Why Should You Contact an Agency for Web Design?

Currently, in the world of Digital First, your website is more than just an online business card, it is your “Salesperson” for 24/7, the “Headquarters” of your Brand, and the ultimate tool for Marketing your Company (Marketing Tool). Building a website may seem easy with a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) web builder; however, building a website page does not equate to designing a performing (High Performance) Online Asset. Therefore, hiring a professional Web Design/Development agency will go from being perceived as an expense to an investment necessary for your Company’s continued Growth and Credibility.

What follows is a detailed explanation as to why working with a professional agency is the best decision for your Company in terms of Growth and Credibility.

1. Your First Impression is Digital: You only have 50 milliseconds to make an impression.

As we have already noted, you only have one chance to make that first impression in person or online. According to a study conducted by the Google Research Team, it was found that a user makes an initial decision in less than 50 milliseconds (1/20th of a second).

• Availability of an Agency: When an agency designs your website, they do not only take into account how it will look. The first visitor to your website is critically important to an agency and how they deliver their message is critical. From the colors used to the images chosen, the user experience should be intuitive, and the value proposition should be clear so that the user feels professionally treated; studies have shown that 94% of users will not trust your site based on the design alone.

2. A customized strategic tool versus a pre-built template

DIY (Do It Yourself) templates provide a one-size-fits-all answer. A professional approach from a Web Design Company in Dubai ensures your website is tailored to your business strategy and market needs.

• Advantages of working with a professional agency: Professional agencies will take the time to discover your vision and your business objectives. What types of products do you sell? Who is your primary market? What are your primary competitors? If you are selling on the Internet and want to maximize the number of conversions, then you need to have a functional structure that leads the users through the conversion process. If you are a service-based business and want to generate leads, then you need to provide the users with an intuitive path through the lead generation process. If you are a portfolio site focused on building engagement, then your design will reflect that focus. Professional agencies will design all functional components of your site—from the placement of buttons to the location of the “Contact Us” form to help guide your users to take the action you desire.

3. Importance of User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) Design

Even though your website looks good, it may not be of much use to the user if he/she cannot get to where he/she wants on it. UX/UI Design encompasses the science that assists in developing an intuitive and seamless journey through a visitor’s experience with your website.

• As an agency, we have experts that focus on UX/UI Design. They create maps of the user’s journey, formulate a logical hierarchy of information on a site, and develop an interface that is easy to navigate, which helps to lower the bounce rate (because 38% of users will leave a website based on its content/layout) and maximize the time spent on the site, thereby positively impacting your site’s conversion rates.

4. Mobile-First Is A Must

Because mobile devices account for more than half of all web site visitors worldwide, having just a “mobile-friendly” website is not sufficient these days, and instead it should be built as a “mobile first” site.

• Professional agencies take this into consideration when designing their sites since their designers will create the site using the smallest screen size possible and then build up from there so that core content and functionality are always the main focus when designing a site, which helps to provide an optimal experience regardless of the user’s device. Also, Google continues to use this as an important part of their ranking algorithms.

5. Building a Foundation for Your Website’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Having an attractive website is pointless if no one finds it. SEO isn’t just about content; it’s also embedded in the code and structure of your website.

• When you work with an agency to create your website, they will use their knowledge of SEO best practices in the development of your website from the beginning. These practices include:

• Clean and Semantic Code – Allows search engines to easily find and index your website and makes it easier for your visitors to navigate.
• Optimized Core Web Vitals – Enables quick loading of a website and immediate response time, as well as visual stability (which are major factors in Google’s ranking).
• Proper Structure and Metadata – Creates an intelligible logical structure for your website so that search engines can interpret it properly.
• Links – Though links are a separate service (usually provided by dedicated SEO companies), a properly constructed website will have a good foundation for a successful link-building campaign.

6. Future Growth & Support.

Your business will continue to change and grow as it develops, which means that your website must be able to continue to keep up with that growth.

• When working with an agency to develop your website, you can be assured that they will build a scalable website using a strong platform (i.e. WordPress) which allows your website to continue to expand along with your business. Agencies also provide ongoing support for your website by regularly performing security updates, plugin management and backups; providing peace of mind for the investments you’ve made in your website by protecting against hackers, bugs, and other vulnerabilities, as well as providing peace of mind by knowing you have access to support, in case of emergencies.

7. Consistent branding on all platforms

The website is your main channel for presenting your brand. It needs to have the same look and feel as all of your online marketing efforts, including print marketing and any offline presence.

• Agency Advantage: While a freelancer may only concentrate on coding, an agency will usually have in-house resources for developing branding and/or work with experienced branding professionals. They will create a well-designed logo, color palette, typography, and brand voice that are consistently presented on your website, thus enhancing your brand’s recognition and reliability.

What is the agency engagement process?

Agencies typically work with clients through collaborative processes (rather than just through transactions). The agency process typically includes the following:

1.  Discovery & Strategy: These are discussions to clarify the goals, target audience, and key performance indicators for the client’s success, guided by a trusted Digital Marketing Company in Dubai.
2. Wireframes & Architecture: Creating a wireframe, or “blueprint”, of how the site will look and function without using design elements that could distract from the actual colours, layout and function of the final product.
3. Visual Design & Branding: This involves using your company’s branding or logo on your wireframe to make a mock-up of the site to represent how the final product will look.
4. Development & Coding: This involves creating the actual web site based on the approved designs.
5. Testing & Quality Assurance: This process includes performing extensive testing of the site on multiple devices and browsers, as well as verifying that all forms, links and other site functions work correctly.
6. Launch & Training: Once the site is completed, it will be launched and you will receive training on how to create, edit and manage the content on a daily basis.
7. Ongoing Support & Analytics: After launch, the agency will offer clients support packages as well as review site performance data to make improvements in the future.

Final Thoughts: A Website for your Business is an Investment

Although hiring a freelance designer or creating your website using a do-it-yourself website builder may appear to save you money initially, the associated management and support costs of running a slow/poorly designed/insecure website in terms of lost sales, lost credibility, and continuous repairs substantially exceed the original costs. By choosing to work with a professional website development agency you have the benefit of a full-team approach and the expertise of the agency on your side to build a strong digital asset for your business that works hard for you every day, creates leads for your business, establishes your credibility, and helps you grow your business over time.