How to Outsource Your Web Design Needs with Confidence

1. Saves You Time 

From planning and idea generation to execution and maintenance, web design can take lots of time. When outsourcing, you can leverage a knowledgeable web team to complete your website faster at a higher quality. 

Web design companies, for example, usually know the timelines of website completion, including graphic design, copywriting, special web coding, and more. 

With this time saved, you can focus on other important areas of your company without being pulled in too many directions. 

2. It Shapes Initial Perceptions 

94% of first impressions relate to your site’s web design.

An outstanding website creates a positive first impression that hooks your traffic and potential buyers.

Think about it, it’s hard for visitors to look through your products and services, blogs, and testimonials if your website puts them off. Some examples that cause visitors to bounce off quickly include:

• Slow loading times (can be caused by uncompressed images, bulky code, too many redirects, etc.)
• Poor website and logo design 
• Non-mobile friendly menus (92.3% of internet users access the internet using a mobile phone.)
• Inefficient navigation and user experience 

As visitors stay on your website longer, they’re more likely to take a favorable action that benefits your company (filling out a form, scheduling a call, making a purchase, etc.)

3. Builds Credibility 

 75% of your site’s credibility comes from its design. 

Credibility is one of the most crucial elements to convey from the get-go. 

You could have the best product in the world, but customers may be more hesitant to convert without feeling your credibility. 

Fortunately, credibility in a website is built in multiple ways:

• Having educational content that established thought leadership
• Professional website design
• Professional marketing materials 
• Excellent testimonials

With more credibility, your brand enhances its authority and builds more perceived value in the eyes of your target audience. 

4. Better User Experience

In today’s age, websites are expected to load quickly. 

Clunkiness and slow loading times are signs of a poor user experience. 

Your website’s job is to educate, nurture, and help convert traffic into action. If too many people abandon your website before they can gain value – your website will fall short of its purpose.

Outsourcing your web design can come at any stage of a business. 

Here are some examples of when outsourcing web design is crucial:

• Lack of in-house web designers – If your company doesn’t have designers present, outsourcing can be an intelligent way to access designers faster and cost-efficiently. 
• One-time web design projects – One-off projects are less expensive when outsourced than when an in-house team member does it. 
• Limited budget – Outsourcing may be a better option if you’re on a limited budget for the quarter. With a cost-efficient website, your company has a new or better asset for attracting revenue. 

Limited time – Website design requires project management, website systems understanding, design knowledge, and more. Even if you understand these topics, implementing them can take time. Outsourcing is the perfect choice if you want to save hours.

Once you’ve decided to outsource, the next question is usually whether hiring an agency or freelancers makes more sense. 

Here are the pros and cons of both approaches.

Agencies

Pros:

• Tested web design processes – Agencies usually have protocols to make onboarding, web design, and customer satisfaction as efficient and professional as possible.
• More service capabilities – Agencies can serve more marketing needs outside of web design due to having a bigger team. 
• More support – Agencies have more resources to provide support, whether it’s account managers, progress portals, or satisfaction guarantees 

Cons:

• Bigger agencies can be more costly – Some companies opt for smaller boutique design agencies for this reason. 
• Miscommunication – With a bigger operation, miscommunication on deliverables, website needs, and due dates may happen.

Freelancers

Pros:

• Affordability – Freelancers often cost less than agencies due to them being individual contractors, as opposed to a full team.
• Flexibility – Freelancers can accommodate more needs and adapt more to timelines and protocols 

Cons:

• Lack of experience – Freelancers often have less experience than agencies, which can cause work quality issues. Finding talented and experienced freelancers will require evaluating past work and their testimonials.
• Lesser capabilities – Due to a lesser experience and workforce, freelancers may lack the ability to offer more services to your company. 
• Longer completion timelines – Freelancers may need more time to finish projects based on the scope size compared to an agency. This could be due to bandwidth, experience, web design knowledge, or lack thereof. 
• Trust – Freelancers may require more vetting to ensure work quality. This may take up more time compared to reputable agencies.

Here’s a simple 6-step process for outsourcing web design.

1. Understand What Your Website Needs 

Create a list of the features, pages, graphics, copy, and menus your website needs. In this process, consider the customer journey and what helps them gain the most value from visiting your website and moving down your marketing funnel. 

There are a few ways you can come up with website needs:

• Visiting competitors’ websites and noting what they do right (ex., page structures, colors, forms, menus, copy, graphics, etc.)
• Asking your customers what their ideal customer experience looks like 
• Making note of proven SEO practices (keyword research for title tags, better linking, blog sections, etc.)

2. Store Your Notes

Next, store your notes on your website’s needs. This will help you stay organized and give the agency or freelancer you hire essential information. 

You can store your notes in a digital folder using Google Drive, Dropbox, or your CRM. When you hire your web design expert(s), you can share this folder with them for easy access. 

3. Look For Agencies Or Freelancers 

It’s now time to search for talented web designers, and there are a host of ways to do so:

• An online freelancer marketplace like Upwork, Fiverr, or Remote
• Social Media using Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook Groups (look for agencies or freelancers that post knowledgeable content.)
• Listing Websites like Clutch, Credo, and Agency Spotter

3. Evaluate Pricing 

Consider the rates and packages of the web designers you evaluate. 

Think about what’s included, and ask about what isn’t. Understanding the scope of work ensures that your website gets completed to your standards and on time. 

Web design can cost anywhere between $100-$5000+

4. Choose A Web Design Partner 

After seeing many web designer options, choose a partner that best fits your website needs at the rate that works best with your budget. 

One of the best ways to make your decision easier is by finding past clients your design partner has worked with. Look for past clients in your industry or with the end product (website) you want.

Outsourcing website design has the potential to save you time and money in the long run while ensuring leads and customers have better user experiences.

However, web design can take up more time and resources when not outsourced to the best professionals. 

Fortunately, Compellify helps companies avoid these pitfalls with premium web design services at exceptional rates based on your needs. 

The best part is that Compelify grows with your company creatively by offering other vital services like copywriting, video editing, content writing, project management, marketing, and more. 

Interested in learning more about Compelify? Contact us today for a web design or creative project quote.