Choose a website design company not by the number of projects in its portfolio, but by whether it has work for businesses similar to yours and whether its proposal starts from your objectives. For quotations, look past the figure itself and check whether you can see what work is involved and how many hours it is expected to take. Also confirm, before you sign, who will handle updates and maintenance after launch and how.
Three things you cannot skip when choosing a web design company: portfolio, proposal and post-launch support
There are three criteria. Does their past work resemble your situation? Does their proposal start from your objectives? Will they look after the site after launch? Design preferences and price should only be compared once you have checked these three.
Building a website does not end at launch. Launch is the start of the period in which you grow the site so that it is seen, found and generates enquiries. That makes a web design company not only the firm that builds the site, but also a partner you will work with afterwards.
Here are the comparison criteria, set out in a table first.
| Criterion | What to confirm | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | Whether they have work for businesses and objectives similar to yours | The portfolio page and the URLs of the actual sites |
| Proposal | Whether the discussion starts from your challenges | The first page of the proposal |
| Quotation | Whether the breakdown of each task is clear | The line items and the scope of each |
| After launch | Who handles updates, maintenance and backups | The list of work included in the monthly fee |
| Communication | Whether replies to questions are prompt and whether a dedicated contact is assigned | How they handle your first enquiry |
Judge a portfolio by how “close” and how “real” it is, not by how large it is
Look at a portfolio not for the number of projects listed, but for whether any of them are close to your own business. A similar industry, a similar scale, a similar objective. If two of these three apply, the example is useful as a reference.
Here is how to review a portfolio.
- Open the portfolio page and pick two or three examples from industries close to yours
- Open the URLs of the sites listed in those examples and check that they are actually live
- Open them on a smartphone and look at the text size, how easy the buttons are to tap, and the loading speed
- Look beyond the design and read whether the text is written for the reader
- Check whether the background, the objective and the changes after launch are described
If the portfolio page simply lists logos and screenshots with no explanation of the objective or approach, ask the company directly. Ask, “In this project, what was the objective and what did you do about it?” and see whether you get a specific answer.
If the examples are all sites that have not been updated for years since launch, ask about their post-launch relationship with clients as well.
Look at the first page of the proposal
What appears on the first page of a proposal tells you a lot about a web design company's approach.
A good proposal starts by setting out your business, your objectives, your customers and your current challenges. It then goes on to explain which pages will be built, what will be shown, and what action visitors will be encouraged to take. A poor proposal starts with a company introduction, the production workflow and design samples, with little reference to your challenges.
When you receive a proposal, check these three points.
- Whether what you discussed in the meeting about your business and your customers is reflected accurately
- Whether the page structure follows the order in which your customers want information
- Whether it explains how results will be measured and what will be reviewed to make improvements
Also check whether they will show you a design concept. If you sign without seeing the design, differences in taste only come to light just before launch, and revisions pile up.
In a quotation, look at the breakdown rather than the total
With a quotation, look at what is included rather than the total figure. Even when two quotes both say “complete website production”, the work included differs from company to company.
Here is what to check in a quotation.
- Is planning and structural design included? If this is missing, you are only being quoted for the design
- Is copywriting included? Some quotes assume the client supplies the text
- Are photography and the purchase of stock materials included?
- Are features such as enquiry forms and booking charged separately?
- What does the monthly fee after launch cover? That means the server, SSL, backups and the scope of update work
- How many revisions are included, and what is the cost of additional pages?
According to research by Web Kanji, the typical cost for a small or medium-sized company commissioning a website is an average of 1.044 million yen and a median of 573,000 yen. Because the range varies widely from company to company, treat these figures as just one reference point for judging whether your quote is high or low, and compare the breakdowns.
When requesting competing quotes, use identical conditions
Two or three companies is enough for competing quotes. Unless you brief them with the same documents and the same conditions, you cannot compare the results.
Here is how to go about it.
- Summarise on a single sheet the purpose of the site you want, the pages you need, your target launch date and your maximum budget
- Give that same sheet to every company
- Transfer the proposals and quotations you receive into the comparison table above
- Ask every company the same questions about anything unclear, and compare how specific their answers are
- Finally, decide based on your design preferences and how well you get on with the person in charge
You do not have to choose the cheapest company. From among the companies whose proposal starts with your objectives and who can explain their breakdown, choose the one that fits your budget.
Common mistakes when choosing a web design company
Deciding purely on design taste
Attractive design matters, but looks alone will not increase enquiries. Design only works once you have a plan for who you are addressing and what you want to tell them.
Signing without checking post-launch costs
If you sign without confirming the monthly costs after launch and the cost of requesting updates, your site will stop being maintained. Confirm in writing what the monthly fee covers before you sign.
Changing contacts with no handover
It happens that the person in charge changes mid-project and the discussion has to start again from scratch. Ask whether meeting notes are recorded and shared.
A site built so elaborately that you cannot update it yourself
If every update requires a request to the web design company and a fee each time, the site will gradually become outdated. Make ease of updating one of your selection criteria too.
How we work
We offer two approaches: site-factory, led by AI (from 30,000 yen initial cost and from 7,000 yen per month, excluding tax), and made-to-order production led by our creators (from 250,000 yen initial cost and from 3,000 yen per month). Which approach suits you depends on whether you want to launch quickly and inexpensively or build the site up carefully, starting by identifying your strengths. You can see the actual sites on our portfolio page.
Example questions to ask during the meeting
The first meeting is your chance to assess a web design company. See whether they can give specific answers to the following questions.
- What do you think the purpose of a website is for our business? A company that can listen to you and then summarise it in its own words is strong on planning
- What will you do in the first three months after launch? A company that can describe post-launch activity in concrete terms is thinking about operation
- What problems do you anticipate, and what might not go well? A company that talks about risks is being honest
- Who writes the text? How the copy is produced determines the quality of the site
- Who will be our contact, and how do we reach them? Check whether a single point of contact is assigned
If the only answers are “No problem” or “Leave it to us”, keep pressing for specific grounds.
Items to confirm in writing before signing
Do not proceed on verbal explanations alone; confirm the following items in the contract or the quotation.
| Item | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Delivery time | The planned launch date and what happens if it slips |
| Revisions | How many are free of charge, and the cost beyond that |
| Additional costs | In what circumstances extra charges apply, and how much |
| Post-launch costs | What the monthly fee covers and what it does not |
| Cancellation | The procedure and any costs involved |
If these five points are recorded in writing, you have a reference to fall back on should any misunderstanding arise later.
How to work through the first month after making your choice
The quality of the project is decided in the first month after signing. Keep the following three things in mind.
- Summarise your objectives and the strengths you want to convey on a single sheet and hand it over. What is said verbally should be put on record
- Agree deadlines with the web design company for the materials you will supply, such as copy and photos
- Appoint one person as the point of approval. If instructions come separately from several people, the project stalls
The more you work with your web design company as an equal partner, the more the finished site will reflect who you are.
FAQ
Two or three. Any more and the effort of comparing increases and your decision is delayed. The important thing is to brief them all on the same conditions.
Rather than size, choose on whether they have work close to your business, whether a dedicated contact is assigned, and whether they will stay with you after launch. A smaller firm has the advantage that you can speak directly to the person doing the work.
It may include less work. Check the breakdown to see which of planning, copy, photography, forms and post-launch maintenance has been left out.
Some projects cannot be made public due to confidentiality agreements. In that case, ask about work for similar industries within whatever they can disclose. It is safer to avoid a company that can show you nothing at all.
Browse our portfolio and see the results for businesses like yours
You can narrow down web design companies considerably just by looking at two things: their past work and their proposal. Our portfolio can be filtered by industry. Take a look at examples close to your own business, then raise any questions with us at a meeting.
