The website is a work of art that shows the image of the company to the world. It needs to be beautiful, consistent, and functional. Choosing the best and most reliable web professional or agency to entrust with the creation of this work of art is one of the dilemmas during the evaluation of quotes and, even before that, in the selection of professionals to keep in touch with.
Fake professionals, very good at selling themselves and not very good at digital marketing, have unfortunately leveled down this sector. But quality exists and must be recognized. When choosing a supplier, experience and skills of those who choose are important and it is difficult to provide scientific rules that are always effective. However, I have collected some tips and clues that let us understand if we have a professional or a barker in front of us.
Freelancer or agency
Who to choose between a freelancer and a web agency? The former is certainly cheaper, but the latter offers greater guarantees of stability and assistance. Usually, on the freelancer’s side there is more convenience and on the agency side there is more reliability. But that is not always the case.
If the business is small and it is necessary to keep costs under control, perhaps choosing a freelancer is the best option, but this must be picked very carefully, trying to establish a long collaboration and not limited to the creation of the website. The professional should almost become part of the business. If the company is large and organized, it is almost forced to choose an agency with a good team of professionals, which is able to guarantee reliability.
What skills does a web professional need to have?
To build a website, you need technical development, IT, graphic design, SEO, copywriting, strategic marketing skills. No one has all these skills together, and anyone who says otherwise is lying. If you rely on a freelancer, find out in which of these aspects they are stronger and choose the one that best suits your project. A good agency, on the other hand, should have valid professionals, able to cover all these aspects.
No one can do everything, get a second opinion
Those who run a business are very good at their job, but they don’t necessarily have to know the dynamics of digital marketing. Keeping in touch with an expert is the best solution to get help in choosing a service provider, especially in an area where there is a huge amount of offers, many of which are of poor quality.
An organized company should have people on staff with digital marketing and code skills, able to communicate on an equal footing with the partner agency and to control every step from website building to its maintenance. A smaller business should have at least one experienced consultant who is trusted and not competing with the agency, to get a second opinion and guide the website building.
A web professional without a website is not a professional
What about a web professional or agency without a website? This is the first wake-up call that should lead us to show them the door. Nowadays, web services like WordPress allow a professional to make a basic website in no time. Those who don’t even have a page to introduce themselves, probably don’t believe enough in what they are trying to sell you. I wouldn’t trust them.
Always ask for case histories
Search the website for case histories, or ask the professional for examples of previous work, so you can assess if his style and way of thinking reflect your reality. A professional can decide not to reveal his clients, but he always has the opportunity to anonymously tell some examples related with the requested activity.
First on Google: a false promise
Always be suspicious of those who offer you the first position on Google and search engines. What exactly does “First on Google” mean? First for which keyword? Being first for the brand name is very easy, first in the organic search for “best shoes” you will never be. The promise is therefore very vague.
The idea is also wrong from another point of view. Google’s algorithm is always looking for the best results for a search, beginning from a wide range of signals. Positions in SERPs are constantly changing. Even for a more realistic query, it is not possible to guarantee the first position and, above all, always maintain it. In short, anyone who makes you a proposal of this type is a barker! There are other metrics that define success from a SEO point ov view.
If it goes beyond a simple template, it could be a good pro
Fortunately, there are not only fake web-dudes and scammers, but also serious and good professionals, with a broad vision of the web project. Are they knowledgeable about your business? Do they ask you relevant questions to dig deeper? Are they obsessed with data analysis? Don’t they stop at a simple template, but wonder how they can modify it to make it unique to you? You’re probably dealing with real professionals. Listen to them and consider their proposal.
The right web professional for you
Web-dudes, there are too many of them. There are fewer good web professionals, but you can spot them with the tips above. The right web expert for you is not easy to find, but it exists. In addition to being good, he must share the same vision and must be in tune. He doesn’t need to be experts in your industry (you’ll be the one driving), but he should have a genuine interest and a lot of curiosity.
May I be the web expert for you? Write to me and we’ll find out.
