The best web design companies understand that the correct marketing strategy will involve a variety of digital media tactics. They will utilize their experience in the field to craft a bespoke plan that relates specifically to your product or service. Only from this unique plan, a top web designer will begin your development project by utilizing all of the tools in their web design services toolbox. It is this knowledge and experience that has granted the digital design agencies below the positions they hold. The companies below have been reviewed based on a wide range of qualitative and quantitative statistics. In some cases, variable listing fees effect position on this list; however only highly-regarded firms are accepted through our review analysis. Learn more about our ranking process here. Last Updated: June, 1 2017
An informational site is defined as website that acts as an anecdotal resource to your consumer. In the web design industry it is the simplest and cheapest to create, as it tends to have no user-based contribution or login area. Design and branding are the priority, not functionality, so custom backend coding is needed. If you opt to for the informational site you will need to choose a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS is an application like MS Word that gives those with little to no programming experience a way to maintain and update their website without learning to code. Updating a blog without a CMS would be an insurmountable problem. Below are a few options from which you can choose:
Wordpress |
Joomla |
Drupal |
|
---|---|---|---|
Usage | 140M | 65M | 15M |
Cost | Free | Free | Free |
Themes | 5,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 |
Plugins | 55K | 10K | 34K |
Ease of Use | Easy | Moderate | Difficult |
Customizable | Difficult | Moderate | Easy |
Updates | 42 days | 36 days | 51 days |
Used on | Sony | Harvard | White House |
Here at 10 Best Design, we typically recommend that those interested in a CMS try a demo version of these before they commit to spending the money on a website. Typically the more novice you are with web design, the better Wordpress is for you. More advanced users tend to prefer Drupal Web Development or other options.
If you are looking for a more robust web application, these content management systems will most likely not suffice. If you are looking to have a comprehensive eCommerce solution developed you will be most likely looking at something like Magento, Spree or Shopify. Have a look at a comparison chart below:
Shopify |
Spree |
Magento |
|
---|---|---|---|
Mobile | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Reviews | Yes | Free Extension | Yes |
Loyaly Program | Paid | Free | Paid |
Language | Yes | No | Yes |
Ease of Use | Easy | Easy | Difficult |
Customizable | Difficult | Moderate | Easy |
SaaS | Yes | No | No |
Used on | Tesla | Bononbos | eBay |
Generally, Shopify builds are the cheapest , whereas Magento tend to be the most customized and therefore are the expensive. At the end of the day, it is important to understand what you need and what fits your project the best.
Defining a "top web design company" is not so cut and clear. Looking at a portfolio will limit you to the design prowess of the firm but may not tell you about several other qualities! When looking for a really great web developer, we suggest that you make a list of the businesses whose portfolios you like the best. Ideally, you would find a team who has done a lot of websites, but if you are on a budget, you can sometimes find an up-and-coming web design firm which is willing to make a deal with you. Next, I would call up the companies from your list and see if you can get a few referral email to gauge customer satisfaction. Lastly make sure they offer extensive services: it is important that a web design company doesn't force you to use a CMS that isn't tailored to your needs just because they don't know how to code it!
Believe it or not, a user will decide whether or not he will use your website within a matter of about 5 seconds. In other words, you have a very short span of time to garner the attention of potential customers. Though you may think you are getting a deal, you might regret your decision to skimp on your site or design as soon as you see your bounce rate (Bounce rate = % of users who see your website and immediately leave). As more users are moving to mobile devices, it is important that you spend a little extra time and money making sure your site is either responsive or AMP ready (Goolge's new mobile first framework). Mobile usage represents 65% of total internet time, so do not ignore this market! The internet population is fickle and you must adapt to the times. Do not stress about having to look through thousands of web developers in order to create your site. Our team of industry experts curate the rankings of the best web design firms! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email us.