If you search the internet you will find hundreds of thousands of pages discussing website design and development. Which company do you choose? This choice is even more difficult if you have never gone through the process of designing a website before. What should you expect and what should you consider when choosing your website designer. Below some key issues to think of before making your decision:
Previous website design projects
A great predictor of how a web design company will perform is to look at their previous work done. Most web design companies will have some of their work posted on their website. This should give you an indication of their creativity and gives you a firsthand view of what level of creativity you can expect from your designer. It is important that you like the style of work that comes out of the design house. If you don’t like what you see, make sure you look for an alternate website design house.
Get referrals
So you have found a website designer that you like. Make sure you get telephone numbers of the companies that have used this website designer. Find out if the website was created in an acceptable time period and find out about their service levels. Were changes made quickly and efficiently? Did they manage to complete the work within the required budget? This is an important step!
Understand the process
A good web design company should be able to explain to you the way the design process needs to be followed. Make sure that this process is explained to you in detail. Timelines should be put in place, and we would recommend that you only paid after each phase of the project is completed.
Pricing
The real value (and thus price) of a website is determined by a number of factors. Below are couple of things that will determine the price of your website.
Number of website pages – number of website pages will determine the cost of the website. The more pages that is required to be developed, the more expensive the site will become
Development – if your website is more then just a brochure site, expect the price to go up. The moment there are databases involved, or any form of inter-activeness it makes the project more complicated.
It is important to note that a good web designer is not necessarily a good website developer.
Website developer’s reputation is also an important factor with regards to pricing. If the website designer has done big sites and has accolades, expect to pay more. It is often worthwhile paying a bit more for quality.
Clarity on expectations
Although it is important to ensure that your web designer is good, it is just as important to make sure that your expectations are in check and that you have a clear view of what you want out of your website. It is very frustrating for the website developer if you do not have a clear view of what you want. It may also lead to issues resulting in a longer time and cost to getting your website on the internet.
