Selecting a web design services company shouldn't be a hasty decision. It should be the result of confidence in that company's ability to give you the best possible product within your company's budget. One of the more important pieces in the process, that is often overlooked, is their ability to provide Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services. If you don’t get potential customers to visit your site, then you can’t make your business a successful one.
There are many firms and freelancers who provide web design services at rates within your budget. Chances are, the websites created by them are template-based and quickly thrown together. More than likely, they do not adhere to commonly recognized web design standards. Not meeting the web standards alone can cause issues with search engines and result in poor traffic inflow.
There are companies out there that focus solely on SEO. These companies are especially useful if you aren't looking for a redesign, but just wish to improve search engine rankings on an existing site. On the other hand, if you are working with a brand new website, it usually doesn't make sense to hire separate design and SEO companies.
A lot of web design firms claim to "provide SEO services," but how can you tell if they can actually deliver what they preach? A good way to test is to see how they rank regionally amongst their competitors. If you were looking for a Los Angeles web design company, just go to Google and type in "Los Angeles Web Design". If the company doesn't show up on the first page, then they probably don't take SEO too seriously.
