With the range of proposals for website development and online marketing services ranging from an estimated $1,500 – $1 million, it is very difficult to choose the right firm or designer to handle your website development and online marketing initiatives.
Let’s face it – a website is not just a one time deal. A site needs continued improvement, updates and marketing efforts in order to make it successful. Hiring somebody to handle your website development and online marketing efforts requires a lot of homework on your part. You need to hire a designer that won’t break the bank, but at the same time provide you with the level of service you require.
So, if you have decided you need a website and you are looking to begin interviews with potential firms or designers, you should keep in mind some of the most important things you should ask the designer:
Do they have previous work that they can show you?
Good designers will present related work that they have completed within your industry or show you sites that have accomplished similar business objectives. You should ask to see at least five different sites and ask what the designer’s strategy was for those particular sites. Ask what the goal was and how the goal was achieved for each of those projects.
You should look at the designer’s site and their client sites and ask yourself the following questions:
Does this site sell the business or does it just sell a flashy design for the firm/designers?
Is the site well organized? Is it easy to surf around and find what you are looking for? Does it lead you to performing a targeted action that would most likely be the goal of the website? Does the site look like it is focused on accomplishing any particular goal?
Is the content on the firm/designers site talk more about reaching business and marketing objectives or is it mainly comprised of technical gibberish?
How will they market your website?
A potential designer may show you a pretty portfolio of websites, but this does not mean they know how to achieve your marketing goals. Ask them about some of their ideas to market your site online. Ask them about some of the online marketing campaigns they have completed in the past. What did they do? How was the goal achieved? How much traffic did the website draw? How much of that traffic led to an increase in sales or a reduction in operating costs for the company?
Do they have a defined methodology for completing work?
According to Forrester Research, 60% of firms do not have a design methodology or follow one consistently. This should raise a red flag. If you don’t know what to expect, how will the project get completed? Professional designers usually have a methodology or process they utilize to complete client projects. This process or methodology usually includes deliverables such as design concepts, site maps, and a defined timeline for the length of the project.
Do they have references?
Some firms or designers have completed a small component such as a single graphic for a ‘big name’ client through another company and then listed them as a client! You should always ask for references for every project that a designer says they completed. This way you will know the real story. When checking references, you should ask the following questions to the reference the designer provided you with:
Was the designer as good as you expected them to be?
Did they meet your deadlines?
Did they respond quickly to any problems or requests that you had?
Are you happy with the site and with the relationship?
Are their prices reasonable or too unreasonable?
I don’t advise anybody to go with the highest price, but the cost of the project must reasonably fit the specifications and scope of the project. Ask this designer to justify the cost and what type of services they are planning on providing you with. Ask them what happens if you sign the contract today; how will they handle the project? What would be the steps in order to complete the project? If they don’t have answers to these questions immediately, I would stay away from hiring that designer.
Long Term or Short Term?
What kind of relationship does this designer plan on having with you? What kind of relationship do you plan on having? These are questions you should know and you should ask your potential designer before engaging in any kind of working relationship. If your business goals focus on continued updates of the site and your designer does not plan on updating the site, you will have to find another designer or learn how to update the site yourself. It is important to find a designer that is willing to help you achieve your long-term business objectives with the site whether it is updating the site or ongoing online marketing services.
An effective website will not only take a designer a reasonable amount of time to complete; it will require some hard work on the client’s side as well. You should be prepared to put in a fair amount of work to launch a successful web initiative and a fair amount of work to continue to make it a success.
In conclusion, you should make sure that your potential designer is able to:
Meet your business objectives with the website
Able to meet deadlines by completing work through a defined workflow process
Willing to engage in a long-term relationship
Offers a variety of services that you may need in the future
Provides you with excellent references
Paying the lowest price for a website may seem attractive at first, but in the end may be the worst investment you ever made. If your website turns out not to meet your business objectives and reflects badly on your company, it’s as good as not having a website at all. The bottom line – you get what you pay for.
Kevin Fitzpatrick has been a project manager at Cyber-NY (http://www.cyber-ny.com/) New York City based online marketing agency for over 3 years. He has worked on numerous projects that involve search engine optimization and has secured top placements for numerous clients.
