Good web designers can be found quite easily. However, picking one out of that group can be tough. Before you pick up the telephone to start calling them, get prepared with the criteria you need to make a good decision. It becomes much easier, then. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's start:
Ask All Potential Web Designers These Questions:
What other websites have they created? Ask for a portfolio. Ask if they have built any sites similar to what you are wanting. Are these sites easy to navigate? Do they have a "national quality" look to them?
Can you meet them in their office? While this may be an unusual request, it is an important one. Unfortunately, in our industry, you do not have to possess a license to build websites. Anyone can call themselves a "web designer." And most of them work somewhere else and build websites as a hobby in the evening. By requesting a meeting at their location, you can get an easy idea of how big and busy they are.
How long should it take for a site like yours to be built? Depending on who you talk to, you will receive answers all over the board. However, if they keyed in your phrase "site like yours" and listened to your requirements, they should be able to provide a rough approximation. Sites with few pages can be built in a matter of days. If your needs are more complex, however, increase that time. Blogs, shopping carts, and forms are good examples of these scope-extending elements.
What is their rating with the Better Business Bureau? Have other people had good or bad experiences with them? Only do business with companies that have an "Accredited" rating if possible.
Who owns the site when it is completed? You may think that, by default, you do. But, hold on! Today, unless otherwise stated, most states allow the designer to retain the legal ownership rights to your site and the parts they built for it. This can bite you in the behind if you one day become unhappy with them and want to move your site to another developer. I recommend you require any designer who does business with you to relinquish all rights to the material they create for you. It should belong to you completely with no caveats. Don't be held hostage by an unscrupulous designer!
Can you update the site yourself? Or do all changes have to be made by the designer? Before you embark on any web design project, make sure you understand what aspects of the website you can change and which have to be done by him. Different firms have different policies and requirements on this point, so get concrete answers on this one.
Do they help your website get found in the search engines? Most people focus so much on the "building" of the website, they give no thought to how it will be found. Keep this in mind. The old adage, "If you build it, they will come," is not true. Simply having a website does not guarantee visitors or customers. People must FIND you. Ask your web design company about web promotion services.
Having a properly designed website is crucial to online success. Good web design only comes from good web designers. And asking the right questions is the only way for you to judge potential success in this project. Good luck!
Ask All Potential Web Designers These Questions:
What other websites have they created? Ask for a portfolio. Ask if they have built any sites similar to what you are wanting. Are these sites easy to navigate? Do they have a "national quality" look to them?
Can you meet them in their office? While this may be an unusual request, it is an important one. Unfortunately, in our industry, you do not have to possess a license to build websites. Anyone can call themselves a "web designer." And most of them work somewhere else and build websites as a hobby in the evening. By requesting a meeting at their location, you can get an easy idea of how big and busy they are.
How long should it take for a site like yours to be built? Depending on who you talk to, you will receive answers all over the board. However, if they keyed in your phrase "site like yours" and listened to your requirements, they should be able to provide a rough approximation. Sites with few pages can be built in a matter of days. If your needs are more complex, however, increase that time. Blogs, shopping carts, and forms are good examples of these scope-extending elements.
What is their rating with the Better Business Bureau? Have other people had good or bad experiences with them? Only do business with companies that have an "Accredited" rating if possible.
Who owns the site when it is completed? You may think that, by default, you do. But, hold on! Today, unless otherwise stated, most states allow the designer to retain the legal ownership rights to your site and the parts they built for it. This can bite you in the behind if you one day become unhappy with them and want to move your site to another developer. I recommend you require any designer who does business with you to relinquish all rights to the material they create for you. It should belong to you completely with no caveats. Don't be held hostage by an unscrupulous designer!
Can you update the site yourself? Or do all changes have to be made by the designer? Before you embark on any web design project, make sure you understand what aspects of the website you can change and which have to be done by him. Different firms have different policies and requirements on this point, so get concrete answers on this one.
Do they help your website get found in the search engines? Most people focus so much on the "building" of the website, they give no thought to how it will be found. Keep this in mind. The old adage, "If you build it, they will come," is not true. Simply having a website does not guarantee visitors or customers. People must FIND you. Ask your web design company about web promotion services.
Having a properly designed website is crucial to online success. Good web design only comes from good web designers. And asking the right questions is the only way for you to judge potential success in this project. Good luck!
About the Author:
Learn more about web design. Stop by Eric Spellmann's site where you can find out all about online marketing and how the right website design can generate leads and sales for your organization.
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