Hiring a web design company can be a game-changer for your business. But if you’re just tossing money at the problem, you’re missing out. The truth is, working with a web design company is like any other business investment—you get out of it what you put in. If you want to maximize your ROI, the strategy starts way before you sign the contract. If you’re tired of throwing money at pretty websites that don’t convert, buckle up. We’re diving deep into the strategies that’ll turn your next web project into a profit-generating machine.
Here are 15 ways to get the most value from web design companies.
1. Define Clear and Specific Goals Clearly Before You Start
Before you even think about contacting web design companies, get crystal clear on your goals. What does “success” look like for your website? Are you looking to generate leads, increase brand awareness, improve user experience, or boost sales? What’s the one thing your website MUST do? Drive leads? Sell products? Build your email list? The more specific you are with your goals, the easier it will be to align with a design company that knows how to get you there. Write it down. Tattoo it on your forehead if you have to. This is your North Star, and every decision you make with your web design company should orbit around it.
Vague goals like “I just need a website” will leave you spinning your wheels. Define metrics for success from the start—traffic, conversions, bounce rate—and communicate these to your web design company.
2. Understand Your Target Audience
A website isn’t just a pretty face; it’s your 24/7 salesperson. But like any great salesperson, it has to know who it’s talking to. Make sure your web design company understands your audience—their pain points, desires, and online behaviors. The more the design resonates with your target audience, the higher your engagement and conversion rates will be.
Ask yourself: What are the problems my audience faces? What solution does my product or service provide? Armed with this knowledge, share it with the design team to create a site that speaks directly to your ideal customer.
3. Become Data-Driven
Here’s a harsh truth: your opinion doesn’t matter. Neither does your web designer’s. You know what does? Data.
When working with web design companies, insist on designs backed by user testing and analytics over time. You want data-informed design decisions. These will still require extensive analysis and gut checks through experienced perspectives as well.
4. Set a Realistic Budget—And Stick to It
Here’s the truth: good design isn’t cheap, and cheap design isn’t good. You get what you pay for. It’s important to set a realistic budget for your project but also to understand what goes into pricing. Ask the company to break down the costs: design, development, testing, launch, and ongoing maintenance.
Be upfront about your budget, but also ask about how you can prioritize features if needed. Sometimes, a staged rollout—where you focus on critical features first and add more later—can help you get the most value without blowing your budget.
5. Focus on User Experience (UX)
A website that looks amazing but is a nightmare to navigate won’t help your business. Prioritize user experience over everything. An intuitive, easy-to-use site will keep visitors engaged and coming back. Make sure your web design company emphasizes UX from the very beginning.
Consider things like mobile responsiveness, site speed, and accessibility. The easier it is for visitors to find what they’re looking for, the higher your conversions will be.
6. Focus on the Money Pages
Not all web pages are created equal. Some are workhorses that drive revenue, while others are just eating up server space. Identify your money pages – the ones that directly contribute to your bottom line – and allocate your resources accordingly.
Push your web design company to pour their creativity and optimization efforts into these pages. A 10% improvement on a money page is worth more than a complete overhaul of a rarely visited about page.
7. Get Involved in the Design Process
Yes, you’re hiring a web design company because they’re the experts, but that doesn’t mean you should sit back and let them do everything. Stay involved in the design process. Give feedback at every stage—wireframes, mockups, final designs.
Offer constructive criticism but don’t micromanage. A successful collaboration between you and the web design company means balancing their expertise with your vision.
8. Optimize for SEO from Day One
SEO isn’t something you should be thinking about after your website is launched—it needs to be baked into the design from day one. When you optimize your website for search engines from the start, you avoid costly redesigns or retroactive fixes.
Ensure that the web design company understands on-page SEO: proper URL structures, meta tags, header tags, and image optimization. A solid SEO foundation will help your website rank higher and attract organic traffic, giving you a better return on your investment.
9. Prioritize Speed
In the age of goldfish attention spans, speed is king. A one-second delay in page load time can tank your conversions by 7%. That’s real money walking out the door. Site speed can make or break your website. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, 53% of visitors will abandon it. Web design companies should focus on optimizing your site for speed—this includes compressing images, minimizing JavaScript, and using fast, reliable hosting.
Ask your web design company about their approach to site speed optimization. A fast website not only improves the user experience but also boosts your rankings on search engines like Google.
10. Insist on Mobile-First, Not Mobile-Friendly
“Mobile-friendly” is so 2010. In 2024, if your web design company isn’t pitching mobile-first designs, they’re living in the past.
With over 50% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, your site needs to be a lean, mean, converting machine on smartphones. Demand a mobile-first approach that prioritizes speed, simplicity, and thumb-friendly navigation.
A mobile-optimized website ensures your visitors have a great experience, no matter what device they’re using. Plus, Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search rankings, so this is non-negotiable for SEO.
11. Ask For Ongoing Maintenance and Support
Your website isn’t something you “set and forget.” Websites need regular maintenance—software updates, security patches, backups, and content changes. When negotiating with web design companies, make sure ongoing support and maintenance are part of the deal. A website that isn’t regularly maintained will become outdated, insecure, and vulnerable to attacks. Ask about the company’s maintenance packages to keep your website running smoothly after launch. Heroik’s Digital Overwatch program includes all of the above and more, including advanced analytics and monthly reviews and discussions about steps to improve performance.
12. Leverage Data Analytics
After your site is live, the real work begins. Use analytics to track visitor behavior, conversion rates, and other key performance indicators (KPIs). A good web design company will not only set up Google Analytics or other tracking tools for you but also guide you on how to interpret the data.
Analytics can reveal where your site is excelling and where it’s falling short, allowing you to make data-driven improvements.
13. Integrate or Disintegrate
Your website isn’t an island. It needs to play nice with your CRM, your email marketing platform, your payment processor, and every other tool in your tech stack.
When evaluating web design companies, grill them on their integration capabilities. A beautiful website that can’t talk to your other systems is about as useful as a Ferrari without an engine.
14. Demand Transparency in Timelines
Every web design project needs a clear timeline with milestones. Make sure the web design company provides a detailed timeline from the outset so you know when to expect deliverables. This will help avoid frustration and keep the project on track.
Ask them to explain their design and development phases so you can understand when key parts of the project will be completed.
15. Invest in Conversion Optimization
Pretty doesn’t pay the bills. Conversions do. Design isn’t just about making things look good; it’s about driving action. Your website should be optimized for conversions—whether that’s capturing leads, making sales, or getting people to sign up for a newsletter.
A solid web design company understands conversion optimization and will help you design call-to-action buttons, landing pages, and forms that drive results.
16. Plan for Scalability
Your business will grow, and your website needs to grow with it. Make sure your web design company builds a site that can be easily expanded in the future. Whether that’s adding new pages, integrating with additional software, or handling more traffic, scalability is key.
Ask the company about the flexibility of their design and content management system. A scalable site will save you from expensive redesigns down the road.
17. Leverage Social Proof Like a Boss
In a world where trust is currency, social proof is your goldmine. Customer testimonials, case studies, trust badges – these are the elements that turn skeptical visitors into paying customers.
Work with web design companies that understand the power of social proof and know how to weave it seamlessly into your site’s design. And don’t just slap a few quotes on your homepage. Strategically place social proof at key decision points in your user journey.
18. Embrace the Power of Micro-Commitments
Big, flashy “Buy Now” buttons are out. Micro-commitments are in.
Smart web design companies know that guiding users through a series of small, easy-to-say-yes-to steps is the key to higher conversions. Whether it’s a low-friction email signup or a free trial, these micro-commitments build trust and momentum.
Push your design team to create user journeys that leverage this psychological principle. It’s not about the hard sell; it’s about building relationships one small “yes” at a time.
19. Budget For Post-Launch Optimization
Launch day isn’t the finish line; it’s the starting gun. The real work begins after your site goes live.
Partner with web design companies that offer robust post-launch optimization services. This should include ongoing heat mapping, and continuous improvement based on real user data.
Set clear KPIs and hold your design team accountable for hitting them. A website is a living, breathing entity that should get better with age, not slowly decay into irrelevance.
20. Communicate Openly and Often
Clear, consistent communication is crucial to getting the most value from your web design company. Regular check-ins, status updates, and feedback loops will keep the project moving smoothly and prevent costly misunderstandings.
Whether it’s emails, meetings, or project management tools, make sure you’re always in the loop and that both parties are aligned every step of the way.
Conclusion
Working with web design companies doesn’t have to be a gamble. By focusing on these power moves, you’ll transform your website from a pretty brochure into a relentless sales machine. Remember, in the digital age, your website isn’t just a part of your business – for many of your customers, it IS your business. Treat it with the respect it deserves, and demand nothing less than excellence from the web design companies you work with.
Want an easy button? Check out Heroik’s Digital Overwatch Program – which depending on the selected option, can include UNLIMITED ongoing web design changes, backups, maintenance, hosting, and monthly data analytics reviews, all stored and organized in a convenient dashboard.
Maximizing the value of your investment in a web design company boils down to clarity, communication, and strategy. When you align your business goals with a company that understands your vision and works collaboratively to achieve it, the results can be transformative. From setting clear goals and prioritizing user experience to focusing on SEO and site speed, these strategies will ensure your website isn’t just a digital brochure, but a powerful tool for growth.
Want some more help?
Heroik offers a free tailor-made business roadmap to help you chart a strategic course NOW. We also offer a free project planning tool. Start with a plan and roadmap, then create your first key project. Then stick to the plan, adapt and pivot as necessary.
