So you have decided to start a web business, or to move your
already existing business online. Are you
ready to build a website? There are plenty of people out there that can expertly handle for that for you (at a price). But if you have never
put a website together before, you probably don't know what
to look for in a web developer.
There are many list like this out there, and a number of
them are on websites for web development companies, which is fine, but they do
promote themselves at the same time.
Since E-junkie is not a web developer, we have no such biases. Here's what you really need to know before hiring someone to build your site.
Are they a web
developer or a web designer?
A web developer can build your
website from the ground up using HTML, CSS and so forth to get you the site you
want. A web designer will use a third
party system like WordPress, to put together a website using templates and
plug-ins, without having to go in to the code itself. There is nothing wrong
with that but if you are looking for something ultra custom, choose a web developer. If your needs are straight
forward, then a web designer can do the job.
Do they have examples
of their work that you can see?
After you know what they can do, you'll want to see what they have done. You'll want to make sure the sites they are making are modern looking. You'll also want to know that they have done something comparable to your future site before. You may even want to go as far as contacting the owners of those sites
to see if they have any comments on the developer/designer. Their experience should inform your decision.
How long will they take
to build your website?
If you are getting your business started, you will want to
know how long it will take to get the site up and going. This will allow you to plan a
launch date for the business, and for your marketing efforts. You may
also want to setup goal dates between the date you hire them and the deadline
for the finished project, so you can check on the progress of your
website. If they do not want to setup
deadlines for aspects of your project, then you might want to think twice about
hiring them.
What happens if I want
changes made?
This is actually a two part question. First, what happens if you want changes made after it
is initially finished. You will want to
know what they will do if you are not pleased with the final product and how they will fix the problems as you see them.
Second, what if you want changes
made a year down the road. If you are
hiring a developer, you need to know if you are hiring someone who will be
there to change your website in the future, or if you will need to hire someone
else to make changes.
Or another possibility is that that the page is being built
using a system like WordPress which would allow you to manage the content. Content Management Systems, or CMS, are
systems that provide an easy way for you to view and change text or images on
your own website without having to know any coding yourself. If you anticipate changing your site frequently, an agile CMS is your best bet. Talk to your potential web developer about that.
How many people do
you have on staff?
This may seem like an odd question to ask, but it is an important one. If you hire a
developer/designer that works alone, you may get the work done at a lower cost
then if you hire a company. But what if
that single person takes ill, or what if they decide to go on vacation? You may find it harder to get ahold of them.
Now, if you hire a firm, it will likely cost you more. However, you will usually have a single
person in charge of your project, and others to back them up. It that case, you are essentially paying for a team to manage the creation and upkeep of your site. That comes with a lot of benefits, and the likelihood of your site falling through the cracks becomes much less of a worry.
How can you get in
touch with them?
When you hire someone to put your website together you will
want to know what methods you can use to get in touch with them. Can you call them? Are you limited to talking via email?
Many modern internet companies only provide an e-mail option
for contacting them, and that is fine. But,
how long it takes for them to contact you back is still important. You do not want to have a company that takes weeks to get back to you. But if you e-mail on a Monday and it takes until the following week for
them to get back to you, you may want to ask yourself if that is something that
you can deal with.
Do you provide any
SEO services?
SEO, or Search Engine
Optimization, is what makes your website noticeable in search engines like
Bing, Google, etc. At the very least your developer should be aware of how to optimize a site for SEO as they build it, but there. But it's even better if they can provide advice on how to beef up your inbound marketing with your site. If they don't perform SEO services, that's fine. But they at least need to understand how a site's code affects search.
Is the domain name
and hosting account in my name/who owns my website?
Most people think that it makes sense that you own your
website, but sometimes this is not the case.
There is an option known as Rent-to-Play, this option means that you pay
a monthly fee to keep your site up with a third-party.
The domain name and hosting should always be in your name
though, even if you go with the Rent-to-Play option. Make sure you get all this information hammered out before your proceed with anyone, or things will be much more complicated in your future.
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