The potential cost of using a web design agency based abroad
You may have considered looking for a freelancer or agency which are based abroad. Before you potentially make a costly mistake, consider some of the factors below before handing over any money:
Language barriers – If English is not the web designer’s first language, do you have the patience? or more importantly, the time? Given the amount of jargon in the industry, it’s extremely easy to mis-interpret requests and you may find that even after your second or third attempt, the company does not fully understand your request.
Lack of understanding of your business –this should perhaps be first on the list as it’s extremely important. If your website designer doesn’t understand your target market, they have little hope of creating a website which is going to convert visitors well.
Lack of support –a website isn’t the same as a word document. Unfortunately you can’t just leave it, just like a piece of software on your laptop, it needs updating with the latest security patches and fixes. It’s often forgotten that your website is at much higher risk of fault than your laptop simply because it’s being publicly displayed on the internet and everyone at some stage has had a problem with their laptop. Micro businesses, freelancers and other small design agencies will have little to no interest in providing ongoing assistance with your website as they’re looking to pay their bills at the end of the month with the next customer’s website project. Choosing a slightly larger agency who wants to build a relationship with you is crucial and you’re much likely to get better support with an agency who has a team.
Low quality –the less you pay for a website, the less time the designer can afford to spend. It’s true a web design team in a country with a lower working wage can potentially spend more time on the website, but there’s a limit to that and more often than not the designs look very dated and amateurish.
High Risk –how are you intending to pay for your website? Escrow or PayPal are great for physical products, but they don’t usually cover digital goods. This is why you may struggle to find agencies who offer PayPal as a payment method as neither side are covered. If something goes wrong and you’ve already paid a sum of money to someone abroad, you’ve got absolutely no protection. Be prepared if you’re willing to take the risk on an agency outside of the UK that you’re blindly trusting someone not to take your money and run. With our team based here in the UK, you have the protection of working with an long established, insured limited company with a comprehensive dispute process. You’re also able to use the Small Claims Court if there is an unresolved dispute.
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