The process of creating a new website and building up a strong digital presence can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you do not have any background in web design or marketing yourself. Though web marketing is a crucial process in attracting new clients to your firm, if you’re like many attorneys you probably lack the time, interest and/or expertise to handle this process yourself, making it important that you turn to a professional marketing agency with your needs.

So how can you make sure you’re getting the most out of your investment when you retain a marketing agency to handle your web design project? Here are a few tips to help you.

• Find a trustworthy designer: When searching for someone to handle your project, make sure you do your due diligence in researching potential agencies. Consider the quality of customer service they provide, and how forthcoming they are in answering questions. Check up on their reputation, including any online reviews or testimonials you can find. Beware of red flags like unusually low pricing for the work you have in mind.
• Know what you want: When beginning a new web design project, it’s important that you have some idea of the features you want your website to have, the colors and brand imagery you want to use, and how many pages you want to have designed. Your web developers will have a much easier time working with you if you have answers to some of these basic questions right off the bat. Having a brief prepared will serve as a guide for the designer throughout the project.
• Have a plan: It’s important to have a timeline in place, and a general action plan for how the project will succeed, if the project is to run smoothly. Work with your designer to figure out some basic milestones you can aim for to ensure consistency and efficiency in the design process. This also makes it easier for you to check in on the progress without feeling like you’re bothering the team that’s working on your project.
• Know your budget: Before you even begin talking to web designers, you should get a general idea of how much you can expect a project like yours to cost, and what you’re willing and able to pay. Then, once you have a design team to work with, make sure you agree to a specific budget, and have processes in place for change orders that might take your project outside the scope of work you initially agreed to and would thus add to the expense of the project.
• Offer feedback: You’re putting a significant investment into your web presence, so don’t be afraid to speak up if there’s something about your design you’re not fond of. Of course, don’t limit your feedback to negative stuff—positive feedback will also help your design team determine what sorts of features you like so they can better serve you.

Follow these tips, and you’ll find it easy to work with a marketing agency to get exactly what you want out of your web design project!