A web design company gives you a powerful digital marketing tool. Discover what goes into the process of working with one.
How important is it for small and midsize business (SMB) owners to improve their web visitors’ experiences? Extremely.
A non-responsive, unengaging design can be a reason why visitors leave a site in search of another. If you’re trying to make an existing site a better destination for customers or want to launch one from scratch, you may be wondering if you need to hire a web design company.
To help you make an informed decision, here’s a breakdown of what web design firms do and what their services involve.
Our lists of web design companies by location can help you find the services you’re looking for.
What do web designers do?
Web designers ensure that websites and applications look, feel, and operate smoothly for their clients. This involves a multistage process which typically includes:
Coming up with an overall design concept that meets business needs.
Designing the site or application in line with high-level objectives and end-user requirements.
Maintaining the site or application, ensuring that it continues to function in line with the company’s goals.
To check off all of these boxes, web designers have to communicate consistently and openly with their clients to ensure that the end product aligns with business goals.
Web designers often conduct meetings to ideate concepts, gather feedback during the design process, and collect information about how well a site or app works.
What are the elements of web design?
What is web design? Web design consists of a range of elements, each of which is used to “chunk” the design process. By segmenting the design of your site, designers make it easier to organize the project and assign different individuals or teams to specific elements of your site. Web design companies have graphic design experts on staff, which enables them to make expert recommendations on all of the site details listed below—at a level of expertise that your own team may not possess.
Layout
The layout of the website refers to how its content looks on a user’s screen. In addition to how web content looks, it should be easy to navigate. When designed correctly, an effective layout saves users time as they try to accomplish essential tasks, such as:
Browsing and selecting items they may want to purchase.
Checking out and entering payment details.
Gathering information about what your company does and its guiding principles.
Learning about specific topics, such as technical aspects of a product or other issues related to what your company does.
A good layout not only guides the eyes from one aspect of a page to another, but it also has a logical flow that makes sense for end users.
Images
Images include illustrations, graphics, photos, and icons that supplement the text with additional information. Designers have to carefully choose photos that go well together and complement the website’s brand.
Visual hierarchy
End users tend to process the information on your website in a certain order, and your visual hierarchy determines how this happens. A designer builds a visual hierarchy by leveraging a specific visual pattern. For example, some designs pull the viewer’s attention toward the top of the website, while others bring attention to your logo or even a search box.
Color scheme
The color scheme involves a precisely arranged selection of hues that complement your brand. Your designer will choose a primary color and a few additional ones to form a palette. Choosing the colors to use in a palette may depend on ones that go well together or those that certain types of customers tend to prefer.
Typography
Typography refers to the font or style of the text on your site. Web designers aim to choose one or several that are appealing and simple to read. Depending on the industry, purpose, and kind of user for the website, some may look better with serif fonts, while others may benefit from non-serif fonts.
In addition, the typography your web design company chooses can help convey specific elements of your brand identity, such as:
Corporate or “professional”
Fun
Flashy
Minimalistic or simple
Readability
Text should be easy to read and understand. Because website visitors typically don’t spend much time on each page, the material should be easy to read so they can find the information they need right away. The designers can accomplish this by choosing a suitable size and font for the text, as well as colors that help it stand out against the background of the page.
Navigation
A website's navigational elements are the tools that users click on as they move throughout your web pages. Depending on the layout and structure of your site, these navigational features may appear in the body, header, or footer.
Often, designers approach a web design project with a diverse range of layouts for navigation and then use feedback from the client to decide which one works best for their objectives. This process typically involves several steps, including:
Whether to conceal navigational elements, such as dropdown menus, until the user moves their cursor over the area or taps it.
Where to place core navigation tools, such as links to the home page, product pages, or contact page.
How to organize products and services, such as according to broad or narrow categories. For example, you could use “Drivetrain” as a broad category for an aftermarket parts site or “Wheels,” which features a more specific selection of rims and tires.
Regardless of the kinds of buttons a web design company chooses to use, they will typically prioritize speed, making it as fast and easy as possible for your customers to navigate your pages.
Content
The content of your site includes more than just words and images. It also involves the buttons you choose, their design and colors, and how you title different pages on your site.
For example, some sites may use the term “About Us” to describe a page that introduces the principles that power their organization. Others may prefer more specific terms that carry a different tone, such as “Our Principles,” “Our North Star,” or “Mission.” Each content decision should help support the desired brand identity of your company.
What are the benefits of web design?
For most businesses, the end objective of web design is to support revenue streams. But there are several ways a website can do this. A web design company has professionals that specialize in optimizing your site. To do so, they use the elements below, creating benchmarks based on your business’s goals.
Search engine optimization
SEO refers to a technique for increasing the likelihood that a website will be found by search engines. Some information on websites, such as image and page descriptions, is specifically coded with metadata so that search engines can read it. If your search engine optimization puts your site on the first page of search results, you can greatly increase your chances of acquiring and retaining customers.
Customer satisfaction
An impactful site design has a favorable effect on customers’ satisfaction because it gives them the information they need quickly and simply. By ensuring that a website’s navigation structure is easy to follow, predictable, and consistent, your business can encourage favorable relationships with its visitors.
Mobile responsiveness
This refers to a website’s ability to display on a mobile device and adjust its layout for readability. Web design ensures that sites are easy to browse and access on mobile devices. A well-designed, mobile-responsive website also makes it simple for clients to reach out to your company, perhaps through multiple methods, such as email, phone, or online chat—regardless of the device your visitor has.
Consistent branding
Branding involves the promotion of a product using a distinctive, recognizable design. When a website consistently conveys a company’s identity, it’s easier to navigate and visitors can better associate a brand’s visual components with the organization’s goods or services.
For example, when deciding which hues to use, lighter, brighter colors may convey a fun, entertaining product, while darker ones may project a sense of seriousness or a focus on a product’s utility.
Technical efficiency
Technical efficiency describes how effectively a website creates a pleasant user experience through the right coding decisions. Clean coding that enables speedy load times, includes working links, and features dynamic pictures and graphics can improve how a user experiences your content. But it’s just as important to address technical bugs that get in the way of a smooth, efficient interaction with your site.
User experience optimization
Optimizing the user experience involves a systematic approach. For example, web design companies run reports to assess which pages are getting more or less traffic. They can then use this data to adjust the site’s design to improve the user’s experience.
Improve conversions & sales
Conversion often directly correlates with how a user experiences your site. In addition to being able to navigate essential conversion tools, such as contact pages, chat features, and checkout systems, users tend to prefer high-quality, beautiful images and graphic design that grab their attention and keep them engaged with your content. The longer your site holds their attention, the more likely it is to convert them into a paying customer.
Are you ready to look for a web design company?
What do web designers do? They create intricate, multi-functional sales machines. You can use the above characteristics and functions as a checklist to make sure the web design company you choose will get the job done. Discuss each feature with your designer and ask how they intend to use it to complement your business’s objectives. Then your site will become more than just something on the internet but a dynamic member of your team.
Ready to hire a web design company to optimize your website? Browse our list of top web design companies, and learn more about their services in our hiring guide.