Retaining a quality full service web design firm is one of the smartest decisions a prospective site owner can make. By offering a variety of services in-house, full service firms can simplify the various aspects of developing a web presence, including:

• Domain Registration
• Web Hosting
• Logo & Graphic Design
• Web Design & Programming/Development
• Search Engine Optimization & Marketing
• Website Maintenance & Updates

"Full service" firms such as Tri-City Commerce Group and 109 Creative offer all these services.

While everyone loves the simplicity of a comprehensive web services provider, you should know both the pros and cons of employing full service firms.

Advantages of Full Service Web Design:

• Lower overall cost. Because you are purchasing a suite of services, full service firms can offer lower individual costs for each one.
  
• Consistent quality. By choosing a quality firm that offers comprehensive web services, consumers can avoid the time and frustration of locating efficient web hosts, skilled designers, or competent SEO firms on an individual basis. A full service firm whose portfolio exhibits quality work in all areas of web development is likely to give you a consistently high quality product.
  
• Improved development time and communication. In many cases, web services companies do not work well together. A full service firm eliminates the delay and inefficiency of interaction between multiple providers. For projects involving a fair amount of design, programming, and SEO, this is an important factor to consider.
• Search engine friendly design. Having your site designed by a firm which also offers competenent search engine optimization services can save time, money, and frustration. By ensuring that your site design is conceived and implemented in a search engine friendly fashion, you can avoid the problems experienced by companies who, having paid for a site, are told by SEOs that it must be dramatically retooled for optimal performance in search engines.

Disadvantages of Full Service Web Design:

• If the relationship with your design firm sours, you may find yourself in a difficult position. After a breakdown in service, many site owners can no longer get site updates, or even get access to their site. And since full service firms typically register domains for the clients, the site owner may not even be able to forcibly switch to another service. And while this scenario won't occur with a quality provider, here are some simple ways to protect or recover your website, just in case.
  
• A full service firm may in fact be weak in one or more areas. For instance, a firm that excels in design may actually be a poor choice for programming. This is most commonly seen with web designers who offer search engine optimization and marketing - not because they are good at it - but because they realize the potential for additional revenue from each project. Before selecting a full service firm, look very closely at their SEO service. Even if you don't plan on actively building your site's rank, you will benefit from having your site designed by someone who knows what search engines look for.

The following action steps will help you take steps to select a quality full service firm:

1. Go beyond price estimates. Ask for a detailed approach to your site. This can be especially helpful if you have a large development project, or require dynamic content like an online store. One firm may charge five figures for a custom coded solution, while another may recommend a customizable premade solution which serves your basic needs and reduces your development cost by thousands of dollars.
   
   
2. Evaluate the quality of the web hosting service. Fast and reliable web hosting ensures that your visitors can always see your content.
   
   
3. Check for aesthetically pleasing design and user friendly site structure. Premium website templates can often be a measure of how a glossy and professional should look. (For most projects, you'll want to stick with a custom design and full service firm - there are a number of disadvantages to website templates.)
   
   
4. Evaluate the company's search engine optimization & marketing service. Quality SEO is worth paying for. Make sure the company doesn't use shortcuts that may incur penalties from search engines, and doesn't make unrealistic promises. Recommended reading: Avoiding Common SEO Ripoffs and Link Quality Guidelines.