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Are
you and your new site designer on the same page?
What To Ask a Prospective Web
Developer
Tell us about your
experience.
By posing this key question first, your business can immediately grasp
whether the designer has created the kind of site your business is
interested in. Ideally, the designer will be able to point to a
number of different clients, indicating a breadth of web site
creation experience.
Ask the designer to include in his reply
sites that were priced roughly in the range the firm would like to
spend. But bare in mind that price doesn't always reflect quality.
Your business should come away from this initial question with a
clear picture of the depth of the designer's skills as well as an
idea of his particular style.
Describe the goals of your new site, and how your design
fills these needs.
Every web site must have clear online objectives and purpose. While it is
not essential for the designer to understand your individual
business practices, they must understand your business goals and,
more importantly, be able to transfer those goals to the web.
In answering this question, the design company should be able to
show how they have met other clients' goals. Also, have them
demonstrate how their design and the technology work together -- how
and why this particular navigation system and approach complement
each other and help meet the company's objective. Then ask if the
site is part of an overall integrated marketing plan across many
media, or whether it was created as a stand-alone piece.
Your business should look to its designer to provide one or all of
the following services: domain registration, site development and
design, creation and implementation of an aggressive Internet
marketing plan, finding a host for you site, beta-testing and
publication, and site maintenance programs.
How many prototypes will your
business be able to choose from?
Does your business have to provide its logo and other files in electronic
format, or will there be additional charges incurred to convert
camera-ready art into digital form? The list of questions can be
endless, so make certain that the firm receives a detailed proposal
from day one of exactly what will be delivered.
What is the schedule for completing this
project?
Those who have been through the Web site creation process agree that
deadlines are the hardest part of the project. Often this is because
the most carefully laid-out plan is subject to change as new ideas
are developed and new technology incorporated into the design.
Generation of content for the site almost always falls back on the
client and that process, with its edits and approvals, invariably
takes longer than the client expects. That said, however, it is
still the designer's responsibility to provide a realistic schedule
for meeting your business's deadline for the site, based upon your
business' ability to deliver on its part of the bargain in providing
materials and approvals. Your business should understand that the
creation of a Web site is a process, not a project, and that when it
launches its site it will never be 'done' -- that it is a living
thing that goes on pretty much forever. Web page designers
over-promise web sites all the time, primarily because clients have
unrealistic expectations. If the designer tells you that the site
will be completed in less then one month, he isn't being honest with
you.
What questions can we answer for
you?
Judge the designer using some of the same criteria with which your business
is judged. Make certain that the designer asks your business who its
target audience is and what it is trying to achieve. Is it apparent
that the designer did his homework prior to the meeting? Has he
visited other web sites relating to businesses in the same industry
as your own so he can speak knowledgeably about them? Did he request
in advance the firm brochure to learn more about the businesses
market niche? If the designer is not prepared and does not ask
questions such as these, your business should ask itself whether he
will be able to deliver the end product it is seeking.
Armed
with these questions and a solid sense of the goal for its site,
your business should be able to choose a designer with whom it will
be comfortable. While the process itself can be nerve-wracking, the
end result will be worth it. By selecting a knowledgeable, creative
professional, your business can make its entry into cyberspace an
enjoyable and worthwhile experience.
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