What To Look For From A Digital Design Agency?

So you’ve decided that your recruitment agency website needs to be torn down and completely rebuilt. Or you’re in the process of launching your new company and realise you need a website to show that you’re a “proper business”. So what’s next? Time to look for a digital design agency and remember your recruitment basis, always ask questions.

Referral

From my experience the best products and services I’ve previously used have been recommended to me by people I trust. Has this agency done any work for people you know? Can you reach out to any previous clients of theirs to see how happy they were with the end product? It’s totally reasonable to just drop people a message on LinkedIn and ask them if they were happy with what was delivered. 

Reputation

Do they have a good reputation in the industry? Have colleagues heard of them? Have you seen them at recruitment events? What do their Google & Trustpilot reviews say? 

Specialists

Are they specialists in the recruitment field or are they generalist web designers? Has the design agency worked on recruitment websites previously? Now there’s nothing wrong with generalists but you may end up missing out on features & functionality you & your developer hadn’t considered. Recruitment websites are very different to e-commerce sites or educational resource websites. Recruitment websites are quite unique and job search pages can be quite complex so it’s worth enlisting an agency that has experience in this area. It’s best to get someone who knows the industry, your audience and knows what you’re likely to need and therefore suggest options you may not have even considered. 

Communication

Communication and collaboration is vital in both recruitment and software development. Ensure that whichever design agency you choose has clear channels of communication. Are they based in the UK? Can you reach them on email, over LinkedIn, via the telephone, over video calls? Also assess their responsiveness to inquiries and requests at the very earliest stages. Did they respond to your initial enquiry promptly? Did they send over the proposal within 24-48 hours? Evaluate how well they understand your design objectives and if they actively involve you in the design process. Make sure updates are scheduled so you can see the progress as the project moves along the timeline. Personally I’d recommend weekly updates. 

Price

How much does a recruitment website cost? Is the price reasonable for what you’re getting? Have you shopped around and received a few quotes? Is it within your original budget? Are there any monthly or annual fees you need to consider? A lot of digital design agencies are likely to charge you a one off fee for the initial build then an annual/monthly fee for maintenance, security & storage. Your website is likely to last a good 5 years before it becomes outdated design wise or technically so try to break down the costs over a similar time period. A company charging you £50/month might sound enticing at first but could end up costing you £3,000 after 5 years!   

Timelines

How quickly can they deliver what you need? Does that fit into your timelines and when you plan to launch or re-brand? Recruitment websites can take anywhere from 1 - 12 weeks to build & deploy depending on the complexity of the project and the current workload of the design agency. 

Contracts

Would you take a brief and send over a candidate to a new client without signing contracts? Of course not! The same is true for enlisting a web design agency. Make sure they send over their terms of business and if possible have your solicitor check through them. Ensure everything you’ve agreed to work wise is outlined properly. Most web design contracts are pretty standard but you don’t want to be caught out by one clause that ends up costing you thousands in extra work. 

Technical

Good websites aren’t easy to make. Tools have become more accessible and access to the industry has become easier however it’s still a very technical job - designing, developing and deploying a secure and technically correct website is hard. You want to make sure the design agency can talk about the technical aspects of what they’re offering but can also break it down in a way that a non-technical person can understand. Beware sales people that can’t thoroughly explain their product and its technical aspects. 

Proficiency

Does the agency employ their own developers? It’s worth looking through the company’s LinkedIn page to answer this question. Are their developers based in the UK? Is the work being outsourced? If so, is the service being offered at a cheaper rate too? If they are outsourced developers, who are they and how long has the agency been working with them? Also how does the agency judge the quality of the code if they don’t have any in-house developers? All questions that are well worth asking.

At the end of the day would a client of yours enlist the help of a recruitment agency if they didn’t have any recruitment consultants? No. 

The Founders

Who are the founders? Have they worked in the recruitment industry before? Are they ex-recruitment consultants and/or software developers? Why did they start the agency? What do they believe in? Why are they building recruitment websites? All questions worth considering so you know you’re on the same page and safe in the hands of people who will really look after you.  

Customer Support

What happens when something goes wrong? What happens if you’d like to change something on your website or add further pages and functionality? Can you speak to someone in-house and are they based in the UK? Do they provide you with training on how to use your website? Is there documentation you can use after training? All important questions you should be asking that should inform your decision. 

Maintenance

Will your website be maintained after the initial build? Will it be regularly updated? If you’ve chosen to opt for a WordPress website then it’s integral that it’s regularly maintained and updated, otherwise you could leave your company and client & candidate at risk of being hacked. Websites with more secure back ends are less likely to be hacked. 

Conclusion

In conclusion there’s a whole lot to consider when enlisting the services of a design agency. Don’t rush into it, make sure you have a list of questions and they’re answered fully and ensure you feel comfortable with the team you choose to work with.