Web Design and Development |
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Creating a website is a very important decision for your business. In fact if you are reading this page and you don't feel exactly the same way, then most probably you don't need a website, however, if it looks like a critical business decision to you, it means that you are on the right track researching how to make this decision.
Now that you really need a website, it's important to decide who will build it for you. So you need to plan for choosing your web design and development partner. A poorly designed website can cost you time and money, drive away customers, hurt your reputation and finally make your web presence a failure.
So no matter you are going to choose us as your partner or not, please follow a few basic steps to work with a creative, expert, cost-effective and reliable design and development firm.
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Assess your requirements
Try to answer the following questions clearly; as if you don't then it will be more difficult for somebody else (i.e. your web design partner) to answer them on your behalf.
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Why do you need a website?
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What are your objectives from having a website?
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How many products or services you want to sell from your website?
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How many visitors you are planning to bring to visit your website on daily, monthly and annual basis?
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How do you want to get these visitors to come back for further visits?
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How do you want to interact with your visitors?
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Why do you think that web is a good choice as your marketing media?
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Do your competitors have website?
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What are their websites strengths and weaknesses?
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How do you want to update and improve your website?
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How much you are willing to spend on your web presence to achieve your objectives?
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What are your timelines for your website?
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What are your most important features for choosing your web design partner?
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How do you differentiate a web designer and your web design partner?
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Do you need extra services like copy writing, regular site assessment, search engine optimization and marketing?
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Research and evaluate
Now that you know your specific requirements, it's essential to research some web designer and developers' work so you can evaluate their potential. Once you've found a few (by referrals or search engines), evaluate their portfolios. Your particular industry experience could also be something to consider as it leads to more effective communication and saving time and money.
It's very important to know if it is possible to build up a long term business relationship with them, however, it's also very important if they are capable and well experienced to meet your requirements. For instance, if you want to sell your products or services online, look for proven ecommerce experience, if you're planning for a lot of interaction with your visitors, customers, suppliers or employees look for web programming and development experience and stay away from firms with only good design capabilities.
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Meet in person
No matter how much research you do, there is no better way than meeting in person to make sure if it is possible to build up a long-term business relationship. In fact when you see a firm giving you quote without a meeting to understand your requirements, it's probably better to ignore that quote. During such a meeting you have to get clear answers to the following questions.
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Do they listen to and understand your needs?
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Do they try to impose their ideas or they are willing to do what you need and just try to advice?
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Do they explain technical issues in plain language that you can understand?
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Do they care about your success and profitability of your website?
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Do they believe that your success is mandatory for their success?
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Do they see this project as an ongoing business relation?
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Do they know or are willing to know your industry?
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Do they have a clear procedure to do the job?
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Do they have easy to understand contracts?
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Do they have flexible payment plans?
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Do they keep their promises?
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Ask for a detailed proposal and references
Now when you feel comfortable with a few candidates, it's time to ask for detailed proposals. Make sure to specify a deadline for collecting your proposals; this could be a simple test to realize if they adhere to the deadlines, also it'll make you committed to make this important decision by a specific date.
Requirements analysis, design and development procedure, timelines, pricing, payment schedule and guarantees are supposed to be included in the proposals.
Evaluate the proposals and check the references
Try to avoid a general mistake when evaluating proposals, by going to pricing section first. When you focus on price only the chances that you end up spending more time and money are high. Remember that your website is an important business asset, it's your store or your business location on the web, so review all proposals and understand them to be able to compare and make a decision. It's a very good idea to ask questions about proposals from the candidates if there are any; this could be an opportunity to realize how they would handle your questions and concerns in future.
Now it's time to choose your first three choices and check the references. Call a few past customers and ask if the design and development firm:
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Met their requirements |
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Adhered to timelines |
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Worked within the original budget |
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Was easy to work with |
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Was responsive to suggestions and questions |
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Fixed problems promptly |
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Treated them the same before, during and after the project |
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Ask for the contract
The contract will make both parties committed to the whole project and all the details; it also will help to resolve issues in case that something goes wrong. Never order a web design and development project without a contract, if you think it's easier to do so, think again as you wouldn't secure the ownership of your website without a contract.
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