Now a days every business, small or big, wants to be online because majority of the customers first search on Google before they visit any shop or office. And when someone search for a service and your website comes up, the first impression is made by the design and how fast the page loads. So picking the right website designing company to build that website is not a small decision. If you are looking for website designing in Ranchi, you will find many agencies and freelancers in the city, and most of them will tell you that they are the best.

Having said that, not every company will understand your business in the same way. Let me tell you 8 things that you should check before you hand over your project to anyone.

1. Check Their Portfolio Properly

The first thing you should ask for is their previous work. A good company will happily show you the websites they have made for other clients. But dont just look at the screenshots they send on WhatsApp, open the live websites on your mobile also and see how they load and how easy it is to find the services page or the contact details. Suppose a company has made websites only for restaurants and your business is a coaching institute, then it is better to ask if they have worked on something similar to your field before.

2. Understand Which Platform They Use

Now this is where WordPress (most popular CMS) comes into the picture. Most of the businesses today prefer wordpress because it is easy to update content without calling the developer every single time. If you are looking for wordpress design services, ask the company whether they build a custom theme or just install a ready made theme and change the logo and colors. Both can work, but custom work usually performs better and looks more unique. Some agencies also build websites in plain HTML, which is fine for a very small website but adding new pages later becomes difficult for the owner.

3. Ask About Mobile Friendly Design

Since more than half of the traffic today comes from mobile phones, a website that looks good only on a laptop does not do the job anymore. Ask them to show how their previous websites look on different screen sizes. Buttons should be easy to tap, text should be readable without zooming, and the menu should open properly. Google also gives preference to mobile friendly websites in the search results, so this is a big plus point for your rankings also.

4. Check If They Know Basic SEO

A beautiful website that nobody finds is of no use to you. When its about SEO, the design company should at least take care of the basics like proper page titles, meta descriptions, clean URL structure, image alt tags and fast loading speed. Many companies only do the design part and leave SEO completely, and then the owner wonder why the website is not coming on Google even after six months. My suggestion is to work with an SEO company in Ranchi that has good experience in designing website. But ask them directly what SEO setup is included in the package before you pay the advance.

5. Website Speed and Hosting

Speed is something people dont think about until the website is live. If a page takes more than three or four seconds to open, visitors simply go back and click on the next result. Ask the company where they will host the website and whether they compress the images and use caching. Some agencies give cheap shared hosting with the package which slows down the website after few months, so better to clarify this at the start itself.

6. Transparent Pricing and No Hidden Costs

Website pricing can vary a lot. One company may quote ₹8,000 and another may say ₹40,000 for what sounds like the same website. The difference usually comes from the number of pages, custom design, plugins, content writing and support period. Ask for a written quotation that clearly mentions what is included and what is not. Domain, hosting, premium plugins and SSL certificate are some things that are sometimes charged extra also, and many owners only come to know about it after the work has started.

7. Support and Maintenance After Launch

A website is not a one time work. Plugins need regular updates, security issues comes up from time to time, and you will want to add new offers or photos as your business grows. Ask the company how long they will give free support after the launch and what their charges are after that. A local company for website designing in Ranchi has one advantage here that you can actually visit their office if something goes wrong, which is not really possible when you hire someone sitting in another city.

8. Communication and Understanding of Your Business

At the end of the day, the company you choose should listen to you properly. In the first meeting itself, a good designer will ask about your customers, your competitors and what you want people to do when they land on your website, whether its calling you, filling a form or booking an appointment. If the company only talks about colors and animations and not about your business goals, then it is better to speak with few more agencies before you decide.

Choosing the right partner takes some time, but it saves you a lot of money and headache later on. Whether you need a simple five page business website or complete wordpress design services with a blog and booking system, keep these points in mind while you are talking to different agencies. And dont go only by the lowest price, because a website that actually brings you customers is worth spending a little more on.