How to Choose the Web Development Company that You Need

Web development companies are a dime a dozen these days. Everywhere you look, you are inundated with web design and development offers, all claiming to be able to help you build the “perfect” website. The reality however is that some web development companies are better than others.

It’s not just about their claims, but in the evidence that they have. This is why if you’re looking for the best web development company in Jacksonville, you will need to vet many web development companies in Jacksonville or its surrounding areas before choosing one.

To make it easier for you though, here’s what you need to look out for to choose the right web development company to build your website.

Portfolio and References

One of the first proofs that a web development company has is its slew of successfully completed web development projects that are well liked by

• The clients
• The clients’ audience
• The web design company.

I intentionally arranged it in that order because there are web development companies that are often very pleased with their designs and website structure while their clients aren’t.

Then there are those projects where the client and the web development company like the results but the audience thinks otherwise (you’ll often notice this from the high bounce rates and little or no website/audience interactivity), and lastly, you have those where all three parties love the website.

This is the hallmark of a great website. If that kind of result is common among the web development company's portfolio, then you should hire them.

Ability to Build World Class Sites

By world class, I mean universally acceptable websites. These are websites that render properly on all devices and look good doing so. We’re talking fantastic looking websites that look professional and good. Many websites these days render poorly on many mobile devices.

This has many negative implications, two of which are lower search engine rankings and lower revenue. This happens because the search engines are generally dropping websites with poor rendering capacities on mobile devices for those websites that are optimized for mobile and every other device.

Secondly, many people are now checking out local businesses on their mobile devices before even visiting the businesses or ordering anything from them.  So, your website has to render across multiple devices without lacking anything and only a good web development company can make that happen.

Reasonable Affordability

This doesn’t necessarily mean they are cheap, it just means their rates won’t burn a deep hole in your pocket. Nothing says a great looking website needs to be cheap –virtually impossible- or ridiculously expensive. There can always be a middle ground of sorts where the web development company’s rates are affordable. So, compare the rates select web development sites and then make your conclusions from that.

Focus on Usability and Design

Seasoned and highly qualified web development firms often place a premium on usability and design. There is often a sweet spot between these two; that’s what the firm’s focus will be on. There’s no point in having a sharp-looking website only to find that users can’t find what they want in less than 10 seconds (some even recommend five clicks or less which means in less than 5 seconds). Your website must be able to deliver on both.

Knowledgeable and Experience

There’s a clear difference between these two elements. A web designer might know everything about Adobe CS3, CSS or XHTML and yet not be able to correctly apply what he knows. The difference between a great web development company in Jacksonville and a good one is that the former knows how to apply what he knows to the client’s website to get maximum results. Look for this in your web development company if you want to get the best from your website.