Reading PA Web Design Firms – How to Pick the Right One?

Although Reading, PA is not a large city, it is home to a surprising number of web design firms. So how can a business owner in Reading or the surrounding areas of Lancaster, Allentown, Philadelphia and Harrisburg be sure to select the right web design company? Let’s face it – many business owners have legitimate concerns about throwing money down a technological black hole while chasing the elusive sales and marketing goals their website should be designed to support! The deeply high-tech nature of today’s web design tools and methodologies can easily get the business owner lost in a fog of techno-babble when the web design conversation focuses on technology instead of results.

With that caveat in mind, here are some things to consider when selecting a web design company:

In short, it’s all about you, so start by seeking a web design partner who truly seeks to understand your business, your challenges, and your needs.

If the discussion is focused on technology, or how great their web design firm is then run away fast! Why? Because otherwise you risk hiring someone whose goal is technology-oriented instead of solution-oriented. Seek someone whose goal is to thoroughly understand your business and how your current online presence measures up against your competitors in order to establish a baseline, serving as a starting point for determining what it will take to meet your web design goals.

Once your web design partner has a thorough understanding of your business needs, the challenges you face, and the strength of your online competitors, the next step is to clearly determine what you want your new or upgraded website to accomplish, and which things have the highest priority.
For example, are you trying to:

• Create a more professional image
• Present products and services in a compelling format
• Develop a new graphic design look to leverage in other advertising activities
• Explain your products or services in greater detail, possibly using video or downloadable files
• Develop new leads and customers
• Drive more traffic to your website
• Sell products through an online store
• Capture email addresses and contact information as the basis for a lead nurturing campaign
• Increase brand awareness by integrating your website with a blog, Facebook page, Twitter account, YouTube channel, photo-sharing site, or other social media

As anyone in business knows, any significant financial outlay should occur only after a thorough and honest assessment of the costs and benefits of various investment options. Your website and the business activities associated with it represent possibly the most important marketing and advertising investment your company can make. Choose someone who speaks the language of business, someone who can help you determine the proper level of investment not just in developing your website, but in using it to grow and market your business. In the end it’s all about leveraging your website to help accomplish your long-term goals, so it’s wise to invest accordingly.

As your business grows your web design firm should be able to grow with you. Resist the temptation to focus solely on minimizing your initial web design costs. Hiring a college student or any individual or firm who will not be with you for the long run simply to minimize initial costs is a short-sighted approach that will come back to haunt you. You need a firm who will be there to make ongoing improvements to your website over time, keeping you ahead of your competition while adapting to your changing business needs.

Your website should be viewed as one important piece of an integrated sales and marketing strategy. Make sure your web design partner is interested in and capable of helping you develop an Internet marketing strategy to leverage your website to achieve your broader sales and marketing goals. The web marketing competitive landscape is getting more challenging by the day. Look for a strategic partner who can help your company compete and win!

If you're looking for a web design and internet marketing firm located in Berks County, then please contact us. We'll work hard to understand your needs, evaluate how you stack up against your competition, and present options and plans to meet your needs and budget. Contact us today for a free consultation for qualified firms. We serve the greater Berks County, Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia, Lancaster and Harrisburg region, and have clients in English-speaking nations as distant as Australia.