Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Prospective Web Designer

Over and over again I hear our prospective clients complain about previous designers: "I had a website, but my designer dropped off the face of the earth and I didn't know how to update my site myself," "I wasn't happy with the design, but still had to pay for it,"  "I didn't have the right files to later use in my other marketing pieces and had to pay to have them re-created."  Unfortunately, us right brained people can tend to be a little flighty.  In light of this, I've devised a list of questions to ask a prospective designer to keep you out of hot water later:

1. How long have you been in business?
   This is a biggie - longevity in business will reveal a designer's dedication to his/her craft.  If it's a real business, try googling them and see if they really are established.
   
2. Do you have references?
   Most any business out there should have clients that you may call as a reference.  If you decide to call the references, make sure you ask questions about the bussiness' reliability and services.
   
3. What can I expect once I sign up for your service(s)?
   Most reputable businesses will have some form of documentation on what to expect.  Ask for a timeline for project completion - IN WRITING.  Keep in mind, however, that some projects may take longer than expected, due to complexity of the project or amount of revisions needed.
   
4. Do you have a refund policy?
   Once again, a reputable company should have a refund policy in writing. 
   
5. How many revisions do I get before I start getting charged more money?
   This is one that you'll probably get a wide variety of answers for.  Make sure that your needs meet the policies of the prospective business.
   
6. What are your billing policies?
   Many design projects require a setup fee as well as monthly fees.  Find out if you are charged automatically for your monthly fees or billed for them.  Also find out if the company offers discounts for paying up front.
   
7. What is your knowledge on SEO?
   ANY good web designer should have basic knowledge of search engine optimization, if they don't offer optimization services themselves.  If you don't feel comfortable with the answers you get - walk away as fast as you can!  If a designer doesn't understand how search engines work, then chances are you won't get a search engine friendly website and that can hurt you in the long run.
   
8. Do you offer other services other than web design?
   If you are happy with your designer, it's a lot easier to deal with multiple avenues of your marketing journey with one company than trying to create the wheel all over again each time you need a new piece created.
   
9. What do you know about social networking?
   Staying on top of online marketing trends and technologies is their job!  If they can't offer services or help with this, then you may want to look elsewhere.
   
10. What programs do you use to design and what versions?
    This seems like a funny question - but it can tell a lot about a designer.  If the software that they are using is old and outdated, then they may not be as successful as they seem to be.  Also, each update to web design programs will generate cleaner code.  Try and make sure that they are using CSS instead of strictly HTML coding - this type of code will help immensely in the cleanliness of your code and will also enable them to change layouts, fonts and colors sitewide all at once!

These are just a few of the many questions you should ask anyone that you are going to trust your marketing to.  It's not just your money they hold in their hands, it's also your reputation and time.

Stay tuned for our next article: "Tips to Creating a Search Engine Friendly Website"

Visit our website: http://www.bellainnovations.net/ to learn more about our web design & marketing services!

Custom vs. Template - What kind of website is right for you?

I've dealt with a lot of different types of business and people, and there seems to be one consistent problem when trying to decide what type of website is best for any particular individual:  Do I want a custom website or a template website?  I must say, there are pros and cons to both types of websites.

Custom Website Designs:
Pros -

1. Totally built to your specifications.
2. Design will completely integrate your branding and services.
3. Tend to be much more friendly for search engine optimization.
4. NO ONE else should have the same design - you are set apart from the rest!

Cons -

1. Can be costly to have built.
2. Usually take 6-8 weeks miniumum to complete.
3. Most times, you'll depend on your web designer to make the changes for you, unless they create it in such a way that you can update yourself.  But even then, you'll need to have the time and no how to update frequently.

Template Websites:
Pros -

1. Can usually be up and online in 2-3 weeks.
2. Don't cost as much as custom website designs.
3. Many template website companies have a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) control panel that allows for easy editing of text and pictures to the website.

Cons -

1. Often have limited design options.
2. There's a good chance that another company out there has the same design.

The choice is yours - but I will say that in my experience, most who start out with a template website, end up with a custom website design due to the search engine optimization capabilites that custom sites have. 

It's scary to put a lot of time, money and trust into a web designer that you may not know. But, stay tuned for my next article on the "Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Prospective Web Designer" and hopefully it will help you choose the right one!

New Articles Coming Soon!

We figured that we should practice what we preach, so Bella Innovations will begin posting tips & tricks of online marketing at least 3 times per week. Check back on Friday, October 10th to read our first article, "What kind of website is right for you?"