What to Consider When Hiring a Shopify Web Design Agency

Web design projects require a lot of research and effort! Especially when it comes to Shopify.

There are a lot of things to take into account at every stage, whether you're redesigning an existing website or starting from scratch. What is the performance of your content, and how much do you have? Which new technology must you incorporate? Most importantly, how will the project enhance users' experience on your website?

You as an eCommerce store owner must also choose whether to work with a Shopify web design agency or just a development team to help you shape your online store. 

You're entrusting someone else with your finances and your trust, so this is a big decision. Your store affects lead generation, profit, and the success of your digital marketing. You must do it correctly.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Shopify Web Design Agency

1. What are your project requirements?

You must specify your needs precisely before you can look into freelancers and Shopify web design agencies. Your choice of team composition may depend on the size and complexity of the project.

Who you work with depends depend on what kind of project you're looking for—a big makeover or a whole new build that calls for intricate bespoke work and tech integrations, for example. You should provide all of these specifics, including e-commerce, email and social media connectors, custom forms, geolocation content screening, and bespoke layouts, to whomever you approach about your project.

It's possible to contract out both simpler and more difficult jobs, as agencies and freelancers will have various capacities.

2. How much time do you need to finish the project?

The availability of your team to collaborate with the agency or contractors of your choice is just as crucial as the overall schedule.

Web design and development processes often involve meetings, content gathering, evaluations, approvals, and communications. Your collaboration will undoubtedly be impacted by the amount of time your internal team has available to work on these issues.

You will need to spend less time managing the project because a web design business will take care of most of it. You may need to a lot more time for back-and-forth since freelance web developers and designers may need additional input at every level, particularly if you're contracting out both design and development to separate vendors. The procedure should be more efficient the more experience an agency or contractor has.

3. Where they’re located?

Location, location, and more! Nothing is more frustrating than having to wait days for clearance and communication because everyone is in a different time zone. Hiring a cheap Shopify web design agency or independent contractors from abroad may seem like a good idea, but the annoyance may outweigh the savings.

When deciding on a local base of operations for your web design collaborators, search for Shopify Experts in Your City to get better and closer results. You should also take communication availability strictly into account. Are meetings with them scheduled for when you're open for business? A time zone difference of more than three hours can cause problems.

For example, a Vancouver or other Pacific Standard Time city would be a wonderful fit if you're located in the UK but hope to have work completed outside of typical business hours and ready for reviews during your own 9–5.

4. What is their process for web design and development?

Work is streamlined and deadlines and goals are reached thanks to the process. Make sure you understand the working methods of the people you choose to collaborate with. Major deliverables should have a date so you can schedule your availability for reviews and approvals and know when to anticipate them.

Great outcomes and time savings can be achieved with an agile, repeatable process. Conversely, a lack of process can cause severe delays and postpone launch.

5. Which specific web design and development services are included?

It should go without saying that you need to be aware of precisely which services are included in your collaboration, regardless of whether you're creating a new website or undertaking a complete redesign.

Do you need to outsource design as well, or are you hiring a freelance developer who is also a skilled designer? Is it possible to hire a designer and developer with prior collaboration experience to expedite the procedure and communication?

Looking more closely at the services, what technical abilities do they offer? A designer may, for instance, be knowledgeable in both user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, with a focus on one area, or they may have little to no experience in the other.

Partnering up with a Shopify agency that offers multiple services — web design, development, SEO, and content strategy — can reduce the need and time of finding different freelancers for different tasks - you can get all under one umbrella when proceeding with a professional Shopify agency.

6. What’s the service cost and what’s your budget for it?

When hiring a Shopify web design agency or freelancer, remember to consider both the upfront cost and the long-term value - as they both heavily impact your business.

- To what extent is your spending limit?

- Is there a fixed budget or will you be charged on an hourly basis?

- Does the contract cover unanticipated delays, poor performance, and other hiccups in the process, or is there an hourly cap?

- Which measures would you employ to determine whether the new website has generated more leads or sales?

If you're on a tight budget, you should take into account a free WordPress site, a do-it-yourself website builder like Squarespace, or a comparable page builder solution. You could also be able to work out a financially advantageous partnership with a foreign contractor. Remember that the other factors, such as the duration of the project, the location of the team, and the availability of continuing maintenance, still need to meet your needs.

7. Ask for case studies and testimonials

You should always take the time to review the work of any possible web design partner, whether you found them through a recommendation or as a result of internet searches and investigations. The following are our top picks for what to consider while examining the portfolio of a freelancer or web design agency:

- Number of projects: Are they newbies or do they have a lot of experience? Please feel free to inquire as they may not have all of their finished products available online.

- Project size: Have they worked on websites with comparable technical requirements or with businesses the same size as yours? Does their work exhibit range and flexibility?

- Aesthetics: Rather than searching for websites that precisely match your vision, consider how various page parts have been built for various clientele. You can get an idea of how they design for various audiences and brand requirements by comparing the websites before and after their engagement. You can view earlier versions of the websites using the Wayback Machine if they don't provide before and after photos.

- Services and abilities: What were the technical specifications for their finished sites, and how were they met? Are the designs unique or based on templates? Exist any instances of specially designed and integrated pieces that they have created?

- Process: We can’t emphasize enough how important the process is. Ask if their process is transparent or not, what measures they take, and if can you get a sense of it through stages in their completed projects.

Conclusion

Your chosen Shopify web design agency or contractor should care just as much about the outcome of your project. Make sure you finish your assignments, communicate all of your needs clearly, and don't be hesitant to ask all of these questions! Take notes on the points mentioned above and make sure you ask these questions during your hiring process.