Category: Web Design and Development

Categories
Web Design and Development

6 Tips for Selecting the Right Web Development Company

Web development composition

It’s 2023. Have you woken up and smelled the coffee yet?

Launching a business today means building a brand that is visible and that can be found. And more often than not, this visibility and searchability is a metric of the brand’s presence on social media platforms and search engines respectively.

Perhaps even before social media or search engine visibility come into play, a business first and foremost needs a reliable digital home in the form of a website. And one of the most critical decisions to impact your business’ branding and marketing success will therefore be : choosing the right web development company for your business. Read on, as we break down these complicated questions into simple bits of information. But first…

Table of content

  1. What does a website development company do
  2. What does a website design company do
  3. Web Development Company vs Web Design Company
  4. Types of web development companies
  5. 6 tips for selecting the right web development agency
  6. Conclusion
  7. FAQs

What does a Website Development Company do

A web development company is a professional firm or agency that specialises in designing, developing and maintaining websites for individuals, businesses or organisations. These companies have a team of skilled teams of project managers, website designers, website developers, quality analysts and database managers who possess expertise in various aspects of web development.

The primary goal of a website development company in Ahmedabad is to create functional and visually appealing websites that align with the client’s requirements and business objectives.

What does a Website Design Company do

On the other hand, a web design company primarily focuses on the visual and aesthetic aspects of creating a website. A website design company in Ahmedabad specialises in designing the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) elements to create an engaging and visually appealing website. Their main goal is to create an attractive and intuitive design that enhances the overall user experience.

Web Development Company vs Web Design Company

Wb design and web development companies differ based on the services offered. Although most web development agencies today offer all the services mentioned below, you might be able to find design & branding studios that only offer web designing services.

Web design services include:

Website Structure

Creating the information architecture of the website defining both pages, as well as, how these pages link up in the website’s navigation and through interlinking.

UI/UX Design

Creating the visual layout, typography, colours and graphics of the website to ensure a visually appealing and user-friendly interface.

Wireframing and Prototyping

Creating visual representations and interactive prototypes to showcase the structure and functionality of the website before development.

A mobile phone with different icons
Wireframe of a mobile application

Graphic Design

Designing logos, icons, images and other visual elements that contribute to the overall look and feel of the website.

Responsive Design

Optimising the design to ensure it is compatible and visually appealing across various devices and screen sizes.

Branding and Identity Design

Developing or refining the client’s branding elements, such as colour schemes and typography, to create a consistent brand presence.

User Experience Optimisation

Focusing on usability and user flow to create an intuitive and enjoyable user experience.
Web development services include:

Web Design

Creating the visual layout, user interface, and user experience (UI/UX) design of the website.

Front-End Development

Implementing the visual design using HTML, CSS and JavaScript to create interactive elements and user-facing functionalities.

Back-End Development

Building the server-side infrastructure, integrating databases and writing code to handle data management and website functionality.

Content Management System (CMS) Development

Customising and implementing CMS platforms like WordPress, Drupal or Shopify to enable clients to manage their website content easily.

Ecommerce Development

Building online stores, integrating payment gateways and developing secure shopping cart systems for businesses to sell products or services online. Either by using platforms like Magneto, Shopify, Big Commerce etc or custom-coded stores.

Website Maintenance and Support

Providing ongoing support, updates, and maintenance services to ensure the website’s security, performance, and functionality.

Database Integration

Integrating databases and managing data storage to support dynamic content and user interactions.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Optimising the website’s structure, content and meta tags to improve its visibility and rankings in search engine results. Often SEO services are also provided by web development companies.

SEO optimisation vector illustrating key elements
SEO improves online brand presence

Types of Web Development Companies in Ahmedabad

There are various types of web development companies, each specialising in different aspects of web development. Here are some common types:

Full-Stack Web Development Companies

These companies offer comprehensive web development services, covering all aspects from design to development and maintenance. They have expertise in various technologies and can handle projects of any scale.

Front-end development companies

specialise in designing and creating the user interface and user experience (UI/UX) of a website. They focus on implementing designs, optimising performance and ensuring a seamless user experience across different devices and browsers. Their team of website designers and website developers are adept in using programming languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript and its libraries such as React, jQuery etc. For mood boarding, wireframing and designing, they also use tools like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Figma and Sketch. React development in Ahmedabad is one of the most sought after front-end web development services these days.

Back-End Development Companies

Back-end development companies focus on building the server-side infrastructure and functionality of a website. They handle tasks such as database management, server configuration and writing server-side code to power the website’s features and interactivity. The most common kinds of back-end development services these days are PHP development, Python development, Java development, Ruby Development, Node.js development and more.

Ecommerce Development Companies

Top Ecommerce Website development company specialises in developing ecommerce websites, including online stores and platforms for buying and selling products or services. They have expertise in integrating payment gateways, managing product catalogues, conducting product and concept shoots and implementing secure online transactions. Shopify development in Ahmedabad, WooCommerce development in Ahmedabad, along with Magento and Big Commerce, are some of the major development technologies in demand these days.

Content Management System (CMS) Development Companies

CMS development companies specialise in creating websites using popular content management systems like WordPress, Drupal, Wix or WebFlow. They customise and extend the CMS functionality to meet specific client requirements. WordPress development in Ahmedabad is the most popular service in this category.

A laptop with different icons on it
Manage and modify your content with CMS.

Custom Web Development Companies

Custom web development companies build websites from scratch, tailored to the unique needs and specifications of the client. Digital transformation companies in Ahmedabad usually excel in custom web development. And have an expertise in various programming languages (like PHP, JS) and their frameworks (like Laraval, React, Next.js, Node.js) to create fully customised and scalable web solutions.

Mobile App Development Companies

While not strictly web development, mobile app development companies also offer web development services to create mobile-friendly websites or web-based applications optimised for mobile devices

A girl with a laptop and a phone screen
Developing a mobile application

Digital Agencies

Digital marketing companies in Ahmedabad provide a wide range of digital services, including web development. They often have a team of specialists in different areas, such as web design, development, SEO services and digital marketing, offering comprehensive solutions for a businesses’ online presence.

UI/UX Design Agencies

Also known as web design agencies, these focus primarily on creating visually appealing and user-friendly website designs. They specialise in designing intuitive interfaces, wireframing, prototyping and ensuring a seamless user experience.

Software Development Companies

Although broader in scope, software development companies may also offer web development services. They specialise in building complex web applications, enterprise-level systems or software solutions that require extensive back-end development and integration.

Also it’s important to understand that the above categories are not mutually exclusive. Some companies may very well offer a combination of services. It’s important to evaluate a company’s expertise, portfolio and client reviews to ensure they align with your specific project requirements. More on how to select the right web development company from all the various options available for your business.

6 Tips for Selecting the Right Web Development Agency in Ahmedabad

Selecting the right web development agency in Ahmedabad will be one of the most important vendor selections you can make for your business today. From first impression to generating a lead, a website will impact everything from the branding to the marketing and sales of your business. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you make this super critical decision:

Define Your Requirements

Before searching for a web development company, clearly define your project requirements. Consider the type of website you need, its features, functionalities, design preferences and any specific technology or platform requirements. This will help you find a company with expertise in your desired areas. For example, will your customer make a sale online, fill out a form for product query or just visit your website for more information. Depending on how you answer the above, you might need an ecommerce website, a lead generation website or a simple branding or portfolio website. In short, your website requirements will help define:

  • Custom website or template-based website
  • Technology stack of your website
  • Adaptive or responsive website
  • Ecommerce or product display or branding website
  • Multiple-language support
  • Design language
  • Maintenance support required
  • Launch support required
  • And other such features & functionalities

Evaluate the Agency’s Portfolio

Take the time to review the web design company’s portfolio and examine their previous projects. Look for examples that align with your industry or business niche to get a sense of their capabilities. Pay attention to the design, functionality, user experience and responsiveness of the websites they have developed. Maybe they excel in food or fashion over manufacturing companies’ websites? Here are some things to keep in mind as you evaluation the web development company’s portfolio:

  • Industries worked in
  • Design sensibilities
  • Detail-oriented
  • Research-skills
  • Processes followed
  • On-time delivery

Check Client Testimonials and Reviews

Go online and do a bit of research of your own. Read testimonials or reviews from previous clients to gauge the company’s reputation and client satisfaction on platforms such as Google My Business(GMB) or Clutch. Look for feedback related to their communication, project management, timely delivery and post-launch support. You can also ask for references and directly contact their previous clients to gather more insights.

Assess Expertise & Team

Consider the expertise and skills of the web development company’s team. Evaluate their proficiency in the technologies, programming languages and frameworks relevant to your project. This can include front-end, back-end, database and server technologies and also includes, the often neglected, testing or quality analysis proficiency. A company that keeps up with the latest technologies can deliver a more modern and future-friendly website. At the same time, a team that is thorough in programming and testing is more likely to build a website that works bug-free and reliably across web platforms and devices.

Communication and Project Management

Effective communication and project management are vital for a successful collaboration. Evaluate how the company communicates, whether they are responsive, and how they handle project milestones, deadlines and feedback. For most startups, web development companies that implement agile methodologies work better. This means that in addition to programmers, designers and testers, a successful website design company in Ahmedabad should also have a team of capable website project managers. Their transparent and efficient communication process can ensure a smooth website development workflow and avoid misunderstandings.

Consider Budget and Cost

This one goes without saying! While cost shouldn’t be the sole determining factor, it’s important to consider your budget and the web development company’s pricing structure. Request detailed website proposals or quotes from multiple web development companies and compare the services offered, the scope of work and the estimated timeline. Balance the cost with the company’s expertise, quality, and the value they can deliver.

In Conclusion

By following these tips, you can narrow down your options and select a web development company in Ahmedabad that aligns with your requirements, has a proven track record, offers the right expertise, and provides effective communication and project management. A well-chosen web development partner can bring your vision to life and help you achieve your online goals.
If you still have questions and would like to speak with a real human about your very human queries, drop us an email on hello@flora.ffteam.in and someone will get back to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

The services offered by web design companies are different from those offered by a web development company. Web design services focus on the visual and graphical aspect of the website, whereas, web development services include the whole gamut of designing, building, testing, launching and maintaining the website.
Most full-service digital marketing companies do offer web design and web development services, in addition to, social media management, seo services, ecommerce development, branding and research services etc.
Custom website development involves designing every webpage from scratch in a design tool with custom features for each page. Once the look and feel and flow is designed, each page and functionality of the website is custom-coded for a pixel-perfect output across various devices. The custom functionality is usually built in a back-end language like PHP or Python, whereas, the custom design is usually coded in a front-end stack that includes HTML, CSS, JavaScript (or its frameworks like React, jQuery etc). Theme or template-based website development usually includes modifying any one of the themes or templates available online and modifying it for basics like font, colour etc.
Website development costs in Ahmedabad can start from as low as Rs. 50,000 for a template-based website to anywhere up to Rs. 15,00,000 for a completely custom design website. The actual costs depend on the requirements, features, tech stacks, complexity of design and so on.

Categories
Web Design and Development

Why businesses must get websites developed professionally

A person typing on a laptop with the words UX and UI.

Imagine Customer X. Loyal and eagerly anticipating the arrival of that dress they purchased from your online store. Excited, they open the website to track their order, only to be greeted by a website that refuses to load. Disappointment sets in. And for their next purchase Customer X chooses your competition instead.

An easily avoidable scenario if you had utilised the web development services of an ecommerce development company to develop your website. Utilising these services would have meant having a website that scales up with increasing traffic and products. It would also mean having a team of tech experts monitoring and maintaining your website to make sure it doesn’t suffer from slow load times or downtime ensuring a seamless experience for Customer X who would continue coming back and perhaps even spreading the word on how cool your website was!

In this blog we will encapsulate all the reasons why you must work with professional web development companies, in order to make a website work for your business.

Table of content

  1. What is Web development
  2. Importance of Web development services for business
  3. Benefits of Web development services
  4. Conclusion
  5. Frequently Asked Questions

What is Web Development

Web development or website development is the process of creating, designing, building and maintaining a functional and visually appealing website. This involves various tasks, such as user experience research and design, web design, front-end development, back-end development, testing, web-server configuration and more.

Here’s a breakdown of these key components or services that comprise web development services:

User Experience Research & Design

User experience (UX) in web development refers to the overall experience and satisfaction that users have when interacting with a website or web application. It focuses on creating a positive and meaningful experience for users, ensuring that they can easily navigate, understand and achieve their goals on the website.

Web Design

This involves designing the visual layout, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) of a website. It includes defining the colour palette, typography, imagery and overall aesthetic of the website to create an engaging and user-friendly website.

Front-end Development

Front-end development focuses on the client-side of the website, which is what users see and interact with directly. This is usually code executed on the browser itself and involves using technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript and JavaScript libraries like React, to implement the design and functionality of the website. Front-end developers work on aspects like layout, navigation, forms, animations and responsive design to ensure the website is visually appealing and functional across different devices and browsers.

Back-end Development

Back-end development involves building the server-side of the website. It includes managing databases, server configuration, writing server-side code and implementing the business logic and functionality of the website. Back-end developers use languages like Python, PHP, Ruby or Node.js along with frameworks and libraries to handle data storage, user authentication, server requests and other server-side operations.

Testing

Testing in web development is the process of evaluating and validating the functionality, performance and usability of a website or web application to ensure it meets the desired requirements and delivers a high-quality user experience. Testing is crucial to identify and fix any issues or bugs before deploying the website to production. Testing can be done manually through a team of professional testers or QAs or it can be automated using a tool such as Selenium.

Web Server Configuration

Web server configuration involves setting up and configuring the server environment to host and deliver the website to users. This may involve tasks such as domain management, server security, optimisation and performance tuning. This can involve managing servers on 3rd parties such as Go Daddy to manage more complicated Amazon Web Services (AWS) and implementing features like continuous integration (CI) etc depending on the scale of the project.

A person with laptop, with texts CSS, HTML and web developing

Front-end development technologies

Importance of Web Development Services for Business

Along with social media, Web Development plays an extremely critical role in business success in our digital world. Right from ecommerce development companies to web design companies, here’s why their services are important for businesses today:

Establishing a Strong Online Presence

A professionally developed website serves as a virtual storefront for businesses. This can help establish credibility, showcase the products or service and create a strong online impression.

Increasing Brand Visibility & Reach

An effectively developed website enables businesses to reach a wider audience beyond their physical location. And even allows for expanding their customer base by targeting local, national or even global markets. With the right SEO strategies and optimisation techniques, a website can rank higher in search engine results, enhancing brand visibility and attracting organic traffic from literally anywhere in the world.

Engaging Customers

A well-designed website acts as an information hub, providing customers with details about products, services, business hours, contact information and more. It serves as a platform to engage customers through valuable content, blog posts, FAQs and interactive features, fostering a stronger connection and building trust and credibility.

Showcasing Products & Services

Web development enables businesses to showcase their offerings in an attractive and organised manner. They can display product images, descriptions, specifications, pricing and even allow customers to make online purchases. This enhances the customer experience, increases convenience and boosts further sales potential.

A hand with magnet attracting people

Web development helps generate online leads

Improved Customer Support

Websites can incorporate features like live chat, contact forms or chatbots, enabling businesses to provide efficient customer support and address inquiries promptly. This improves customer satisfaction, builds trust and fosters positive relationships with clients.

Generating Online Leads

In today’s competitive landscape, businesses without an online presence may risk losing potential customers to competitors. Moreover, a website optimised for SEO with lead generation forms created using the logic of marketing funnels can help get leads from interested future clients.

Ensuring Website is Available 24×7

An important part of any web development company’s service is to prevent website outages and making sure the website is accessible and usable at all times. This includes making sure the website is bug-free, updated with the latest plugins, software and language versions and most important – SAFE FROM ATTACKS and HACKING ATTEMPTS. A website maintained by a professional web development company ensures that all of the above are taken care of. An unreliable website experience can translate as unreliability in business for the user, so website maintenance becomes an important part of the web development services that a business must employ.

In short, website development services are vital for businesses as they facilitate online visibility, brand establishment, customer engagement and provide a platform for effective communication and sales. A professionally developed website can contribute significantly to a business’s growth, customer acquisition and overall success in the digital realm.

Benefits of Web Development Services

Web development services offer a range of benefits to businesses. Here are some key advantages of working with web development company

Customised Web Solutions

Web development services provide the flexibility to create custom websites that align with specific business needs and goals. Developers can customise the design, functionality and features to ensure the website effectively represents the brand and engages the target audience.

Scalability and Growth

A well-developed website can easily adapt and scale as a business grows. Web developers can implement features such as content management systems (CMS like WordPress), e-commerce platforms (like Shopify or Magento) and database integrations, enabling businesses to expand their offerings, manage content efficiently and handle increased website traffic.

User-friendly Design Interface

Web development services focus on creating websites that deliver a seamless and intuitive user experience. Through responsive design, optimised performance and intuitive navigation, users can easily find information, navigate through pages and interact with the website, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and engagement.

SEO-friendly Website

Web developers understand the importance of search engine optimisation (SEO) in driving organic traffic to a website. Web development companies, at least the good ones, implement best practices such as writing optimised code, including relevant keywords, adding meta tags and using proper site structure, to improve search engine visibility and rankings. This helps businesses attract more visitors and potential customers. Once the website is live, ongoing SEO activities such as link-building and guest blogging might be required. For this, we recommend engaging a professional SEO agency known for providing result-driven SEO services.

Mobile-friendly Website

With the increasing use of mobile devices, web development companies prioritise mobile responsiveness. Websites are optimised to provide a seamless experience across various screen sizes and devices, ensuring that users can access and navigate the website effortlessly on smartphones and tablets.

Integration with Third-Party Software

Custom web development services allow for seamless integration with various third-party services and tools. This includes payment gateways, social media platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, email marketing services and literally anything! These integrations enable businesses to streamline processes, automate tasks and enhance overall efficiency.

Data Collection and Analysis

Through web development, businesses can implement analytics tools that gather valuable data about website visitors, user behaviour and conversion rates. This data can be used to make informed business decisions, optimise marketing strategies and improve the overall performance of the website.

Boost Sales & Revenue

By creating a user-friendly website that is optimised for SEO and mobile-friendly, businesses can guide their users to visit the physical location, make purchases or submit queries for quotes. By studying the data, future optimisations to the website can be made to make sure it reaches more people. This is a much cheaper way of marketing than the traditional one such as running newspaper ads, hoardings etc.

In summary, web development services offer the benefits of customisation, scalability, enhanced user experience, improved search engine visibility, mobile compatibility, integration with third-party services and data collection. These advantages contribute to the success of businesses by establishing a strong online presence, engaging customers and driving growth in the digital landscape.

In Conclusion

Web development services are an integral part of the branding and marketing activities of any serious small, medium or large business. Having a website that is reliable, user-friendly, mobile-friendly and SEO-optimised are now standard expectations that any business must have from a website development company. If you are still wondering how to select the right web development company in Ahmedabad for your needs, please drop us an email at hello@flora.ffteam.in

Frequently Asked Questions

Before you onboard a web development company make sure to create a description of your project. Even better, if you can create proper project requirements defining who the target audience is, what problem you want to solve for them through the website and what your expected goal is. Next, make sure you have a website budget and website timeline ready. This will help the web development company recommend the correct tech stack and in defining the final website requirements.
A website can take anything from one day to a few months to build. It all depends on the complexity of requirements, tech stack and the design being implemented. The process usually begins with a week or two of research, moving on to the designing phase, then the coding, testing and finally server configuration to take the website live. If the scope becomes too big, it is recommended to develop the website in phases, taking each phase live separately.
Absolutely! Ecommerce website development company in Ahmedabad fall under the bigger umbrella of website development company in Ahmedabad. In short, if a company can make a good website, they can develop a good ecommerce website, whether it is on a platform like Shopify, Woo Commerce, Magento, or something custom.
While most professional web development companies have an in-house web design team, for highly customised artwork and designs, you can involve a graphic design company in Ahmedabad. At Flora Fountain, we specialise in custom website development by creating visually appealing layouts, logos, banners, and other graphic elements all in-house. This way clients don’t have to spend a bomb involving different agencies to ensure a consistent user experience across your website.
Yes, it is! Through the web development service offered you can integrate social media features like social sharing buttons, embedded feeds and social login. By partnering with a social media agency in Ahmedabad like Flora Fountain (yeah we’re the same folks!), you can optimise your website for social media engagement, driving traffic and expanding your online reach.

Categories
Web Design and Development

It’s 2023. Having a business website is non-negotiable. Here’s why.

152 words on a plain white background, a heading tag, 20+ hyperlinking tags leading to a mesh of interlinked pages and no images.

Today, for a website development company in Ahmedabad, Athens or anywhere in between such a website is a no-no, but back in 1991, it was all the rage as the world saw its first website ever!

So much so that within 3 decades, the internet is now host to over 202,900,724 active websites swaddling millions of data bytes structured much more effectively with thought-out UX and intuitively designed UI.

The exponential rise in the popularity of websites and subsequently website design and development companies are also because of the massive benefits a website brings to businesses.

From reaching the right, wide and new audience base to attaching a sense of credibility to the brand. No wonder, major brands consider their business websites as one of the most essential assets to their business.

And if you are still wondering, why to have a website, have all your answers here.

Why your business needs a website: Insights from a website design company

business-needs
Digital presence and reach severely affect every business, in every industry all across the globe. Especially when there are over 5.16 billion internet users across the globe. Along with this following are the key motivators to have a website by a website design company:

  • Increase visibility
  • Boost credibility
  • Elevate customer experience
  • Control brand image and narrative
  • Provide valuable user insights

Let’s explore every point in detail.

Increased visibility

As a website development company based in Ahmedabad, we are aware of how important reach is for leads and conversions.

With a website, your business is always a click away from the consumers in your targeted locations, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. This elevated visibility means an “always on” leads-generating mechanism, which results in increased conversions, sales and higher ROI.

Flora Fountain Tip: Just having a website won’t do the magic. To increase visibility, your website must crawl up to the top of searched results (SERP). For this, you need to have a smart SEO strategy in place.

Boosted credibility

Your consumer is expecting you to have a website, and in many ways, it can be one of the main factors of credibility against your brand’s competitors.

Testimonials, case studies, portfolios, showcasing previous clients and details as minute as the services provided can help develop transparency and trust with potential consumers.

In simpler words, having a website is having digital proof, a reflection of your experience, sincerity and expertise about the services you have to offer.

Since a large faction of users looks up the product and service before deciding to buy them, having a website that markets your business 24*7 is a no-brainer.

Refined customer experience

A well-developed and uniquely designed website can add that factor of delight, in return increasing consumer engagement. In terms of a website development company, it boils down to the website’s UI and UX.

Why is it important for a brand?

Well for starters, an elevated user experience adds to the prestige of the brand, it shows that the brand is serious about its customer’s experience and business.

Additionally, having a website effectively impacts consumer service and leads to an increase in organic traffic. For instance, a ChatBot on your website can respond with smart AI-generated messages to resolve the concerns of a consumer even at the oddest non-working hours.

Control of brand image and narrative

Communicating a brand’s personality, identity and story are important factors to create brand loyalty among consumers. This reflects in the tone of communication, colour schemes, design themes and even in details like the use of whitespace.

Tweak-India-digital-media-company-by-Twinkle-Khanna-Tweak-India

With a website, it becomes much easier to curate, circulate and manage your brand’s messaging. If you have an update or have achieved a milestone in your industry, you can highlight this on your website in minutes and share this link across social media for added credibility.

On top of this, your website becomes a means of verification for any miscommunication or wrong information put out by third parties. All this in addition to the branding done by the website, makes it an essential aspect for all businesses.

Flora Fountain Tip: First identify your brand archetype and personality and then design the website theme, layouts and content aligned to this.

Valuable insights

From who is interested in your website to what interests them the most, you can have every detail about your business from website data collection and analytics tools. This is another vital factor to consider websites as an asset.

Armed with this data and an analytical understanding of consumer interactions and product performance, you can plan out smarter business strategies.

Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Hotjar, Smartlook and Open Web Analytics are just some of the web analytics tools that can help get you started.

Now, these were the top reasons as to why businesses must build websites with the help of a website design company. But, for many others, a top concern is how to choose the right web development company. Here’s how!

Choose the right website development company!

website-development
Now that you know that your website is an asset, it is vital to select the right web development company in order to get the best out of your investment. In such case, the following pointers will guide you while choosing the right website development company:

  • Determine what type of website you need
  • Look for expertise and creativity
  • Ask if they provide mobile-first and responsive web designs
  • Check out their website and portfolio
  • If still not convinced, ask for a proof of concept (POC)

Determine what type of website you need

Different platforms and website types have extremely vast requirements. Hence, determining what is best in your interest will help you have clarity. Ask yourself:

  • Am I looking for an ecommerce development company?
  • What features will the website have?
  • What timelines and budgets am I willing to spend on the website?
  • What platform and language will host the website?
  • Do I require specific customised features for the website?
  • Who are my competitors and what are they doing?

With this, you will get more clarity on what are your requirements for the website. Doing so will help you filter out the most suitable website design company.

Flora Fountain Tip: Ask the web development service provider if they provide free consultancy. This will provide some clarity if you have none.

Look for expertise and creativity

Evaluating the experience and ability of a website development company helps you identify what service you want from them.

For more inclusive outcomes, look for a company with expertise not just in front-end and back-end development, but also conducting user experience research, creating Information Architecture (IA), producing wireframes, building user-centric user interface designs, testing for quality assurance and launching the website. It always makes more sense to have these different teams be a part of the same larger group for more accountability and seamless working.

The second parameter is ‘creativity’. Since tech is a futuristic domain, you want your website to be up-to-date and innovative enough to delight the visitor. The more customised the journey for the user, the more delightful!

We at Flora Fountain host an exceptionally strong team of website developers and website designers in Ahmedabad that holds expertise in platforms like WordPress, Shopify and Laravel, as well as, languages like PHP, React, JavaScript, CSS & HTML.

Ask if they provide mobile-first and responsive web designs

In 2022, 54.8 % of global website traffic was from mobile users. This percentage goes even higher for India, where the majority of the population accesses the internet on smartphones. So having a website development company that uses a mobile-first approach is a must-have. This shows the company is sensitive to current trends and has the ability to build as per the user’s needs.

mobile-ai

Check out their website and portfolio

From their client portfolio to even how a website agency maintains its own website, a lot of information can be gathered about a website design company from their past and current work.

This can help you gauge if the developers understand the brand and the industry. Do they maintain the set standards of the industry? How quickly do they rectify bugs and errors? How good are they at maintaining websites?

If the website of the company is down, slow to load, unappealing or full of bugs, you might want to reconsider your choices!

Flora Fountain has successfully developed, designed and maintained websites for brands such as National Geographic Traveller, Tweak India, Ray Ethnic, Vajra Jewels, Heritage Infra Space, Shivashish World School, The Faraway Tree and hundreds of other startups and established brands.

Ask for POC (Proof of Concept)

If you are still confused, before finalising your contract with any web development company ask for a proof of concept.

This will provide you with clarity on whether the website agency understands your vision and goals. In simpler words, a POC will help you test the claims of the developer.

With that in mind, you are all set to choose the right website development company. And if you still have clouds of confusion in your mind, Flora Fountain, as a reliable and reputed web development company in Ahmedabad, can provide high-quality web development & design services aligned with your requirements, budget and timeline.

So wait no more, drop us a hello at hello@flora.ffteam.in and start your digital journey today. And if you are looking for more such interesting insights from experts in web development, branding, content curation and all things related to digital marketing, head to our blog section right away!

Categories
Web Design and Development

Why use storytelling in web designing!

Web development, programmer engineering website
Web development, programmer engineering and coding website on augmented reality interface screens. developer project engineer programming software or application design, Cartoon vector illustration

We connect with others through stories. Interesting tales and anecdotes help us remember and recall information and add meaning to life. Stories engage, educate and delight us, teach us something new and convince us to get involved in the story itself or chart one of our own.

Stories can be a powerful tool to get our message across to people. And as one of the best web designing companies in India, we incorporate the idea of using words, pictures and sounds to tell a story through websites. As the ecommerce website design and development company of choice for many national and global brands, here’s how we build compelling websites that narrate a captivating tale of their business.

Take them through a journey

The narration starts right from the home page. The moment a visitor lands at the home page, they should be introduced to the concept, the reason why they are here and what is in store for them as they scroll through.

Development Company Ahmedabad

Clothing and lifestyle brands Ray Ethnic and Nicobar do it very well with their visual-heavy ecommerce website design and development, which are an interplay of scenes which generate curiosity among the visitors and interactive buttons that take them to another page displaying their products.

ecommerce website design and development

Introduce the protagonist

In Bollywood movies, most whistles and claps are heard in the panoramic shot of the ‘hero’ of the story walking in. Similarly, once the storytelling has already gripped the visitor, introduce the protagonist here on the website. The protagonist here is the products, services and solutions on offer.

 

story-walking

Tell the visitor the “why” about the hero of the story here. Just like how Rage Coffee talks about their coffee as the protagonist on the website through this module. Use facts and figures to drive home the point.

Read more:  Marketing on Snapchat! Yeah..we’re not kidding.

Tell Me Why… You are awesome!

Our inner Backstreet Boys aside, once the protagonist of the story has been introduced, now it’s time to tell everyone why the hero is awesome. Even better, get other humans to do it. This is where the customer testimonials can be brought into picture. There are interesting ways to showcase the testimonials module on the website, but we decided to play it a little different on our website.

digital-marketing-company

One of the biggest testimonials of our work was when Bollywood actress, writer and entrepreneur Twinkle Khanna spoke about us in a video testimonial of our work as their digital marketing company. The video pops and auto-plays as a surprise element to the visitor on our page, leaving them more interested and curious to explore further

Add some drama

Everyone loves a little bit of gossip and some drama with a plot twist to taste…

And the place where one can do that is the About Us page, the space where the visitor gets context and the origin story of the brand, the business and the individual.

But we love it when businesses do it differently. The website of FoxyMoron, a digital marketing company and one of the best web designing companies, is something that we love, and we love the fact that there is no classic “About Us” page but something called “Life At Den” and “Foxy Fam”

The happily ever after

It is important that you give a good ol’ fashioned ending to the story too…. Now, this ending could be on any page. It could end at the Connect or Contact Us page, the Careers Page or simply at the Check Out window.

It is important that every page must have a conclusive end to it. And hence, the importance of a well-designed footer.

well-designed footer

One of our favourite footer modules is the one we created for an Ahmedabad-based brand named Falguni Gruh Udhyog. It lays out all the informative links neatly, and then to add to the finishing, there’s a small hand adding a pinch of salt to the footer, literally!

A website is successful when it provides what the visitor wants, whether it is information, products, solutions or simply some delight. What brings all these aspects together and delivers a winning website is the confluence of Content, Design & Code applied with some empathy for the user, through user experience planning.

Read more:  The Importance of SMART Goals for Your Website’s Success

Flora Fountain as a digital marketing company has cracked this winning formula with its robust code, strong content and out-of-the-box website design that connects the dots and narrates a gripping story of the brand. This could be you and your business. Reach out to us at hello@flora.ffteam.in today.

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Web Design and Development

The Importance of SMART Goals for Your Website’s Success

The Importance of SMART Goals for Your Website's Success

Planning to have a website for your business or redesigning your current site? Make sure you set S.M.A.R.T. goals for the website to be a success and give an additional boost to your business. A HubSpot research shows that 72% of business websites fail when they are made without a clear business objective for it.

Failing to plan, is planning for failure. Now, if you’re wondering what exactly are S.M.A.R.T. goals for a website, the marketing brains from Flora Fountain, the leading website design and development company in Ahmedabad have summed it up for you to make your lives a bit easier.

S.M.A.R.T. stands for setting Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely goals for anything you work on. And this applies even when you’re getting your website designed and developed by the best web design company in Ahmedabad or anywhere in the world.

So, what should your S.M.A.R.T. Goals for website success look like?

What do you want to achieve? (Being SPECIFIC)

Set a quantifiable business goal for your website and make sure it has some value attached to it. For instance, it could be increasing the number of leads for your business by 20%, or improving the sales conversion rate by 15%, etc.

How do you measure this growth?

How do you measure this growth? (Make it MEASURABLE)

Create concrete criteria and methods for tracking progress toward each goal. Tracking qualified leads through CRM, tracking conversion rates through Google Analytics, and surveying customers before and after the website redesign, these are some of the activities you must do regularly.

How do you set realistically achieve them (Making it ATTAINABLE)

Compare your goals to your current numbers and determine whether they are realistically achievable. Plan on how you intend to achieve these objectives. It could be by engaging the target audience through more effective calls-to-action, driving traffic to the website through paid advertising and SEO services, providing more value through higher-quality product photos, videos, or website UX improvements to increase customer satisfaction.

Are they matching the needs of your business? (Making it RELEVANT)

Ask yourself why this goal is important for your company and how it will help you achieve your mission while meeting the needs of your stakeholders. It could be something like generating 20% more leads than last year in order to increase gross income, or increasing sales through the website in order to achieve your goal of increasing revenue by 10%, etc.

Are they matching the needs of your business?

When do you wish to get started and completed? (Being on TIME)

Set a timeframe for the goal. Establishing an end point gives you a clear target. The timeframe must also be attainable and realistic. How much time does it take for the design and development of the website to be completed and made live. The time taken by the SEO activity to bring the website up in the ranks and the turnaround time in converting the leads generated from the website.

Here are some tips from the experts from one of India’s top web development company

Involve every stakeholder early on

A successful website can turn your company around. It can boost sales, build awareness, enhance customer experience, reduce costs, improve workflow and help grow your company. Before setting website goals, it is important to get all the stakeholders in your business in a room, to learn more about their needs and how the website can aid them. These stakeholders could be your investors, department heads and even employees too.

At Flora Fountain, the leading website design and development company in Ahmedabad, every team members’ input is taken into consideration while designing and developing the website and while writing the website’s content too.

Learning from past successes and mistakes

If you are considering a redesign, you should first assess the performance of your current website. You can’t set realistic goals for the new website unless you know what your current website metrics are. Before you begin your website redesign project, you should assess how well your current website is performing in comparison to where you want to be. See if the downtime of your website is high or low, the quality of leads received were good or bad, if the content in it is SEO-rich or not, etc.

What makes Flora Fountain rank as the best web design company in Ahmedabad, is that we regularly run a quality analysis from every aspect on our website and our client’s website, to ensure no potential client turns away or worse, doesn’t find us on the search engine results pages.

Learning from past successes and mistakes

Make achievable goals

Another common mistake is to set irrelevant or unattainable goals for the website. Increasing website traffic is generally regarded as a positive trend, but does this traffic translate into more leads? It is determined by whether you are attracting and engaging the appropriate audience. More leads may not be worth anything if they are not qualified or do not represent potential customers. More page views and longer visits are usually a good thing, but what if your visitors are having difficulty finding the information they are looking for? What appears to be high engagement may indicate issues with your website’s navigation or content. Every situation is unique, but it is critical to select goals that directly lead to business success.

Set your website objectives today and you’ll be on your way towards success with a digital platform for your business that meets your expectations to the T. Or get the experts at Flora Fountain to get cracking by helping you build your S.M.A.R.T. goals for a great website. To get started, explore our digital agency’s services or just give us a call on +91 95580 79502.

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Web Design and Development

How we created a mobile-first responsive website for an Ahmedabad school

Shivashish World School Website Desktop

Located in one of Ahmedabad’s fastest developing areas, Shivashish World School (SWS) is a premier co-educational school which started back in the year 1994. A charitable trust started the school with Gujarati medium but with time the school got its CBSE affiliation and introduced English medium. In the year 2021, they went through a major expansion and re-branding exercise, which included a completely new building, identity design and re-doing their digital presence across website and social media.

The school wanted a total revamp of their design and branding, so one of Ahmedabad’s best digital marketing agencies came up with a best in class website to help them achieve a complete image makeover.

The Client’s Problem

Incepted more than 28 years ago, SWS has been imparting high-quality education from kindergarten right to high school. In 2021, they set up a new world class building for their CBSE board, but realized that in the post-pandemic era, most parents were going to discover them online first. Unfortunately, their existing website did not match the scale and aesthetic of the new building. The website was also being used for two different brands, the Gujarat Board school, called Shivashish School, and the CBSE school, called SWS, creating confusion for the user.

Moreover, the old website had been designed primarily for the desktop, with its mobile version created almost as an after-thought. However, a quick look at their analytics showed that up to 90% of their unique users accessed the website through mobile devices. All of whom were being served a sub-par experience.

The school also realized that most of the things that made them unique, such as their pedagogy, amenities and most of all its teaching staff had to be showcased better!

CBSE & GBSE The history of the school as presented in old website

Solution presented by Flora Fountain

Since most parents were accessing the website from a cell phone, we decided to create a mobile-first website, a first for any school in Ahmedabad, that was dynamic and sleek. Modern design concepts like glassmorphism, neumorphism, micro animations, extensive use of swipe, and an almost app-like UI were identified to create a modern website matching the new identity of the school. In order to accomplish this, we decided to design and develop a completely new mobile-first website, which was a first for any school in Ahmedabad.

Neomorphism in the footer of the new SWS website

Phase 1: Analysis

According to research, 61% of mobile users are more likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site. That means, more than half of the target audience, parents, would look for schools in their locality on their phones. So on the basis of the research conducted on their website usage and research on the new mobile web technologies, we listed some points to work on.

1) There was a lot of information available for parents, students, and teachers. So the information architecture of the old website needed to be fleshed out better for users to easily navigate through the website.

2) The new website had to reflect and highlight current school values, while at the same time showcasing the facilities and amenities of the new school building, the talents of its students and most importantly, its teaching staff.

3) The new website had to be Search Engine optimized, or SEO optimized, to improve the school’s reach on search engines online

4) The new website had to provide an intuitive and delightful responsive experience for all its audience, especially those accessing it through mobile devices

5) The new website had to be created on a user-friendly CMS like so the client could edit the content and images on their own going forward

Phase 2: Ideation & Implementation

Committing to a Mobile-first approach

After gathering and analyzing the data and noting that parents would be the target audience and that the site should be easy for them to use, we went ahead with our original idea to create a mobile-first website. This means that our product and design team starts by creating wireframes and mockups for mobile first. This means thinking of a more modular layout than a grid-based one. The modules can then be rearranged to create layouts for desktop and mobile.

responsive vs mobile first web design

Neumorphic, Glassmorphic, Animated

The second idea was to incorporate Neumorphism, Glassmorphism and animation in the user interface or UI. Once the wireframes were sketched, our design team created mockups using these two effects on all the various elements that make up a website, right from buttons and tabs, to images and navigation elements. Each page was painstakingly mocked up so there was no room for error while coding. A document was created for all the animation with adequate references.

To implement Neumorphism all this, the front-end team placed UI elements behind a background in CSS, to make it seem like components such as buttons are actually housed inside the background. For the frosted-glass effect of Glassmorphism, a blur effect was added to the background. Contrasting and vivid colours are used in the background to highlight the blurred transparency, giving a subtle border to the translucent objects. For animation we relied on extensive use of jQuery’s animation libraries.

Creating content through writing and photo & video shoot

Since we had put our heart and souls into designing and developing the website, we realized that we would also be the best people to create content for it. We wrote SEO-optimized content using the information provided by the client, adding all relevant meta tags and keywords on each page to target audiences in the nearby 5 km radius. Since that is the most parents are willing to travel to send their kids to school. We also realized the need for high quality photographs and images to bring this vision to life. So we conducted a shoot to get the right expressions of each child and teacher for the website. We also shot scripted videos with the children each presenting school values in an irrepressibly cute way. We overlaid sketched illustrations on some images to give them an element of storytelling. Finally, we added GIFs for each teacher to give the website a fun approachable vibe.

Testing

We extensively tested this website across top 10 mobile devices used by parents, with at least 5% of the website traffic percentage, such as Samsung Galaxy phones, Vivo, Oppo, Google Pixel, OnePlus and Apple iPhone. In addition to this we also tested it across popular desktop browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari.

Result:

And viola, just like that the new website turned out to be as awesome as we had dreamt on paper and Illustrator 🙂

Let’s take a look!

Neumorphic, Glassmorphic, Animated visuals on the new SWS website

The new website highlighted the teachers and the students in a quirky and creative way, in line with the client brief.

SWS Teachers Mobile friendly views of the new SWS website

It showcased the history of the school in a fun and more accessible way, than the usual text format.

And here is the highlight of the website! A 3-d globe showing the alumni of the school spread across the world.

Want to explore this website some more? Check it out here.

Alumni of the SWS school Mobile friendly views of the new SWS website

So this is how Ahmedabad got its mobile-first school website! Time for your brand to do the same! If your brand needs a kickass and memorable website that works equally well on mobile as it does on desktop, one of the best and most thoughtful website development companies in Ahmedabad, Flora Fountain is here for you! Drop us an email on hello@flora.ffteam.in or call 9558079502!