Question 1

What is a web development company?

Accepted Answer

A web development company builds custom websites, apps, intranets, and other digital platforms with features and functionalities that brands need to establish and grow their online presence. It focuses on the technical aspects of building and programming websites, such as coding, functionality, and database management.

Question 2

What does a website development agency do?

Accepted Answer

A website development agency builds, launches, and maintains highly functional websites. Some of its core services are:

Frontend development: The creation of a website’s user interface and user experience, including the functionality of visible, interactive elements
Backend development: Server-side programming that involves building and maintaining databases and APIs
CMS website development: This offers faster website creation, easy content management, and the ability to customize the website without the need for advanced technical skills
Web hosting: A service that allows organizations to store their website files and data and make the site accessible via the internet
QA testing: A series of activities conducted to verify whether a website meets specific requirements, standards, procedures, and best practices
Technical SEO: Optimizations on site architecture, page speed, and user experience to help search engines crawl, index, understand, and rank a website
Website maintenance and support: Ensures that the website performs smoothly, stays updated and secure, and provides a consistently positive user experience

Question 3

How much does hiring a web development company cost?

Accepted Answer

Hiring a web development company can cost from several thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars per project. For instance, a custom informational site ranges from $25,000 - $35,000 and an eCommerce site ranges from $36,000 - $46,000.

The overall costs depend on the:

Scope and complexity of the project
Number of uniquely designed landing pages
Desired features and functionalities
Number of integrations needed

It's important to define your project scope and understand your prospective partner’s team size, location, and capabilities to get an accurate estimate of the total project cost.

The top 50 web development companies on DesignRush charge an average of $75/hour. Roughly 12.6% of the website development firms on the platform have a minimum budget of $1,000, while 3.4% have a $50,000+ minimum budget.

Question 4

How much time do web development companies need to develop a website?

Accepted Answer

Simple websites with basic features can be developed within a few weeks, while more complex sites with custom functionalities and integrations may take several months.

The average timeframes for custom websites are:

Website type	Average timeframe
Informational site	10-12 weeks (3 months)
eCommerce site	3-9 months
Enterprise site	6-12 months

Of course, the actual time required to develop a website depends on the project's complexity and the company's resources.

Discuss your project requirements, deliverables, and timelines during the introductory meeting with potential partners. This info will help them outline their development process, determine what resources they need to complete the project, and provide an estimate for how long the website build will take.

Question 5

What is the difference between web design and web development agency?

Accepted Answer

The difference between a web design and a web development agency lies in their service focus and the roles they fulfill.

A web design agency focuses on the visual aspect of user experience, such as color schemes, graphic design, and layout, which guides the user through the conversion funnel. It creates a design strategy that improves the customer journey.

While there is some overlap in the services that web design and web development agencies offer, web design companies are more likely to specialize in:

Website strategy
Website design
Site planning
Site architecture
Wireframing
UI/UX design
Branding
SEO
Content creation
Digital marketing

On the other hand, web development agencies are focused on a website’s functionality and maintenance, as laid out in the second question. Many of them also branch out to diversify their service offerings and have areas of expertise like:

Question 6

What are the different types of website development companies?

Accepted Answer

Website development companies can be categorized based on the following:

Services they offer	Platform expertise	Industry verticals
Development-only Mixed services Full-stack Full-service eCommerce	WordPress Drupal Magento Shopify Ruby on Rails Platform-agnostic And more	Healthcare Fintech Retail B2B Insurance Blockchain And more

Question 7

Why should you hire a website development company?

Accepted Answer

You should hire a website development company to help you create a high-quality website that is:

Fully functional
Responsive and user-friendly
SEO optimized
Reflective of your brand for optimal visibility
Optimized for conversions
And more

The quality of your website is extremely important. Customers turn to the internet to find suppliers or make a purchase, and they expect serious business owners to have a respectable online presence.

Hiring professional web development services is imperative to stand out in highly competitive markets, as illustrated by the case of HITT, a prominent construction company. It partnered with a reliable web development agency, Huemor, to create a website that showcases its craftsmanship and attracts both customers and prospective employees.

The collaboration resulted in:

+228% qualified leads
+22% time spent on page
+81% pages viewed per session

Question 8

What types of websites do web development companies create?

Accepted Answer

Web development companies can create different types of websites based on your business needs, such as:

Standard informational websites (e.g., Wikipedia, WebMD, Food Network)
eCommerce websites (e.g., Amazon, eBay, Alibaba)
Portfolio websites (e.g., Behance, Dribble, Huge)
Video streaming websites (e.g., Netflix, HBO, Hulu)
Portal websites (e.g., Google, Yahoo, MSN)
Web apps (e.g., Gmail, Facebook, YouTube)

Considering these website types, the most demanded features and functionalities include:

CMS
eCommerce functionality
Product reviews
Order tracking
Database
Interactive multimedia
Member Login
Navigation
Search bars
Chatbots
Artificial intelligence

Question 9

Do web development companies offer support and maintenance post-launch?

Accepted Answer

Yes, web development companies offer ongoing support, security updates, and technical maintenance to keep your website running smoothly post-launch. Maintenance services may include:

Content updates
Bug fixes
Performance optimization
Security patches
Regular backups

It is important to understand what is included in the maintenance package you are receiving from the agency. Depending on your resources, some can be done by an internal team. But make sure you don’t miss these critical services: security updates and regular backups. These could make or break your business in cases of cyberattacks or natural disasters.

Question 10

How do I choose a reliable web development agency?

Accepted Answer

Take these seven steps to select a reliable partner agency for your website project:

Define your project scope, requirements, goals, and timeline.
Outline your budget to ensure it matches with your prospective agency.
Research and shortlist potential agencies based on their portfolios, case studies, client reviews, and industry recognition. Examining these credentials enables you to understand what kind of experience they have, where they excel, and their success rate.
Submit a website development request for proposal (RFP).
Get in touch with up to five potential partners and participate in exploratory meetings.
Receive custom proposals and schedule meetings with agencies that best fit your requirements and company culture.
Attend a follow-up meeting to discuss the proposal in greater detail.
Based on your evaluation, make a well-informed hiring decision.

You can also tell us about your upcoming website development project, and we will help you find the right provider for your business needs — at no cost to you. Visit our Marketplace page for more information.

Question 11

What questions should I ask a potential web development partner?

Accepted Answer

The key questions to ask a potential web development partner revolve around the following:

Its Relevant Background

How extensive is your knowledge of our industry?
Can you provide examples of similar websites you have developed and the results they achieved?
What platforms are your websites built on? What CMS platforms do you work on?
Can you provide client references?
How large is your company, and how long have you been in business?

Company Services and Processes

What is your methodology from research to development to launch?
What tools and programs do you use?
Can you integrate third-party tools or integrations with our website?
Do you provide on-site SEO optimization by default?
Do you offer post-launch support and maintenance services?
What other services do you provide?
How do you ensure website security and data protection?
How do you handle scalability and future growth needs?

The Project

What parts of my project will be implemented in-house vs. outsourced?
Can I perform edits in the CMS on my own?
Will my website be fully customized or templated?
How much involvement will I have in the process, and what is expected from our team?
What tangible results can we expect from our collaboration?
How much does a project of this scope cost? What kind of fees do you charge?

These questions help you assess the capabilities, experience, and compatibility of potential website development companies so you can find the best match for your specific needs.

Question 12

What are the best web development agencies in the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

The best web development agencies in the U.S., as ranked by our industry analysts, are:

Bilberrry
- 5-star rating with 21 reviews on DesignRush
- Top clients: Deloitte, PepsiCO, Delta Airlines, University of Washington, and more
Digital Silk
- 4.9 rating with 31 reviews on DesignRush; 4.6 rating with 19 reviews on Google
- Top clients: IBM, AT&T, NYU, NASA, and more
Fireart Studio
- 5-star rating with 15 reviews on DesignRush; 4.6 rating with 45 reviews on Google
- Top clients: Bolt, IBM, Google, Rolls Royce, and more
Codup
- 5-star rating with 43 reviews on DesignRush; 4.7 rating with 6 reviews on Google
- Top clients: Unilever, Zendex, Dyson, Harrods, and more
eDesign Interactive
- 4.9 rating with 28 reviews on DesignRush; 5-star rating with 13 reviews on Google
- Top clients: Associated Press, Exeron, Wimpy Kid, TDF, and more

Scroll up to browse their comprehensive agency profiles. You may filter them by client reviews, expertise, hourly rates, team size, and budget to narrow down the best fit for your upcoming project.

Question 13

How legitimate is the content in the hiring guide?

Accepted Answer

To confirm the accuracy and validity of the content in our hiring guide, we reached out to Gabriel Shaoolian, CEO and Founder of Digital Silk, a top web development company. He offered factual responses to the most frequently asked questions about web development agencies.

Gabriel Shaoolian is the founder and CEO of Digital Silk, a full-service digital agency that specializes in growing brands through digital experiences. With 25+ years of industry experience and expertise, he offers unparalleled insight into website development that is anchored on the latest digital trends and best practices. He is a published author on Forbes, where he covered topics on digital marketing and sales strategies.

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