google and other search engines will continue to rate it for website rankings. The higher your ranking, the greater the likelihood that your business will be visible to your potential customers.

These are just a few elements of good web design that we employ at Surge Web Design. We write and design websites for small businesses throughout the United States and are eager to even the playing field for small businesses when it comes to digital marketing strategies. We hope learning more about choosing a web design company helps you on your way.

If you'd like to learn more about our business and how we can help you get more and better customers through the creation of a perfect website for your business, you can call us at (208) 391-3413 or contact us online. We'd love to help you get the online visibility you need to succeed.