Website Development

Website Development

There are so many website designers out there ranging from school children in their bedrooms to international, full service agencies! In between, there are millions of people or companies that profess to be web designers. So how do you choose?

Referrals can always be a good starting point, but ensure that you do your own research to check those referrals. Do a simple check: search on some keywords and see whether the recommended companies feature in the search engine results. If they cannot optimise their own site for search engines, it is unlikely that your site will be optimised either. For example, search What is social media in Google – who is number 1?

Beware of hourly, daily or weekly rates. Ideally, within reason, you should try and get a fixed price contract with the payment terms to suit. NEVER pay 100% up front; your site is unlikely to ever be finished.

Don’t Rely on References

You want original, custom content, not templates or cut-and-paste copy. So make sure that all people working on the project have at least five years’ experience. Take references with a grain of salt; they may be giving you friends’ names.

Once you have shortlisted your potential web developers, find out what specific results they have achieved for their clients. Many designers profess to be “SEO experts” then go and build a website that completely ignores SEO principles! The trouble with this is that it often becomes costly to put right. Get assurance that your developer fully understands all aspects of internet marketing.

Web Development Contracts

If you are asked to sign a contract, read it thoroughly before you sign it and do not rely on verbal promises. If any aspect of your project does not appear specifically in the contract’s “scope of work” section, make sure the contract is rewritten so it does. Ensure payment terms are written in and NEVER pay 100% up front!