How to Choose A Web Development Company? An Experts’ Guide to Choosing The Right Development Company For You

The digital landscape is fiercely competitive and rapidly evolving. To win and retain customers, brands must differentiate themselves by offering top-quality customer experience. A crucial first step in achieving this is developing a web app, which typically requires collaboration with a professional web development company.

We have already prepared a web development agency checklist you should stick to when researching your options. Now, it’s time to give you a hint on how to pick the right web development partner to meet your needs. Read our article to learn where you should look for a web development partner, why is it so important to choose them carefully, and what factors to take into account while doing so.

Where Should You Look for a Web Development Company?

That’s a good question to start with. Probably the best way to collect your options is by asking your clients, business partners, digital marketing agencies, or friends for references. Word of mouth is still strong these days.

The other option is to search for potential web development partners on the Internet. But when you type in “web development company” in the browser, you will get millions of result pages.

That’s why it’s worth researching web development companies listed on portals like Clutch, GoodFirms, or DesignRush. On those sites, you can find web development companies from all over the world, along with information like hourly prices, main areas of specialization (e.g. mobile apps, web design, maintenance services), number of employees, technical aspects including preferred tech stack, design style, and so on. 

More importantly, these portals allow you to view the web development company’s portfolio and read reviews from previous clients. You can also read summaries of each completed web project and compare them with your expectations. This makes it much easier to find a web development partner with experience in projects similar to yours.

Is It Important to Find the Best Web Development Company?

Many businesses still neglect the value of an efficient business web app that is fast, easy to use, secure, and mobile-friendly as well, hoping that a cheap and quickly done product will work just as well. And that’s a huge mistake that can impact how your business performs.

Numerous studies say that about 40% of people will leave a website because of poor functionality, and 38.5% are put off by outdated design. The best way to ensure your web app or website checks all the required boxes is to hire a professional web development company that knows the latest trends and how to introduce them into your project.

That’s why careful research and consideration are essential to choosing the best web development company for your business goals. But what factors should you take into account before making a final call?

Most Important Factors to Consider When Choosing a Web Development Company

A well-chosen technology partner will not only bring your vision to life with a high-quality, functional website but also ensure it meets the requirements for design, user experience, and search engine optimization. To make an informed choice, it’s essential to evaluate several key factors that differentiate the best web development companies from the rest. Here are the factors we find crucial when choosing a web development company.

Technical Expertise

Technical expertise is the cornerstone of a successful software development project. Choose a web development company that has a deep understanding of the latest web development technologies, frameworks, and programming languages used throughout the development process.

Look for a web development firm proficient in programming languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and modern frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js. Additionally, their experience with back-end technologies, including databases and server-side languages like Node.js, Python, or PHP, is crucial.

The Variety of Their Offering

Developing a web app isn’t just about writing the code. Web design services, SEO, hosting, testing, and later maintenance are equally essential for building a successful high-quality web app. So while you are talking with your web developers of choice, ask them if they are able to test your software prior to release, maintain the web app or website once it happens, and keep it optimized, both for functionality and search engines.

Having all these software development services available under one roof is not just more convenient for you, but also minimizes the chances of errors along the way and enhances the overall efficiency of the development process. By having a full-service development company managing all aspects of your web app, you can ensure a more cohesive and reliable product, ultimately contributing to the app’s long-term success and your peace of mind.

Ability to Adjust to Mobile

Mobile usage is growing rapidly, so you need a mobile-friendly web app that is designed to give the users the best experience possible. In fact, over half of all website traffic comes from people using mobile phones – meaning that more people use their smartphones to access the internet than their laptops. Therefore, you are missing out if you do not have a mobile-responsive web app. What’s more, Google also uses mobile usability as a ranking factor. 

That’s why you should ask the web development company of choice right at the start whether your web app will be optimized for mobile devices and what ideas the team has for the mobile version of it. Remember, your web app shouldn’t simply be a smaller version of your desktop site on mobile – the layout, navigation, buttons, and images all need to be optimized to ensure your users can use it without any issues.  

Detailed Guide on How to Choose a Web Development Company

Once you have a shortlist of web development companies you think match your requirements the most, and you would want to work with, it’s time to schedule a “kickoff” meeting for your web development services. A kickoff meeting is the first meeting with the web development team you will have, during which you discuss your project details. Why is it important?

Such a meeting:

• allows you to meet the web developers in person and get to know them better,
• ensures that the development team understands the main objectives of the project,
• helps with clarifying all critical parts of the project,
• gives the development team a chance to share their suggestions or ideas,
• allows you to assess the amount of time and budget necessary for the project,
• enables you to discuss the post-launch support requirements you have.

But if you want the initial contact and meetings to go well and find a web development agency you can work with for years to come, you need to know first what aspects to look closely at. Below, we listed the points you should discuss during the meeting with your future custom web development partner.

State Your Objectives

To begin, it’s essential to define your requirements comprehensively. Start by outlining the project scope, which includes the primary objective of your website, whether it’s for e-commerce, informational purposes, or showcasing a portfolio. Clearly state your goals, such as increasing sales, improving user engagement, or enhancing brand visibility. Identify your target audience and their needs to ensure the website effectively caters to them. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the website’s success, such as conversion rates, traffic, or user feedback.

Next, list the features and functionalities you need. This should cover essential features like shopping carts, payment gateways, user login and registration systems, and blogs. Consider advanced features such as chatbots, multi-language support, and third-party integrations. Define your requirements for user experience (UX), focusing on navigation ease, load times, and accessibility. Concurrently, determine your budget, including costs for development, design, testing, and ongoing maintenance. Finally, consult all of the above with selected web development companies.

Check Whether Their Skills Match the Requirements

When hiring a web development company, ask web developers questions to make sure they understand your specific business needs. For example, do they have the technology and skills needed to make your web page work the way you want it to? Or maybe they have any suggestions on what to change in the project to better fit your objectives? The more their custom website design services and experience align with your goals, the better.

It would be best to ask web developers about their ideas for the web design as well. If this web development team already worked on a similar project as yours, then they should know exactly how to make your web app stand out while keeping the branding on point.

Ask for Work Samples

This seems like an obvious step, but many people skip it. You shouldn’t just rely on their portfolio and reviews, no matter how good they are. By looking at just those, you cannot tell if the projects were delivered on time and under budget or what problems might have arisen during the project. 

For instance, the results might look stellar, but the whole development process might have been anything but that. Top web development companies should be able to provide you with at least two or three references from satisfied enterprise clients or other proofs of long-term business relationships. 

It is also a good idea to reach out to their previous clients and ask them to share their experience with project management, turnaround time, responsiveness, or any troubles they have while building their own website or web app. That will make it easier for you to predict how the project might go for you – and for what problems you eventually need to be prepared.

Assess Their Communication Skills

When both sides communicate effectively, every project goes smoothly. To assess whether your future web development partner fulfills your requirements in this matter, ask them:

• What is their preferred communication channel – phone, e-mail, video calls, Slack?
• Will there be a dedicated point-of-contact person who will respond to your concerns and feedback?
• How often can you expect to hear from them?
• What kind of project management methodologies do they use (e.g. Agile Methodology)?

Use this occasion to make your expectations clear as well. Whether you prefer frequent and short updates on project progress or more detailed meetings with the team once in a while, make sure they know it.

A reliable technology partner usually has a project management tool in place to follow the progress – that will make it easier for both sides to stay on track with the delivered milestones and project status.

Inquire About the Cost Estimation

No matter how tempting their offer may seem and what budget constraints you have, you should stay away from web development companies that give an estimated cost of the web app that is much, much lower than other companies provide you with. When hiring a web development company, you can expect to get what you pay for. 

By paying a very low price for a web app, you might end up with a half-finished site that does not look the way you expected or has so many bugs it’s practically unusable. You need a web app that is well-designed, fast, and user-friendly – and that will cost. That’s especially true if you need a custom web app built from scratch. As the development firm will have to spend more time on their project and may have to come up with a wide range of creative solutions for a development problem, that will naturally increase the cost of the development project.

But you should beware of web development firms that give you a suspiciously high price for their services since this doesn’t always mean they will provide you with a much better product than the rest. While it isn’t common, some companies might try to inflate the cost of the web app by adding services and features you didn’t ask for. That’s why it’s always important to ask during the meeting what is included in the design company’s estimated project cost. When they cannot answer the question or speak in vague terms, you should consider choosing another partner for digital transformation.

Assess Security Measures

Security is another critical factor in terms of web development services, as a secure website is vital to protect sensitive information and maintain the trust of your users. First and foremost, a good web development company follows best practices for data protection and privacy. This includes compliance with relevant regulations such as GDPR or CCPA, which govern how personal data should be handled and protected.

Verify that the selected web development business implements security features to safeguard your website against potential threats. Key features include Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates to encrypt data transmitted between the server and users, ensuring that sensitive information such as login credentials and payment details remain private. Regular backups are also essential; these should be automated and stored securely to facilitate quick recovery in case of data loss or a cyberattack.

Another important aspect of website development is secure coding practices. An experienced web development company should adhere to standards that minimize vulnerabilities in the code, such as input validation to prevent SQL injection attacks and proper authentication mechanisms to secure user accounts. It’s also beneficial if the company conducts regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address potential weaknesses proactively.

Ask for Access to the Source Code

The number of companies who are unable to update their web apps after their relationship with the web firm has ended is astounding. This is because they didn’t think to ask the web development partner who will keep Photoshop and Illustrator files for access to code repositories, usernames and passwords associated with site hosting, etc. Therefore, they suddenly discover they cannot access their web app as soon as they switch development partners. If you don’t want this to happen to your business web app, then you should ask the team during the meeting who will own the source code after the project is finished. This should be one of the business requirements that business owners recommend. 

This is especially important if you think about hiring your own development staff to manage the site or if you expect to switch web development companies somewhere in the future. Don’t forget to include this in your contract and ensure the development company you hire is transparent in this regard – this way, you won’t have to start from scratch when hiring a new development partner or a dedicated team in the future, and they will deliver their services to clients – you, in this case. 

Conclusion

When you’re looking for a website development company that will be your long-term partner, it’s essential to evaluate a wide range of factors to ensure you find the perfect fit for your business.

This process might take some time, but it’s worth the effort to find a partner who embodies all the qualities you need. A seasoned and dependable service provider will not only help you meet your current web development needs but also support your growth and adaptability in the future. By making an informed decision, based on an in-depth evaluation of these factors, you can ensure your business will thrive with a robust and effective online presence. Remember, choosing the right web development company is an investment in the future success of your business!