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Website Design: Essential Questions You Must Ask Before Choosing a Vendor

by Eric Spellmann

You will run into a number of good web design firms. Choosing one can be difficult. However, if you do a little preparation before you start calling, the process of finding the perfect company becomes much easier. So, let's start at the beginning:

Ask All Potential Web Designers These Questions:

Have they created any other websites like yours? Get a list. Designers with experience in your industry are a plus. When looking at these sites, determine if they are laid out well. Is the graphic design professional?

Do they have an office? I know this may sound like a strange question, but one of the problems we have in our industry is that anyone can claim to be a "web designer." Many so-called webmasters actually have full-time jobs somewhere else and "do" web design at night. Ask to have your first meeting at their office. This meeting will give you a definite feeling of how stable and successful they are.

What is the length of a typical website design project? Different designers will give a wide range of answers on this question. The key is to explain as much of the scope of your project as possible to them so they can give an accurate projection. Larger sites tend to take longer. In other words, more pages equals more work. Add to that complex elements like shopping carts, blogs, and forms, and the site can take quite a while.

How does the Better Business Bureau rate them? Whether good or bad, this rating is one of the easiest ways for you to measure the value of customer service in their company. If they have the word "Accredited" on their record, that's a good sign!

Who owns the site when it is completed? You may think that, by default, you do. But, hold on! Today, unless otherwise stated, most states allow the designer to retain the legal ownership rights to your site and the parts they built for it. This can bite you in the behind if you one day become unhappy with them and want to move your site to another developer. I recommend you require any designer who does business with you to relinquish all rights to the material they create for you. It should belong to you completely with no caveats. Don't be held hostage by an unscrupulous designer!

Do you have the ability to update the website yourself? Depending on your technical ability and desire, you may want to update parts of your site yourself. Find out exactly what parts of the site you can update and which parts must be updated by the web design company. While various web design companies offer varying degrees of customer updating, there is no standard. Get specifics.

What about getting found in Google? Will the designer build your pages in a way that make them search engine "friendly" for certain words? Sometimes, web firms consider that service, often called "search engine optimization," to be a separately chargeable service. So, find out if it is included. Remember, visitors aren't just going to "show up" when you launch your site. They have to FIND you. Most designers have some sort of online promotion program. Ask about it.

Having a properly designed website is crucial to online success. Good web design only comes from good web designers. And asking the right questions is the only way for you to judge potential success in this project. Good luck!



Want to find out more about online marketing and <a href='http://www.ericspellmann.com'>web design</a>? Then, visit Eric Spellmann's site on how to choose the best <a href='http://www.ericspellmann.com/website-design.html'>website design</a> specialist for your needs.

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New Unique Article!

Title: Website Design: Essential Questions You Must Ask Before Choosing a Vendor
Author: Eric Spellmann
Email: espell@ericspellmann.com
Keywords: website design, web design, online marketing, online services, online business, small business, business, business services, marketing, online
Word Count: 574
Category: Advertising
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