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Choosing a Web Designer the Easy Way
Choosing a Web Designer
When you choose a web designer, there are many things that you
need to be aware of and that need to be taken into consideration before
you make a decision.
To some extent, the ability to work successfully with your web designer
is sometime as important as their actual skill in being able to deliver
the project.
A web designer that is skilled in what they do but is a pain to
deal with can make the whole process frustrating and not worth the money
being spent, especially if you have an emotional attachment to the
project (which you should have being the one supplying the money and
motivation)
That relationship can be worth a large proportion of the contract.
However, there are some key things you need to consider.
Be careful in what you get for your money. Some possible pitfalls you
may want to check on:
Obviously what do you get for your money
What is included? Design, Content, Search Engine Submission, Search
Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Updates? You need to get
these details so you can compare your quotes against each other. You
also need to quantify some of these things in terms of quantity, hours,
numbers search engines submitted to etc.
What are the ongoing costs?
All websites have ongoing costs. Web Hosting, Domain Names and updates
are the main three. Make sure you know the total cost of your
investment. Some companies offer lower up front costs to lock you into
higher ongoing costs that end up costing you more. Some other things are
SSL certificate costs, more bandwidth and web space.
How easy is it to incorporate your branding
Some template sites are hard to blend a logo or colours into them, be
wary of template driven website companies, some of these people are
skilled enough only to change the text on a template. Some designers
design their sites from the ground up incorporating all of you design
elements in their design. These companies offer the most flexibility.
How reliable is the services provided
With hosting and email, too much down time can make the whole experience
unworkable. You don't want to have to change hosts after six months
because your designer has provided you with a poor host. Some people
rely heavily on email and these are the people that need to choose
carefully so their business inst impacted.
What are the costs for making changes later on?
Updates and maintenance on your site is something that will eventually
happen, even if you don't change the content frequently (see the Making
Your Site Super Sticky Article for the benefits of this) you will
eventually change some content and so you need to know what it will cost
over a year.
Hidden costs
Make sure common things (like search engine submissions) are either not
included or are an extra cost. Some key things can be omitted to keep
the price down. Make sure you don't get sold short. An important
one...is the web designer doing the job part time Are your web designers
doing this as a full time job? Some designers are working during the day
and then web designing at night. A lot of designers started out this
way, but it can cause issues when you need something done and they don't
do the job from 9-5.
If all these things check out then you have found someone who you can
work with and provide you with a service that will get you your desired
result.
Remember; choose a designer with the right skills, but also one you
believe you can work with on an ongoing basis. Build a working
relationship that will benefit you both and your web project will
benefit as well.
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