Whether you’re building a CMS, launching a brand-new CMS-based website, or contemplating a makeover of an obsolete one, searching for companies that design Drupal websites can be daunting. 

Drupal is a popular open-source web content management system that allows its users to publish, manage and organize content on a website. With Drupal: 

• There is no need to install software or purchase a license. 
• Different people can edit different sections of the website at the same time. 
• Teams can edit style and content separately, without any need to learn web editing skills. 

In this post, you will learn about some important considerations to bear in mind when considering the Drupal design process, searching for companies that design Drupal websites, and ensuring you make the best choices while identifying red flags. But first, let’s understand why you should consider creating a Drupal-based website. 

What Gives Drupal an Edge? 

Flexibility 

Drupal is extremely flexible. You can modify nearly every aspect of your Drupal website, including layouts, colors, content, and integrations. However, it is essential to remember that Drupal, as a content management system (CMS), relies on standard “building blocks” to allow rapid and consistent content authoring. All Drupal websites have themes, which is a compilation of files that define your website’s appearance. When you connect with any one of the reliable companies that design Drupal websites, they will discuss how you want your site to appear to the public.

In addition, Drupal broke down barriers by being localized into more than 90 distinct languages. Because of this, it is open to use by anybody and everyone. It won’t make a difference whether you speak French, Chinese or Arabic; using it will be a breeze in any language. If you think you need a little help here, you can always look for companies that design Drupal websites. They can help you with these customizations.

No Costs for Purchasing Software and Licensing

The fact that Drupal is open source is what sets it apart from other options. Drupal is a CMS that does not cost anything to use. There is no requirement for you to purchase a license or pay for software. 

SEO Integration

Today, search engine optimization is the primary battlefield. If your website has a high ranking in the various search engines, this indicates that a large number of people are able to access it. A Drupal CMS provides you with a wide variety of options to improve the performance of your website. Building a website that is properly optimized requires a firm foundation, which can be achieved by having advanced SEO modules of Drupal 9 and, of course, clean code.

Security

Drupal is the most reliable Content Management System and application framework, making it more secure than the industry leaders. The Drupal Security staff validates and fixes security concerns.

You may secure your Drupal site by salting and frequently hashing account passwords in the database. It enforces secure passwords, industry-standard authentication, session limitations, and single sign-on. Drupal’s selective user access control lets administrators restrict who sees and modifies site components. Drupal may be configured for top-tier database encryption.

Scalability

Drupal can scale to your needs if you want your website to be among the busiest or if it already is and you’re attempting to manage huge traffic on your site’s content. Drupal’s scalability feature has resulted in the creation of a number of amazing, content-rich websites and user experiences online. It makes websites capable of handling a large number of visitors, content contributors, and users at the same time. This is true regardless of the number of content contributors you have, from one to over a thousand. 

Content Management Made Easy 

Drupal’s tools assist authors in publishing content easily and efficiently. Authentication, authorization, and device previews boost editing productivity. Mobile devices can be used to examine, alter, and publish content. Drupal’s content tagging and taxonomy help create content elements, tag information based on attributes, and make material searchable. It’s great for projects requiring easy content authoring. Talk to companies that design Drupal websites online for extra support before employing one.

What to Look for in Companies That Design Drupal Websites?

Now that you are familiar with the fundamentals of Drupal website design, the most critical question is how can you find the most reliable company for the task? 

Here are some essential considerations you should keep in mind while shortlisting companies that design Drupal websites:

Seek Out Drupal Design Examples

You will find hundreds of companies that design Drupal websites online. However, before you hire one, you need to be sure about what you are signing up for. Examining the prior work of companies that design Drupal websites is the most reliable method for determining whether or not they have the necessary Drupal design experience that you require. 

Consider which aspects of your web design project are the most important or may be distinctive to your website. You must ensure that your chosen Drupal development company must have a proven track record on similar projects. For example, if you’re rebuilding a website for an educational institute, you need to look for companies that design Drupal websites with proven experience in developing educational websites. If your website requires a reservation system, you can also see if the company you choose has expertise in integrating websites with CRMs and reservation software. Of course, you should be sure that the samples you see are genuine Drupal websites!

Learn About Their Design Process

If an agency’s design process isn’t clear, ask about it! 

Companies that design Drupal websites should have a “Discovery” phase to learn about their business and its users. This could involve building user personas or identifying the primary tasks you want users to be able to perform on your website.

In addition, you may want to know exactly what design deliverables they’ll supply you before shortlisting any of them. Depending on your project’s size and scope, this may involve wireframes, user journeys, sitemaps, or design mocks. A user-centered design process is crucial, so make sure of that first.

Reliable companies that design Drupal websites will surely have a team of experts to guide you through the process. It’s a positive sign if a design agency uses iterative two-week sprints. The agile technique allows stakeholders to contribute more feedback and reexamine project goals. Ask how the agency’s designers and developers collaborate. When designers and developers have a solid working relationship, the final result will appear just like the mockups the designers present to you during the prototyping phase.

Examine Their Participation in The Drupal Community

The best method to tell if companies that design Drupal websites have genuine Drupal background is to look at their participation in the Drupal community. If they’ve given code to Drupal modules or participated in hosting Drupal events, it’s probable that they’ve made a commitment to staying current on best practices for developing Drupal websites. 

Evaluate Their Communication Style

Remember that you will be collaborating with your Drupal partner day in and day out. Aside from technical expertise, a web design firm must stress communication and client service. 

How To Spot Rookie Companies That Design Drupal Websites?

• Fake companies may skip the exploration step to give you a lower estimate. Without this first phase, rookie companies that design Drupal websites can’t develop a user experience that satisfies people and helps you reach business goals. Ensure the agency you hire understands your environment and doesn’t merely churn out websites.
• If a web design proposal offered by one of these shortlisted companies doesn’t cover accessibility or usability, consider it a red flag. Following accessibility guidelines in design and development enables you to access your material and helps everyone locate what they need. Depending on your website’s domain, WCAG compliance may be required.

Conclusion

As of right now, Drupal is the greatest available technology for building powerful content management systems, websites, and apps for all devices. Numerous Drupal development companies are well-equipped, familiarized, and well-versed in dealing with the CMS difficulties that many businesses experience regularly. A user-friendly and futuristic Drupal website can only be created by working with leading website design companies that design Drupal websites.

At Mpire Solutions, we start the Drupal CMS design and development process by learning about your business, user profile, audience, requirements, and any specific need(s) and use our decade-long expertise to create a solution that strikes the perfect balance between user experience and business objectives.