Many of us use our websites daily and rely upon them to update our clients, our internal teams, and more. But what happens when you need to make a change? Your website may need a redesign or a new feature. What happens when you need to hire a team of professionals or an expert WordPress agency to help you take your website to the next level? How can you determine if the agency has the needed expertise?
One of the best ways to select a web development agency is by getting to know more about that agency. Finding an expert WordPress agency is like finding a comfortable pair of shoes. It’s all about the right fit. What’s suitable for a friend or business associate may not be right for you. You and the agency you select should be aligned on working styles, areas of expertise, communications, and more. A casual interview with potential agencies lets you find the fit you seek.
7 Questions to Ask to Uncover an Expert WordPress Agency
What is your experience with WordPress development? It’s not necessarily important that an expert WordPress agency has built a site in your particular vertical in your immediate area. Still, it’s vital that the agency understands your business goals and has experience finding WordPress-centric business solutions to help you achieve your needs.
Determine Your Website Requirements First
For example, does the agency have experience with business directories, events management, geolocation, and multilingual pages? Does the WordPress agency have experience with APIs for standard services like Salesforce or Hubspot? Think about the agency’s years of experience. How has their portfolio grown and matured? Are they working on sites that are of the caliber of your organization?
- What are the core services that your WordPress development agency offers? It’s tempting to want what’s known as “one-stop shopping.” The danger is hiring an agency that is the proverbial “jack of all trades but master of none.” Can you find quality design, development, hosting, content writing, events management, and marketing under one roof? Probably not. Look for an expert WordPress agency that focuses on your critical needs and has referrals to reputable partners when your requests don’t dovetail with all their areas of expertise. For example, some agencies specialize in design and development but not in content writing or SEO services. Don’t immediately dismiss an agency that doesn’t do it all. There can be advantages in agencies who say, “Let us connect you with a partner specializing in the additional services you seek. We’ve partnered with this agency before and know how to work together.”
- Can you show examples of WordPress sites you’ve developed? Request a portfolio of previous projects. Look for variety and quality in design, user experience, and functionality. Does everything look cookie-cutter, or are the sites unique and designed based on the needs of the individual clients?
- Do the examples fit your vision for your website? Are the sites in their portfolio of the scale that your company requires? Are they SMB, non-profit, or enterprise focused? Ask about the design and development process. Is there a UX (user experience) designer and strategist on staff?
- How do they help you assess your needs and provide solutions tailored specifically to you? If the agency is a good fit, can they provide you with references from satisfied clients? It’s not as crucial that the client is immediately in your vertical, but that client should be able to speak to the quality of work, communications, and trust. Why do they continue to work with this expert WordPress agency? Would they work with that agency again?
- How do you manage your WordPress development projects? Communication is key! Your company and development agency must be aligned as your project progresses. Does the agency utilize project management software? Do they have an option for more spontaneous communication, such as Slack or WebX? What does your web development team look like? Does a regular team know you and your project, or do developers rotate? Is there a project manager who is the main point of communication? What are the working hours of your team, and how quickly will the team respond if you have a question or concern.
- What does the development process at an expert WordPress agency look like? There are a lot of different ways that developers can work. Some agencies follow agile or waterfall methodologies. Some even do a hybrid approach. Regardless of methods, there should be an indication of how the agency handles project milestones, sprints, and deliverables and how they adapt to clients’ needs. There should also be a clear indication of how the agency handles version control using multiple environments: development, staging, and the live production site. Staying current is another critical factor in picking a development agency. Is there someone who ensures that the agency stays abreast of modern coding standards? What measures do they take to ensure that the code is both secure and accessible? Do they understand Core Web Vitals and how to optimize your site for SEO?
- How does an expert WordPress agency handle data migration? When migrating a site, data mapping is crucial to avoid a loss in SEO. URLs must be carefully logged. At some point, will there be a content freeze, an initial migration, and a final delta migration? How will the agency scan the current site to look for potential abnormalities in data structure, and what does post-migration error testing look like? Does the WordPress agency have experience migrating from other common CMSs to WordPress, such as Drupal, Sitecore, Joomla, Django, or DNN? These platforms have unique database structures that must be mapped to the WordPress structure.
WebDevStudios understands your WordPress needs.
WebDevStudios is owned and operated by Brad Williams and Lisa Sabin-Wilson, pioneers in the WordPress industry. Since its establishment in 2008, the WordPress agency has expanded to a highly skilled group of designers, developers, and project managers dedicated to delivering fantastic client results. Contact us today to discuss how WebDevStudios can help your WordPress journey.