Once you’ve done your homework and narrowed down your Toronto web design agencies list to a few names, it can be tough to make your final decision. To help ensure you pick the best firm for your needs, here are four questions you should ask before making your final decision.

Have you designed other websites for businesses in my industry?

Working with a design agency that already has experience in your area is usually beneficial, and you’ll be able to see examples of what you may expect from your own project. Keep in mind there is value to using an agency without experience, as they’ll bring fresh research into the project and a new eye to the design. If an agency doesn’t have experience in your sector, ask to see a wide range of websites across other industries instead. This will tell you whether the agency is mainly niche, something that’s not ideal if their niche doesn’t align with your industry.

How about the user experience?

A strong Toronto web design firm will value user experience because that’s part of the recipe for website success. They should be firmly dedicated to user-centered design, so ask questions about their approach, including what they do to ensure user experience is always considered in every phase of the website’s creation. If they don’t have protocols set to ensure users are thought of in the design, it’s likely to get lost during the creation process.

May I meet the team?

Some web design firms are more of a sales pitch than an actual company. A single salesperson outsources different aspects of the project or uses a group of freelancers who bid on portions of it. This isn’t the best way to build a website design, especially in terms of cohesion, communication and availability, and if this is what you are dealing with, you’ll know when there are issues with you being able to meet the “team.” Stick to agencies that have an in-house team that is used to working on projects together. This normally allows for a better end result, and you’ll be able to communicate with key people more easily.

What steps should I expect in my project?

A web design agency with experience will be able to give you an overview of the entire creation process and explain how things will go in detail. Keep in mind, however, that unless you were very specific on what your project will be, they likely won’t be able to give you an exact quote for cost or time. They might be able to provide a range in both of those areas once they have a general idea of what you want.

Choosing the right web design agency is important because it will have a direct impact on what you end up with. Take the time you need to evaluate the agencies you’re considering from every angle so you don’t make a mistake that costs you time and money.