Once again we have new clients who have limped through our door with some of the saddest, most nightmarish Web design stories we’ve heard. One site took more than a year to be developed and at launch 65% of the site functionality is still not working. Another person has been paying thousands of dollars each month for SEO and Pay Per Click, only to have her site continue to fall in the rankings and her lead form remains dead silent.
What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
Stories like this are all too common and they will continue to plague the Web development world unless website buyers become more educated about how to hire a Web design firm, and how to manage their own site development.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Design Firm
Hindsight is 20/20. If they had known to ask, these questions may have helped our clients avoid their nightmare situations.
Can you contact them?
Do they list contact information on their website? How about an address for their office? If you can’t do either of these things, your red flags should start waving!
What is their background?
It isn’t uncommon for a sales rep to do the initial sale on the site. But they should have some knowledge of the Web building process so that your project isn’t not over-promised and under-delivered.
- Is the person you’re speaking with a programmer, or do they have programming knowledge?
- Do they design and code the site themselves?
- If not, who does that?
Who’s on their team?
Using freelancers who specialize is a great way to keep prices low for certain Web projects. However, the danger comes when the contractor is in another country where the laws are different, the working hours make reaching someone nearly impossible, and pricing is cheap but work is slow and of inconsistent quality.
- If your contact doesn’t code/design the site themselves are they a broker?
- Do they use Web developers in other countries to do the work?
- If they have freelancers, ask how long they have been doing business together.
What is their payment structure?
Never pay for a website up front before it is finished or started. Never pay the last percentage until you have seen the working site and had an opportunity to submit corrections.
Do they have references?
Anyone with experience is going to have clients who can be used as references for their work. Call their references and ask:
- What kind of development project did they have?
- How long did the project take to complete?
- How was the experience?
- How was the staff?
- Would they recommend the Web firm?
A Final Word of Caution
When searching for a Web design firm, don’t hire on price alone. Pricing varies greatly between Web designers and it’s hard to get an apples to apples comparison because different things may be provided free as part of the site design. Instead, focus on the value that the Web firm intends to deliver.
- Do they provide support and maintenance of the site after launch?
- What other services do they offer that you may want in the future?
- Are there special skills and education that will be employed during your site build? (Copywriting, marketing experience, etc.)
- Have they worked with industries similar to yours?
- Have they integrated similar functionality that you’re looking for?
- What do they consider their specialty?
- Do you like their design style?
Where to Start and End Your Search
Because I’m writing this article, you know I’m going to want to ask you to start your search for a Web firm with future-ink. Our 11 years in business means you can count on us to be there when you’re in need. And our full-service offerings mean you have one phone number to contact for all your website needs. Please check out our website and see if we’re a good fit with you. We welcome the opportunity to be your partner on the Web.
About the author: Jeune Ortiz is VP of Marketing and Creative Director at future-ink. With more than 20 years of experience in graphic design and marketing, Jeune brings extensive knowledge and creativity to each website and internet marketing solution to grow your business.
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