Live sites, not screenshots
Screenshots never break. Ask for live URLs and open them on your own phone over mobile data — speed, readability and working forms tell you more than any mockup.
Choosing a Web Design Company
How to Choose a Web Design Company in Zimbabwe
A website is a five-year business asset wearing a six-week project costume. Choose well and it compounds enquiries for years; choose badly and you pay twice — once for the site, once for the rebuild. This page is the checklist we wish every buyer used, including against us.
- Live portfolio you can click through
- Written process with timelines
- Content and SEO included, not assumed
- You own domain, hosting and files
- Support that survives launch
- Itemised, fixed pricing
Proof: click everything.
Portfolios are curated; live websites are truth. Open the sites, test them on your phone, submit their forms.
Clients who stayed
One-off projects prove design skill; returning clients prove reliability. Ask who still hosts, maintains and improves with the company years later — and whether you can talk to them.
Results, not just looks
Beautiful sites that generate nothing are expensive art. Ask what each project was for — enquiries, sales, applications — and how the design serves that goal.
Process and ownership in writing.
Verbal promises evaporate. The contract should name pages, timelines, content duties, costs and who owns what.
A process with dates
Discovery, content, design, build, testing, launch — with dates attached and your responsibilities spelled out. Vague timelines produce vague websites.
Domain, hosting and files in your name
You should own the domain, the hosting account, the files or CMS, the content and the email. Get it in writing; walk away from anyone vague on ownership.
Content and SEO explicitly included
Who writes the copy? Who sets metadata, sitemaps and headings? If the quote assumes you will figure it out, the launch will stall. Our builds include content structuring and SEO foundations as standard.
Support after launch.
Launch day is the midpoint, not the finish. Ask who answers when email breaks or traffic dips — and what it costs.
Our maintenance plans exist because websites decay without care: updates, backups, small changes and someone to call. Price it before you need it, not after something breaks.
A note on price shopping.
The cheapest quote usually wins the signature and loses the project. When one price sits far below the rest, something is missing: content, SEO, email, support, or the experience to deliver at all. Ask the outlier what exactly is excluded and watch the total converge.
The right question is never who is cheapest — it is who delivers the most business value per dollar over three years. A site that ranks and converts pays for its premium many times over.
Common questions about choosing a web designer.
Freelancer or company?
Freelancers cost less and move fast; companies offer continuity, teams and support depth. For business-critical sites, continuity usually wins — ask whoever you choose what happens if they disappear.
How long should a business website take?
Two to six weeks for most starter and business sites once content is ready; longer for stores and custom platforms. Anyone promising days is skipping something.
I already have a website. Can you take over?
Yes — we audit, fix, migrate or rebuild around what is worth keeping, with redirects preserving your rankings.
Who owns my website when it is done?
You should: domain, hosting account, files or CMS, content and email. Get it in writing; walk away from anyone vague on ownership.
What should support cost?
A modest monthly or annual care plan covering hosting, updates, backups and small changes. Compare maintenance plans, and beware support that costs more than the build.
Run us through this checklist.
Bring these questions to your first call — with us or anyone. If a company flinches at proof, process or ownership, you have your answer.
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