Hiring a Web Development Agency: The A-Z Guide

Hiring a Web Development Agency: The A-Z Guide

So, you have to hire a web dev organisation? To make your first site start from the earliest stage? Or give your dated site an all-out update. Whatever your reasons, picking the right agency is essential. Your site is the virtual essence of your business.

This top-to-bottom guide covers everything you need to think about hiring a web development agency – from understanding what they do to vetting possibilities, setting a budget, and managing the undertaking.

How about we dive in?

What Does a Web Development Agency Do?

At the most basic level, a web development company is responsible for designing, building and launching websites and web applications for clients. But in reality, it’s much more than that. 

The top agencies work as strategic partners that closely collaborate with you to learn about your business, goals, target audience and needs. Then they strategise, create plans, and design a website that delivers the best possible user experience and drives desired outcomes. What good agencies offer is a full range of services covering all phases of web development:

Look, before you even think about the details, you need to know who’s out there. Not all agencies are cut from the same cloth.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all game. Getting the right type of partner from the start saves a world of pain later.

Full-Service Digital Agencies

These are the big all-rounders. The one-stop shops. They don’t just build you a website; they’ll help you market it, get it seen on Google, run your ads, the whole works.

If you want a partner to handle your entire online world, from creation to promotion, this is probably your best bet. They’re good for businesses that need an integrated strategy and want one point of contact for everything digital.

Boutique Web Design Agencies

Think of these as the specialists, the artisans. They’re usually smaller teams that are absolutely obsessed with design, user experience, and creating something that looks stunning.

They’re not just building a site; they’re crafting a piece of art that works beautifully. If your brand is all about aesthetics and you want a website that breaks the mould, a boutique agency could be the perfect fit. They live for that stuff.

eCommerce Specialists

Right, if you’re selling products online, you need people who live and breathe eCommerce. It’s a completely different kettle of fish.

These agencies know platforms like Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce inside and out. They get the complexities of payment gateways, stock management, and, most importantly, how to turn a browser into a buyer. Don’t hire a generalist to do a specialist’s job here.

Enterprise-Level Development Firms

This is the top tier, the heavy hitters. They work with massive corporations on incredibly complex projects.

We’re talking custom web applications, huge database integrations, and systems that have to be ridiculously secure and scalable. Frankly, if you’re a small or medium-sized business, you won’t need this level of firepower. And you definitely won’t want the price tag that comes with it.

Discovery & Strategy

• Researching your industry, competitors and users
• Defining objectives, requirements and project roadmap
• Information architecture planning and user journey mapping
• Content strategy development and messaging framework creation

Web Design

• User experience (UX) design
• User interface (UI) design
• Prototyping
• Visual Design: Branding/Identity Creation, Graphics Production
• Ensure an intuitive look & feel across touchpoints

Web Development

• Custom website development from scratch or CMS-based solutions like WordPress
• Client-side/front-end coding – HTML5/CSS3/JS, etc.
• Server-side/back-end programming – PHP/Python/Ruby etc.
• Database integration & third-party API usage
• Responsive web development for mobile friendliness
• Cross-browser compatible coding/testing
• Security implementation + caching / CDN / speed optimisations etc.

Quality Assurance

• Testing across multiple browsers/devices/environments/scenarios, etc.
• Bug catching + troubleshooting potential issues through thorough testing cycles.
• Compliance with standards + best practices in code quality assurance

Launch & Maintenance

• Hosting setup – domain registration – email accounts configuration, etc.
• Website migration content population from the old site to the new one if necessary
• SEO optimisation during the launch phase
• Training on how to update or manage the site internally
• Ongoing support after completion, including updates, backups, security fixes, monitoring uptime, guarantees response times, SLA agreements

Why Hire a Professional Web Development Agency?

It is essential for almost all businesses to maintain a strong online presence to stay up to date. However, this raises the question of whether you should build your business website, hire freelancers, or work with a professional web development company.

The advantages of doing it yourself (DIY) or hiring cheap freelancers may be tempting, but significant risks are also attached. Excellent websites demand expertise in design, development, SEO, and security, among other areas. This means that you also need someone with good project management skills.

Below are some compelling reasons why you should contact an experienced web development firm:

Knowledge and Resources

Usually, professional agencies have teams of designers and developers who are highly skilled and passionate about their work. They possess the technical know-how to build sites using current coding practices, frameworks, architectures, etc.

Apart from these abilities, they also come armed with premium tools, technologies, and resources that may not be affordable for individuals or small teams.

Time-Saving and Cost-Effective

Becoming proficient in web design takes several years of training and hands-on experience. Suppose your organisation needs such employees on its payroll.

In that case, engaging amateurs (freelancers) or adopting the DIY approach can prove a costly mistake, because the chances are high that more time will be wasted trying to fix mistakes arising from incompetence than if experts were hired at once.

On the other hand, having well-established systems backed up by solid track records earned over many successful projects completed within stipulated periods, professional agencies save both money and time, thus sparing clients unnecessary headaches.

Higher Quality Standards User Experience (UX)

Any given site’s success hinges on user experience; hence, this aspect cannot be overlooked when designing websites, lest we want visitors bouncing off as soon as they land there, resulting in abandoned carts and lost sales leads, among other adverse outcomes associated with poor-quality UX design.

Reputable establishments boast UX designers who will customise sites to fit buyers’ journey needs while ensuring easy understanding by all potential users.

They also prioritise performance tuning, accessibility enhancements, and the integration of technical SEO best practices right from the beginning, rather than treating them as afterthoughts during development.

Long-Term Value Support

Web pages built by professional developers are usually scalable due to the adoption of modular code, which facilitates gradual improvements over time without much hassle when new features are added or existing ones require updating; additionally, basic training is commonly included, enabling self-sufficiency for minor content changes.

In future, whenever significant alterations become necessary, one can always approach the same experts who were initially involved, thereby eliminating retraining costs, among others associated with bringing different people up to speed about a given site’s unique characteristics, thus implying that an ROI (Return on Investment) standpoint it only makes sense to invest into such agencies while aiming for greater returns in terms of increased conversions etc.

What to Look For When Hiring a Web Dev Agency

So you’ve decided to let the professionals handle your web project – good choice! But how do you choose the right development agency when there are so many out there?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but here are some things to consider.

Skills & Specialisation

Write down a list of required skills and services based on what you need for your project. Do you require e-commerce functionality? Custom web applications? Mobile responsiveness?

Look for agencies that specialise in those areas. Whether you’re working with an in-house team or a nearshore software development company is equally important.

Also, check if the agency has previously worked with clients in your industry. They will be more familiar with the challenges and user expectations.

Quality Portfolio & Testimonials

An agency’s past work and client reviews speak volumes. Look at their portfolio – does the quality vary across different industries, or do all sites look cookie-cutter? Are the designs modern, professional, and user-friendly?

Ask for testimonials or case studies focusing on user experience (UX), delivered results (ROI), or building successful client relationships. It’s important to hear from someone other than just them!

Effective Communication

Web development involves constant communication throughout a project’s life cycle. The agency should be great at listening, explaining technical concepts clearly (without jargon), setting expectations up-front, and updating regularly.

It might signify future things if they don’t respond within 48 hours during your initial conversations.

Established Processes

Experienced agencies have documented processes for every stage: discovery, design, development, testing/launching – even ongoing support/maintenance. This level of organisation saves time, ensures everyone knows what’s expected, keeps things transparent, and holds people accountable…you get peace of mind!

For example, we use an Agile framework with defined sprints and progress tracking via project management tools like Trello or Asana, as well as weekly status meetings with stakeholders.

Post-Launch Plans

Think beyond just building the website itself. Who will maintain it? Where will it be hosted? What about updating software/plugins/themes for security reasons? These are all critical questions to ask.

Make sure they offer training for your team (content management system), have monthly/annual website care plans available, keep an eye on things with 24/7 security monitoring, perform routine backups should anything go wrong, and so on.

Ongoing Support

This ties into the last point: websites are never “done” – they’re living, breathing entities that need love and attention to stay healthy as technology/trends evolve. Find out how they handle support requests after a site goes live.

Do you get assigned a dedicated account manager who knows your business inside and out, or do you have to call/email a general inbox? What’s their typical response time?

Security Protocols & Best Practices

Here’s something you can’t afford to skim over. A security breach can absolutely wreck your business, destroy customer trust, and land you in a whole heap of legal trouble.

So you need to grill potential agencies on how they’ll keep your site locked down. Don’t just take their word for it that they “take security seriously.” Ask them some direct questions:

• Do they follow secure coding standards, such as the OWASP Top 10? This is a list of the most common web application security risks. If they don’t know what it is, that’s a massive red flag.
• How do they handle data encryption? Your customer data needs to be protected, both when it’s being sent over the internet (in transit) and when it’s stored on a server (at rest).
• What’s their plan for security audits and testing? A good agency will be doing regular vulnerability scans and even penetration testing to find weak spots before the bad guys do.
• What happens if things go wrong? Ask about their disaster recovery plan. How quickly can they get you back online after an attack? Do they have an incident response team?

Their answers will tell you everything you need to know about how seriously they take this stuff.

Company Culture & Chemistry

Last but certainly not least: does their company culture align with yours? This might seem fluffy, but hear us out. You’ll be working closely with these folks for at least several months!

Are conversations natural/easy or awkward/stilted? Are they genuinely excited about the possibility of collaborating on this project – even passionate?

Chemistry is essential in any client-service provider relationship; trust your gut.

The Agency Interview: 5 Questions You Must Ask

Don’t just look at their portfolio; look at their brains. Use these questions to smoke out “sales-heavy” agencies that lack technical depth.

1. “Can you walk me through a project that failed or went significantly over budget?”
   • What to look for: Honesty and a breakdown of how they fixed the process.
2. “What is your ‘Agile’ cadence? Do we have weekly Sprints or bi-weekly Demos?”
   • What to look for: A structured methodology like Scrum. If they say “we just build it and show you at the end,” run.
3. “Who exactly will be on my account?”
   • What to look for: Names of the Lead Developer and Project Manager. Beware of agencies that use a “Senior” to sell the project but hand the work to “Juniors”.
4. “How do you handle API integrations with my existing CRM (like Salesforce or HubSpot)?”
   • What to look for: Technical confidence in data mapping and middleware.
5. “What is your ‘Bus Factor’?”
   • What to look for: If the lead developer gets hit by a bus (or leaves the company), is the documentation clear enough for someone else to take over instantly?

Crafting a Detailed Request for Proposal (RFP)

Alright, you’ve got a shortlist of promising agencies. Now what? You can’t just ring them up and ask, “How much for a website?”

You’ll get quotes that are all over the place because they’re all quoting for different things.

You need to send out a Request for Proposal, or RFP. The whole point of an RFP is to get everyone to quote on the exact same project.

It forces clarity on your side and lets you actually compare their proposals fairly. A good RFP doesn’t have to be a novel, but it does need to be detailed. Here’s what you should include:

• Company Overview: A quick bit about who you are, what you do, and who your customers are. Give them some context.
• Project Goals: What is this website for? Don’t just say “to look better”. Be specific. Are you trying to increase online sales by 40%? Generate 200 new leads a month? Spell it out.
• Detailed Scope of Work: This is the meat of it. List every single feature and function you need. An online shop, a booking system, a blog, integration with your sales software, everything. The more detail, the better.
• Technical Requirements: Do you have any specific tech needs? Maybe it needs to be built on WordPress or hosted on a particular server. Put it all in here. Also mention any accessibility or data protection standards you need to meet, like GDPR.
• Budget and Timeline: Don’t be cagey about the budget or timeline. Giving them a realistic range saves everyone a load of time. It filters out the agencies you can’t afford and helps the others propose a realistic solution. Also, tell them your ideal launch date.
• Submission Guidelines: Finally, tell them how and when you want their proposal back. A clear deadline and format make your life a lot easier when you’re trying to compare five different documents.

Putting in the effort here will pay off big time. You’ll get better quotes and find a better partner. Guaranteed.

The Financials: Beyond the Initial Quote

When hiring a web development agency, the “build cost” is only the tip of the iceberg. To avoid budget blowouts, you must understand the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over a three-year cycle.

Avoiding “Scope Creep”

The primary reason projects exceed their budget is Scope Creep—the gradual addition of features not in the original Request for Proposal (RFP). Ensure your agency uses a “Change Request” process. This means every new idea is costed and approved separately, keeping the core project on track.

The Website Development Process

So you’ve found and hired your ideal web development partner – fantastic! But what exactly happens next? While processes vary across agencies, here’s a general overview of the typical web dev lifecycle:

1) Discovery and Planning

First, the agency will want to learn everything about your business, target audience, competitors, objectives and requirements for the new website. This discovery phase aligns everyone’s expectations through activities like:

• Kickoff meetings and stakeholder interviews
• Reviewing your existing site’s performance
• Competitive analysis and user research
• Technical audits and requirement gathering
• Defining the project scope, sitemap and user stories

The output is a comprehensive strategy document mapping out the overarching plan, milestones and KPIs guiding the rest of the project.

2) Web Design

With a clear roadmap in hand, the agency’s UI/UX designers get to work crafting the perfect user experience and visual identity for your new website through:

• Information architecture (IA) and user flows
• Wireframing layouts and key interface elements
• Branding and visual design (logos, colours, typography etc.)
• Interactive prototypes for client feedback and approval

The end design deliverable is a comprehensive set of finalised mockups that lay the aesthetic and functional foundation for development.

3) Website Development

Developers take those approved designs and coded brand elements and start transforming them into a fully functioning website through:

• Architecting the overall technical solution
• Programming the front-end code, markup and styling
• Integrating back-end functionality and databases
• Custom coding features, plugins and third-party tools
• Optimisation for performance, SEO and accessibility

Typically, development follows an Agile-esque methodology with the work split across multiple sprints. The agency provides staging environments for you to test functionality throughout.

4) Testing and Launch

With the bulk of development complete, comprehensive quality assurance (QA) testing kicks in to identify and squash any bugs, errors or functionality issues through:

• Cross-browser compatibility checks
• Mobile/responsiveness testing across devices
• User acceptance testing and debugging
• Performance and stress testing
• Accessibility and security audits

Once finalised and you’ve signed off, the agency handles everything for the big website launch:

• Setting up production hosting and domain configurations
• Data migration and populating with your actual content
• Submitting a sitemap to Google and other launch SEO tasks
• Making the new site publicly live and accessible!

5) Training and Maintenance

Even after launch, a professional agency provides supporting services:

• Thoroughly training your staff on how to use the CMS and make essential updates
• Web hosting, security monitoring and routine backups
• Analytics setup and reporting
• Scheduled maintenance windows for updates and improvements
• Retainer plans for ongoing development needs

Of course, this process can get far more granular based on your project’s complexity, requirements and the agency’s specific approach. But you can expect close collaboration and regular communication every step of the way.

Managing Your Web Dev Project Effectively

Alright, the agency is building your new site – but as the client, your role isn’t just sitting back. The most successful web development projects involve proactive client leadership and effective management.

To keep things running smoothly:

Assign Project Champions

Identify one or two people from your organisation who own the client-side project management. They should have decision-making authority and be responsible for:

• Coordinating internally across your teams/stakeholders
• Acting as the primary agency point(s) of contact
• Reviewing/approving deliverables and keeping things on track

This streamlines communication and ensures nothing gets lost in translation between too many cooks in the kitchen.

Leverage Project Management Tools

Consider leveraging a shared project management platform both teams can use, like Asana or Trello. These centralise all assets, conversations, deadlines and more in one accessible hub.

Your agency should have internal systems, too, but a collaborative client-facing portal keeps everyone aligned.

Prioritise Clear Communication

From day one, open and frequent communication is paramount. Ask questions. Discuss contingencies. Don’t let little things become big fires.

Set a cadence for recurring status meetings – weekly, bi-weekly or whatever makes sense for your timeline. Use these checkpoints to discuss progress, challenges, next steps and pivots as needed.

Make Prompt Feedback a Priority

Agencies need your prompt reviews and approvals to keep the development train chugging along. Don’t let “approval purgatory” bring everything to a grinding halt!

Make feedback a priority, and consolidate stakeholder comments before sharing concise revision notes. Having to chase down multiple conflicting sources wastes time.

Embrace Change (Reasonably)

Even with stellar upfront planning, changes always arise in web projects as real-world realities come into focus. Things will pivot, so maintain a flexible mindset.

However, significant scope changes can threaten timelines and budgets, so prioritise thoroughly vetting requirements early. Then, only embrace “nice-to-have” changes insofar as schedules and budgets allow.

Tap Their Strategic Expertise

Your agency’s web veterans have seen and done it all many times. So leverage their experience! Don’t just treat them as code factories.

Engage them early for strategic guidance, from best practices and new tech capabilities to user experience and SEO. Their perspectives and forward-thinking can strengthen your entire web strategy.

Allow for the Process

Building a first-rate website from scratch takes time – there are no cutting corners for quality work. Don’t rush the agency or demand unrealistic turnarounds; this only breeds mistakes and headaches.

Remember, an iterative process with recalibrations along the way is entirely normal, so trust in the agency’s proven process and timelines. A little patience goes a long way.

Following these principles, you can establish a cohesive, productive client-agency partnership and keep your web dev project running like a well-oiled machine!

Why Hiring A Web Development Agency Is Worth It

We’ve covered a ton of ground, from budgeting and vetting agencies through the nitty-gritty project lifecycle and management best practices.

Handing your website over to professionals requires time, money and energy. So, is it worth it versus DIYing or bargain freelancing?

Investing in a proven web development agency pays dividends and should be viewed as a growth strategy rather than a sunk cost. Here’s why:

For starters, a stellar website is indispensable for any modern business trying to:

• Grow brand awareness and credibility
• Attract new leads and customers
• Sell products/services online
• Provide value to existing customers
• Establish a competitive digital presence
• Drive measurable business results

Your website is often the first experience people have with your brand. Does your current site reflect positivity and compel visitors to convert? Or does it scream outdated and amateur?

A professional website demonstrates you take your business seriously.

More importantly, established web agencies build websites as strategic business assets from the ground up:

• Baked-in search engine optimisation for visibility
• Optimised for accessibility, performance and conversions
• Integrated seamlessly with tools like CRMs, analytics and automation
• Crafted for superior usability tailored to your audience’s needs
• Scalable code foundations to grow and adapt long-term

In other words, your website is an investment in setting your business up for long-term success in our digital-first world.

And sure, you could cobble something together for cheaper. But will it achieve your goals and provide ROI? Or just look unprofessional and become another project perpetually stuck on your to-do list?

A professional web development agency removes those headaches and executes your digital vision from concept to launch – allowing you to focus on actually running your business.

So, if you’re serious about growing online with a modern, high-performing website that delivers value year over year, leap and invest in a web dev partner. In the long run, it’s well worth it.

Web Dev Agency FAQs

There you have it – all the essentials for hiring the right web development agency for your business! Ready to take that next step in elevating your digital presence? Start vetting your potential partners today.