Choosing Your Team

When you’re deciding to build a website or re-design an existing site, choosing your design/development team is crucial. Here are a few tips on making the right choice for your business needs.

Client relationships
You’re going to trust your web developer with the identity of your business. That’s not something you should take lightly. You need to feel that the developer will have your best interests in mind and will listen to you when you express an opinion. That said, you also may want them to have their own ideas and be open to sharing and discussing them with you. A good designer/developer listens to your needs and fits the best tools and designs to your needs, not the holes in their design portfolio, ort the latest coolest widget.

Schedule a phone conference or a face to face meeting to talk about your site. Do they listen to what you need? Do they seem interested in undeerstanding your business and helping you succeed?

Design
You may not like the design of the developer’s website, but do you like the work they’ve done for others? Are there elements of one or more sites you’d like to include in yours? Do you know what kind of designs you like? What colors and features do you want to see on your site?

Take a tour of the web and note your favorite websites. What features do you like? Dislike? What features would you like but can’t locate on-line? Make a list and give it to the developer early in the discussion so they can get an idea of the style and needs of the site. If you have an outline or diagram of pages or sections, even better.

Content
Have a good idea of your content before you contact a designer. The number one reason a website doesn't launch on time is that people wait until the designers begin work to collect the text and images or other necessay content until the last minute. You can save time and therefore money by being prepared.

Marketing
Will your developer offer services to market your website once it is designed? Do they know about Search Engine Optimization and how to gain visibility for your site? Are they willing to help you create a marketing plan for the site?

References
Don’t be afraid to look at sites you like from the designer’s portfolio and call them directly to ask about the relationship. Did they get what they were looking for? Were they happy with the service? Were projects completed on time and within budget? Ask the designer for references and follow them up.

Budgets
What is your budget for marketing your business? What part of that are you willing to devote to the web? Remember - if you want a site that uses advanced technologies like databases, on-line applications, blogs or communities you want to pay the going rate for top quality coders. Don’t skimp here, you definitely get what you pay for.

The same thing goes for design. If a template that looks like everybody else’s site is all you need, you can find an inexpensive designer to do that for you. If what you want is to set yourself apart and make a unique impression, you may be better off finding a design team that meets or exceeds your dreams.