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Every business needs a website. It’s often the first thing your potential customers see, so it’s important that it’s visually appealing.
A well-designed website invites customers to explore your products and services and ultimately make a purchase decision.
However, you may not have the experience or time to design it yourself or the budget to hire a full-time designer.
If you are considering outsourcing your website design to an external agency, here we outline everything you need to consider before making a final decision.
What is web design outsourcing?
Outsourcing web design is just what it sounds like—hiring outside contractors or agencies to complete design tasks related to your website. These tasks can include anything from the actual look and feel of your website to improving UX (user experience).
Design agencies often employs talented designers, developers, and project managers who work together to produce high-quality content that meets your unique brand and business needs.
What web design can be outsourced?
Design work is more than just deciding how your website will look. Here are some types of services a design agency can help you with:
Brand identity
By working with you, designers can create a color scheme, typography and other visual components that match your brand and appeal to your target market.
UX/UI design
User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design are essential components of web development. Experts in this field can create intuitive, user-friendly interfaces that improve user experience and encourage engagement.
Version
A website must be optimized for all devices and browsers. A responsive website design is crucial to ensure it works well on a variety of screen sizes and mobile devices.
Redesign and Design Updates
Web design trends and technologies are always changing. Over time, your website may need to be updated and improved. By outsourcing this service, you can ensure that your website is up-to-date, useful and in line with best practices.
Web development vs. Web design
Web design and web development are separate but closely related jobs. You may need to outsource one or both. Let’s take a deeper look at each one.
Web Design
Web design includes a website’s visual appeal, navigation, and usability, as well as its color schemes, typography, and general aesthetics. Designers produce mockups and prototypes that depict a website’s look and feel using programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, or Figma.
Web page development
On the other hand, web development involves transforming the web design into a fully functional website. The website is coded by developers using programming languages such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript to ensure that it functions properly on various devices and browsers.
Outsourcing of both web design and web development
Many design agencies provide full services including both web design and web development.
Outsourcing both can be very beneficial. Working with an established agency will give you access to experts with design and development experience, ensuring smooth communication and a more effective project process. Hiring such an agency for both tasks can save you time and money while producing a well-designed, unified website that supports your company’s goals.
What to Consider When Outsourcing Web Design
Before you decide to outsource your website design, you’ll want to list all the factors you need to consider. Here are the top three we think you should consider:
- Budget. Research costs for your anticipated design needs versus hiring an in-house employee and compare that to what you can budget for.
- Project scope. List your design needs, such as the number of website pages to be built and additional features such as a point of sale system.
- Timeline. When do you have to finish the project? Keep in mind that the more complex your website is, the more time an agency can request.
In-house vs. outsourced web design
Now that you are familiar with possible services you can receive from a design agency, as well as your business needs, let’s take a deeper look at the pros and cons of both outsourcing vs. in-house web design.
Pros and Cons of In-House Web Design
Advantages:
- Greater direct influence on the design process. You can keep a close eye on things and give immediate input.
- Collaboration with internal designers. Your designer or design team may work closely with other departments, such as product development or marketing.
- Familiarity with your brand. An in-house designer will not require the learning curve and will be more familiar with your expectations than an outsider.
Disadvantages:
- Cost. Maintaining in-house staff can be more expensive because you will have to pay salaries, benefits and overhead costs.
- Limited experience. Your internal staff may not have the necessary knowledge and expertise in all facets of web design, which can result in knowledge gaps.
- Less flexibility. It can be difficult to scale your internal staff up or down based on project requirements.
Pros and cons of outsourcing web design
Advantages:
- Efficiency. Since you only pay for the services you actually use and don’t have to cover the overhead costs of keeping a full-time crew, outsourcing web design can be more economical.
- Access to knowledge. By outsourcing, you can draw on a wide range of talent and specialized knowledge, to ensure you have the information and experience needed for your project.
- More flexibility. Outsourcing makes adapting to changing market conditions or project requirements easier because you can scale your web design efforts up or down depending on your business needs.
- New perspective. Outsourced web design companies can help you stay ahead of the competition and improve your online presence by bringing fresh ideas and methods to your digital marketing initiatives.
Disadvantages:
- Less direct control. Outsourcing gives you less influence over the design process.
- Communication problems, especially with time zone or language barriers.
- Less brand awareness. Outsourced designers may not quite hit the mark if they aren’t as familiar with your brand and company culture.
How to choose a web design agency
Your digital marketing success depends on choosing the right design company to work with your business. Identify and hire the best agency to suit your specific needs by following these steps:
1. Describe your web design requirementsinclusive:
- Project scope
- Desired style and feel of your website
- Specific features or functions you need
State your goals clearly, such as expanding brand visibility or improving user experience.
2. Research and evaluate potential web design firms. Ask for suggestions from people in your professional network, look through trade publications or search online. Find information about the agencies’ experience, status and client reviews, and compile a shortlist.
3. Review portfolios of the agencies you’ve shortlisted better to understand their design sensibilities, abilities and expertise. Evaluate work samples that match your project’s specifications.
4. Interview the agencies on your shortlist. Be sure to discuss expectations for the project’s deliverables, timeframe, and how you will communicate. Some agencies may also provide proposals or design concepts for your consideration.
5. Make up your mind. Compare each proposal and quote before making your decision. When you have made your choice and agreed to all terms, then you can draw up a contract. This contract will typically include a description of the services provided, payment terms and other details.
How much does web design outsourcing cost?
The price of outsourcing web design can vary dramatically – from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. Consider the following to ensure you get the most return on your investment:
- Project scope and complexity. Your project’s size and complexity will directly affect its cost, with larger, more complex projects often requiring more time and resources.
- Experience and reputation of the agency. Agencies with a lot of experience and a good reputation can charge more, reflecting their knowledge and track record.
- Customization and functionality. Your project’s price may be higher depending on your need for advanced features or functions.
UX/UI design
According to PurrwebA UX/UI design project can cost between $5,000 and $10,000 depending on the number and complexity of features, visual complexity and the expertise of the design team. Work up provides hourly rates for hiring UX/UI designers ranging from $30 to $125 for interface layout/design, $40 to $90 for visual design, and $35 to $105 for interaction design, depending on the designer’s experience and expertise.
It is important to note that the cost of UX/UI design may also depend on the location of the designer or design team, as rates may vary by region. Additionally, the cost of UX/UI design can vary greatly depending on the specific project requirements and the expertise of the designer or design team.
Brand identity
The cost of brand identity can vary depending on the project’s complexity and the agency’s or designer’s experience. According to DesignRusha branding project can cost between $1,000 to $5,000+ for brand identity, $1,000 to $7,000+ for market research, $2,000 to $8,000+ for a logo, and $2,500 to $5,000+ for a visual style guide.
However, the cost of branding can be much higher depending on the project’s scope and the agency’s or designer’s expertise. For example, Branding agency states that branding costs for identity design can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, with an average cost of $25,000 to $70,000+ for the complete branding package, including brand strategy, messaging and visuals.
In general, it is important to research and compare rates from different designers and agencies to find a cost that fits your budget and project needs.
Find web design agencies on Semrush’s Agency Partners platform
The Semrush Agency Partners Platform provides a curated list of reputable web design firms that companies can search for and assess potential business partners.
The tool provides comprehensive details about each agency, such as their specialties, portfolios, client testimonials and contact information.
Browse the listings or use the search function to narrow the results based on your specific needs, such as region, budget or industry specialization to locate a web design agency on the Agency Partners platform.
You can contact a suitable agency directly through the website once you have found it to discuss your project and get a proposal. Try it today.
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