Choosing someone to design your website is like choosing a doctor. You want someone who cares about you, who knows you, and who knows what the heck they’re doing. Your website is a crucial tool for your business and it’s a must have this day and age. Plus it’s a sizable investment and you want to make sure you get your money’s worth. So what do you look for when choosing a web developer?
Available To Meet In Person
There are a lot of scams online, web developers included. Make sure the place you’re eyeballing can be visited in person. It’s not bad to hire someone in another state (although local can be much easier) but make sure you could walk in and talk to them if you needed.
Portfolio
When you’re doing your research, check out their portfolios. They should be including examples and links to their previous work. If there’s a contact number for their past clients, call them up and ask how it was working with the company.
Ask About Extras
SEO, Page Rank, E-Commerce. These should all be things your web developer is knowledgeable about. They should be able to tell you if they’ll be beneficial tools to your business or not. And do your homework about them too, so you don’t get wrongfully sold something that you don’t need.
Up Front About All Costs
Once you’ve narrowed down a company to talk to, you need to make sure they give you all their fees. If you’re looking at several packages for your websites, get full quotes for each. Also, ask how much they’ll charge if you need to make minor changes (your hours, address etc.). If they’re unwilling to give you this info, run away. Fast.
Education
The best web developers will spend time with you and educate you on how your website works. They should tailor it so that you can go in and make minor changes to your site without having to pay someone else to do it. Of course, this happens when you hire someone that lives within your area. You might be able to skype with a developer, but it’s easier all around to go in and work with them.
As always, connecting with someone who’s personable, honest and genuine is a great bonus. And you can get several quotes and compare. Just remember not to rush into it. It’s a big commitment and can be the face of your company. Make sure it looks as good as you.
