Questions to Ask Your Web Designer

No business has an unlimited marketing budget. If you are having a web solution developed by an outside design firm it is crucial to ensure that you are getting the most "bang for your buck". Oversights by you or your design team can prove to be costly down the road. As a rule of thumb, going "cheap" ends up becoming an unexpected drain on your precious marketing budget and you may have to hire a firm to fix unexpected problems. The following issues should be raised with prospective web designers prior to initiating the proposal and quote phase of the relationship. WILL THE TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGY USED AFFECT THE WEBSITE'S USABILITY? Last week's article "WHAT WILL YOU PROVIDE ME? WHAT TASKS DO I NEED TO DO? Although this question seems to be a fairly obvious one it might be a good idea to find out in detail what the company will offer you. For example:

• If you do not have a logo or a company identity, can the web design company develop one for you in addition to the website's development?
• Do I have to hire a copywriter to take on all of the written content?
• Can I utilize existing marketing materials such as brochures or magazine ads to help with the content?
• Do I have to acquire my own hosting and domain name?
CAN I BE FOUND? You may have found the perfect design team to develop your website. They may come with a massive list of testimonials and credentials outlining their abilities. The end result might even consist of all the elements that you need to have a successful web solution. However, can people even find you on the Major Search Engines? Most people even in the design industry do not know that the actual design of the layout and structure of a website can have significant results on how your website is ranked. Ask your designers if they have the knowledge to implement a "search engine friendly approach" to the development of your project. Be wary of companies that say they will "submit your website to all the search engines". It is vital that they have the knowledge to implement a "hands-on" approach when it comes to designing your website. Better yet, can they offer you a Search Engine Placement Campaign that will focus on a long-term strategy for your rankings? WILL YOU CUT ME LOOSE? All too often I hear from frustrated website owners commenting about not having the ability to update their own site. It is prudent to come up with a clear long-term plan for updating content, adding more sections, or other design elements you may want to change after the design contract has expired. Ask the design firm if they offer a cost effective solution for on-going maintenance. Usually there will be three options that you will hear from designers:
• Monthly Update Plan This usually consists of a monthly fee that will have parameters attached to it, for example the amount of updates allowed and how often the can be submitted.
• Retainer This is similar to an Update Plan however it is a "bank" of hours that is prepaid based on an hourly rate.
• Hourly Rate An hourly rate for updates is a common solution proposed by design firms. Ask if you will be charged a minimum amount of time per update such as a full hour of service even if the task takes them a lesser amount of time.
DO I OWN IT? This question does sound odd considering you have laid out good money for a high quality design. It is important to note that some design firms will actually retain ownership of the website created and even the domain itself. This could potentially make things very difficult if you wanted to move the website over to a different hosting company or if you wanted a different team to take over. Be sure that you have the right to do what you want with your website. Next week I will tackle more questions to throw at website design companies before you commit to the development of your next website. Article by Mark Johnstone, Pure Ignition - Search Engine Friendly Web Design.