Now that you have decided that it is time to create
a website for your business there are many questions
you must answer. One of the most important questions
is, "Who should create my website?"
I like to use the analogy of playing music; in as little as a few hours,
some people can strum a few chords on the guitar and play a song. But
to really play the instrument and make it sing requires experience
and understanding. Likewise, although there are tools which are readily
available to assist in the process, effective website design requires
experience and understanding of many diverse areas including: marketing,
Internet graphics options and limitations, effectively creating a site
from the perspective of search engines, the differences and limitations
of different browsers and computer platforms as well as knowledge of
the software and coding required to move beyond simple static html
pages.
It is also vitally important that your designer understand you and
your business and know how to most effectively communicate you and
your uniqueness to your Internet audience. To answer our question,
we'll look at some important pieces of information that you'll need
to find out before you choose your website designer.
What do you want in a website? What are your needs and intentions for
having a website? Does the prospective designer listen to and understand
your needs and intentions? Have you checked other similar businesses
to see what they are doing on the Internet? Can a prospective designer
offer any suggestions for improving upon what others have already accomplished?
The more clarity you have about your intended results for having a
website, the more accurately you can communicate your needs to your
designer and the more likely it is that you will achieve these results.
Is the designer experienced in website design? How long has the designer
been creating websites? What is their background? How long have they
been using the Internet? Three years is a long time in Internet terms.
More than four or five years is a seasoned veteran. Ideally, your site
designer has a variety of experience.
What are the designers strengths and weaknesses? The range of skills
required for creating any type of website is more diverse than you
can imagine. If a designer tells you they have done or can do any project,
I'd suggest you take that statement with a grain of salt.
Is the designer easy to work with and talk to? Is she/he able to communicate
technical information so that you can understand it? The process of
creating a website can often be an overwhelming process for some people.
Consider hiring a designer with whom you have a good rapport and find
communicating with easy.
Look at some of their previous clients sites. (click here) Do they
all look the same? Do they load quickly? Are they easy to navigate
through? Do you like their previous work? Do they accurately reflect
their clients' business? Does the designer custom create each site
or would they have you select from a list of prepackaged sites?
What is your budget and what is the typical cost for the designer's
projects? As a generalization, the larger the company, the more they
charge for their services (and often the more elaborate the sites they
create.) Companies which create sites from a prepackaged template often
cost less but don't provide you with custom solutions which may more
closely meet your needs. Site designers who are getting started will
often create your site for a lower fee, essentially using your project
to develop their skills.
Your decision should be based on many of these important questions.
Also use any other questions you find useful when hiring any other
service business for a project. Comparing website designers is sometimes
like comparing bananas to bicycles instead of apples to apples. Don't
be afraid to ask questions. You might consider writing pros and cons
for each designer on a sheet of paper to develop a more objective point
of view.
The selection of your website designer is an important step in the
creation of a successful website. With time and patience, you too can
join the thousands of businesses with successful websites. Drayson
Design is here to help. Please contact us for further information.
Article reprinted with the permission of Steve Lillo
