Your Startup’s Secret Growth Weapon: Houston Web Design Experts

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A great website can get people salivating at the prospect of working with you and using your product. A bad website makes people think your startup will never leave the garage. 

As a startup, you need a great website – and expert Houston web design services are perfect for your needs. Houston is a major startup hub, home to over 200,000 digital tech workers; in the last five years alone, $6bn of venture capital has flowed to startups who chose to call Houston their home.

71Three is a Houston web design services company rooted in the local tech scene. We don’t only know how to build drop-dead gorgeous websites and applications, we also understand startup culture and what elements are essential when designing a startup website. 

If you’re wondering how to get more visibility for your website and convert, read on! 

Why Professional Web Design is Essential for Houston Startups

While there are plenty of website builders and even AI tools on the marketplace now, if you’ve been trying them out, you’ve probably realized something. They’re easy to use for basic designs and concepts, but if you want to get the best out of your website, you need professional help. AI website builders in particular give beautiful results but come at a heavy price for very limited functionalities. The technology just isn’t there yet. 

Even if your website builder site looks amazing on desktop, getting it to look amazing on mobile is a whole other story. This is just design; you also need to consider SEO, copywriting, product catalogs, tasteful popups that don’t cause instant bounces… the list is endless.

Worse, these sites often have limited functionality for startups. As your business grows, you will find yourself sacrificing functionality and flexibility in your design just for ease of use so you can get back to business. The alternative is to hire an in-house team – but that’s often not something you can squeeze easily into razor-thin margins and an even tighter budget. 

These sites are great for individuals and small static sites for local businesses, but generally not suitable for startups with big ideas and even bigger ambitions. A custom website, built from scratch, can let you stand out from the crowd, give you customized functionality, and a responsive design across all devices. You won’t have to do anything, because an expert does it all for you. 

Your focus as a startup is to grow and scale your business. Having a Houston web design company on your side saves your precious time and increases your productivity by letting you concentrate on your business. A far better use of your time than Googling how to do an incredibly specific task in WordPress multiple times a day!

Why Web Design in Houston Over Other Key Startup Hubs?

If you’re a startup, money is probably tighter than you would like – this is especially true if you haven’t been blessed with venture capital (yet!). If that’s the case for you, Houston has a huge advantage over Silicon Valley: it’s an affordable place to live and work – which means services are cheaper, too. 

Many famous startups have made Houston their home, including brands like Axiom Space and Majority. Startups in Houston often work with web design companies like 71Three, which means you can get high-quality work from experts who understand the unique needs of tech startups without California prices. 

We understand that startups move fast with goals that change very quickly. You need business partners with flexibility who share your growth-oriented mindset. By being aware of your priorities and culture, our team can prioritize development schedules that match your fast-paced workflows and environment. 

71Three is not alone here. That’s the beauty of choosing Houston: it’s a growing startup hub that represents a very real and affordable alternative to Silicon Valley. Several top firms in Silicon Valley contract us out to do their white label work, because in Texas… we always do everything bigger – and better. 

What Startups Looking for Houston Web Design Should Look For

The most important thing you need to know about hiring a web design company in Houston is what you want. To get the best results fast, you will typically need a team of experts.

As hinted earlier, if you’re a startup, then you likely don’t have the budget for a full in-house team of experts that can build everything and anything you dream up. Think web development, web design, SEO, copywriters, UX/UI, ecommerce, app development, marketing, CRMs…

Depending on what you want, you may need a full team, or just a partial team. Full-service Houston web design agencies like 71Three have a full expert roster and often have a network of great partners for more niche services. By hiring the agency, you save the cost of finding, hiring and training employees by simply paying for the expertise and access that a full-service web design agency provides. 

In the end, you may pay more upfront, but you get to spend more time on growing your startup. 71Three has developed good-looking, full-featured sites for many startups; here are a few: 71Three Portfolio

Before shortlisting any web design companies in Houston, make sure that they can give you a full service for everything that you need. It’s a little extra planning and research, but it will save you time and headaches in the long run. The last thing you want is to be halfway through a project before everyone realizes there’s a small, but very expensive project-delaying issue. 

What to Consider When Looking at Houston Web Design Service

So what should you be looking for when you research Houston web design agencies aside from competent expertise in multiple technologies? It’s a good question, especially when you’re trying to create a shortlist of candidates. We think the best things to look out for are portfolios, case studies, and client reviews together with industry experience. 

Portfolios let you see the type of designs that a web design company produces and whether they align with your brand. If there are case studies attached to those designs, these can give you valuable insight into working processes and troubleshooting methods.

Client reviews and testimonials are also a great resource to look for; it’s always worth checking for neutral and negative reviews to see what problems others have experienced working with a specific Houston web design agency. More important than reviews is how the company responds. Things can always go wrong even – it’s how a company works to resolve issues that really matters. 

Industry experience can be a good research point, too. This is especially true if you are in a small niche that can be difficult for outsiders to understand. Working with a web design agency that understands your niche can speed up the project time, simply because everyone understands the unique issues and solutions involved. 

While researching, you may see that 71Three is one of the leading Houston web design companies. Our expertise in web design, combined with a data-driven approach, has made us a favorite for startups. Our teams are client-focused and dialed into delivering results based on data, not guesswork. When you combine this approach with a full-service model that delivers everything you need for a website and beyond, we’re the top pick for many who want an all-in-one web dev and design shop in Houston. 

What to Do with Your Houston Web Design Expert Shortlist

After researching, you should have identified a shortlist of potential Houston web designers that can help. You may have noticed that some are full-service web design agencies, while others focus on web design only. Which is better?

This is a personal decision, but many startups prefer full-service web design, simply because you get access to more experts who can help you with more aspects of your online business. We already touched on this above, but it is worth repeating again. Full-service web design agencies save you time and money, simply because you have access to everything you need in one place. This means you can focus exclusively on building your startup, not dealing with website-related headaches.

With your shortlist done, all that’s left to do is contact your candidates. Most agencies offer a free initial consultation, so you will want to make a list of questions. In our experience, one of the most important questions is to ask how a web design company deals with ongoing support and maintenance after the site goes live. If you’re not sure what sort of questions to ask, you’re in luck because we made a detailed list of questions to ask a web design company!

To put it in plain English: you don’t want to be left holding the baby.

You should also ask any other questions that are important to you. You may want a project manager, you may need an online portal, or you may have other very specific needs. Be sure to take note of the answers you get, as comparing answers will help you to find the best fit.

By the end of this process, you should have identified the best possible Houston web design firm for your needs. It may even be 71Three! We enjoy talking to potential clients who want to explore their options. As a full-service agency, many of our clients are with us for the long haul thanks to our hassle-free website management and support services. We don’t just build websites – we keep them up-to-date, speedy, and good-looking for years to come. 

Start Growing Your Startup: Choose a Top Houston Web Design Agency

As a startup, your time is at a premium. If you’re still looking for investors, you also have to be careful with your budgeting. However, using a website builder is a false economy in this instance – look elsewhere to make smart savings. It is better to spend time looking for expert Houston web designers who can help you to build an attractive, fully functioning website instead. 

Remember, your first impression counts, so it’s essential to get it right. 71Three is a leading web design company in Houston that works with startups all the time. Our data-driven and results-oriented focus is deeply aligned with startup culture and we understand startup culture, living and working in a city where startups are a part of everyday life. 

You don’t need to pay Silicon Valley prices to get Silicon Valley results, so contact us today for a free consultation. We’ll answer any questions you have and show you how our approach can help your startup to mature and grow with one of our world-class website designs.