10 essential points when choosing a custom web development agency

Creating a website is the culmination of months of work spent fine-tuning a project. The stakes are high! Obviously, choosing the web development agency that will accompany you in this process is crucial. To help you, le Backyard has designed this guide, which lists the questions to ask yourself before making your choice, and also highlights our approach and methods.

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1. Does the agency have a good reputation?

It seems obvious, yet many people overlook this question. Consulting platforms such as Sortlist, Google My Business or Clutch will give youan idea of the reputation of the agency you'd like to work with. Feedback from previous customers will give you a clear idea of the quality of service offered, whether or not delivery is late, and the support provided once the website has been published.

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2. Is the project portfolio of high quality?

Consultation of previous projects

The portfolio is a good indicator of an agency's experience and creativity. Examine completed projects to see if they meet your expectations in terms of design, complexity and technical quality. A versatile agency will be able to adapt to different sectors and needs.

If you take a look at Le Backyard's portfolio, you'll see that the web agency has been involved in a wide variety of web projects, but always covering the needs of our customers from a wide range of sectors.

Variety and complexity of projects

A varied portfolio is proof that the web agency knows how to adapt to each of its customers to deliver a quality end product. As a result, it is capable of managing projects of varying scale and complexity, which logically translates into an ability to meet technical challenges without worry.

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3. What services and features does the agency offer?

Users have become true Internet experts, with increasingly complex needs when browsing sites. So it's vital that the agency knows how to offer features that meet these needs. Here are a few features to consider: 

• setting up a subscription flow ;
• booking calendar ;
• invoice generation ;
• electronic contract signing ;
• search with suggestion ;
• etc.

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4. Is the agency at the cutting edge of innovation and trends?

Technology and user habits are constantly changing. The agency you decide to work with needs to keep abreast of the latest technological trends , so it can offer the innovative solutions you need to satisfy your audience. 

The ability to integrate new technologies, such as machine learning or artificial intelligence, should be taken into consideration when making your choice.

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5. What role does UX/UI play in their approach?

Good design is about more than aesthetics: ergonomics, fluidity of navigation and accessibility are crucial to usability and end-user satisfaction. A web development agency with expertise in UX/UI will optimize the user experience to maximize engagement and conversion.

At Le Backyard, we focus on a co-design methodology that ensures the active participation of our customers to bring to life products that are truly adapted to their needs.

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6. Is the working methodology clear and transparent?

To remove doubts and provide reassurance, web development agencies should ideally let prospects know how they work.

Work processes

A well-defined work methodology is synonymous with organized, and therefore effective, development. Le Backyard s methodology is based on 4 pillars: 

• Framing: needs analysis, definition of objectives.
• UX/UI design User experience design.
• UX/UI realization development: user interface development.
• Custom development programming and integration.
• Transparency and communication

Communication is key to a project's success, and a good web development agency must make it a point of honor to communicate consistently and clearly with its clients during project development. Transparency at all stages of the process helps avoid misunderstandings and ensures that the project is aligned with the customer's expectations.

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