What to look for in an Auckland web design agency | NZ Digital

What to look for in an Auckland web design agency

What makes a website best in class? Here’s how to choose an Auckland web design agency that will deliver a website that stands out from the crowd.

A lot of agencies can offer you web design services that meet your needs. However, for the best digital marketers, designers and developers this isn’t enough; they’ll go above your expectations and deliver a finished product that outranks and outperforms your competitors.

For Auckland businesses looking for a website that stands out from the crowd, we recommend enlisting the services of an Auckland web design agency that doesn’t just meet your needs but goes beyond your expectations.

Best practice website features

First off, there are some essential features that every web design agency in Auckland should provide as part of their standard offering. Responsive design to make your site look great on all devices is industry standard these days. When enlisting web design services to either set up or refresh your business website, we recommend you take along a checklist and ask if they offer the following as well:

  • Social media integration;
  • Compatibility with multiple browsers;
  • Gravity forms;
  • SEO-friendly code;
  • Custom 404 error pages and
  • 301 redirects.

In addition to these best practice essentials, a best in class web design agency should offer the following features:

1. Exceptional site speed

Every additional second that your site takes to load will cost you visitors – and subsequently business. Google also found that as page load time increases from one to five seconds, the chance of someone bouncing (leaving the page without viewing more of your site’s content) increases by a whopping 90%. Good site speed also improves your website’s ranking on Google. Site speed matters, which is why you need a web design agency who can build a website that loads quickly. Aim to achieve a rating of 80+ points on Google’s Page Speed Insights ranking tool as a metric and you’re more likely to retain visitors and convert them into paying customers.

Aim to achieve a rating of 80+ points on Google’s Page Speed Insights ranking tool as a metric and you’re more likely to retain visitors and convert them into paying customers.

2. A website designed with UX principles

A standard web design agency will ask you what you’re after; a best in class web design agency will ask you what your customers are after. There’s a distinction here that makes the difference between an average site and an exceptional one. Make sure whoever is building your site has an expert UX designer on hand. This will give you the confidence of knowing the finished product will deliver a meaningful, relevant experience to your customers, which will lead to higher conversions and more business for you. Some aspects of UX design that should be applied to a best in class website include clarity, simplicity, digestibility and consistency.

At NZ Digital we offer workshops during the Insight & Strategy part of the web design process. During these workshops we work with key stakeholders to understand who we’re building the website for, which helps us to establish your user personas and map out the customer journey so your site is designed in a customer-centric way.

Make sure whoever is building your site has an expert UX designer on hand.

3. A flexible and user-friendly CMS

There are many content management systems (CMS) to pick from, each with their own pros and cons. The CMS you choose should offer all the security, functionality, flexibility and features you need and be easy for your team to get the hang of. At NZ Digital we design websites using the CMS we feel is best suited to your needs. This could be WordPress, SilverStripe or Shopify depending on the nature of your business and the requirements of your website. We aim to use platforms that are easy for you to use and manage, with plenty of flexibility and freedom for you to add content and do things your way.

The CMS you choose should offer all the security, functionality, flexibility and features you need and be easy for your team to get the hang of.

4. A security guarantee

The web design agency you work with should have a big focus on security. If they use VPS technology, this will ensure your website won’t be compromised or impacted by things like malware, malicious apps and viruses. eCommerce websites in particular require stringent security measures to be in place, and VPS technology protects them against hackers and security breaches. SSL certification is another essential security feature that keeps your website data confidential and will also help your site rank higher in Google. Finally, setting up captcha tests makes sure you don’t get robots spamming your contact forms and blogs.

eCommerce websites in particular require stringent security measures to be in place, and VPS technology protects them against hackers and security breaches.

5. Accurate reporting to track performance

Finally, all websites should be integrated with Google Analytics. By setting up Google Analytics to track your website’s performance you can get clear, accurate data that will tell you if it’s giving you the ROI you expected. A best in class web design agency will configure goal conversion tracking and email/call tracking for you so you can get accurate insights as to the enquiry coming through your site, conversion rates, and how people are choosing to contact you. Setting up Google Webmaster Tools is another feature that will provide data about important SEO elements of your site and give early warning signs about potential issues so you can fix them quickly before they arise.

A best in class web design agency will configure goal conversion tracking and email/call tracking for you so you can get accurate insights.

When you’re searching for a web design agency in Auckland, pick one that offers all of these best in class features. This will ensure you get set up with a site built to perform, is secure, and that you can manage and monitor accurately. Here at NZ Digital we pride ourselves on designing websites that stand out from the crowd.

Contact us to find out more.

Digital Insights

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