TOP 10 TIPS TO CHOOSING A DEVELOPMENT FIRM
By Dustin
Wells
1) EXPERIENCE
The level of experience your development firm has
will heavily affect the success of your development
project. A more experienced development firm will
have more tools, knowledge, and resources available
to produce top-notch sites. Ask to see a portfolio
and verify references. Also ask what development tools
they use. Do they use development software, hand coding,
etc.?
A good firm will be able to use either.
2) COMMUNICATION
Your developer or project manager should be able to
easily communicate complicated Internet and web site
ideals in "Plain English". Do you understand
what they are proposing; is it what you had in mind
for your project; etc.? Are they listening to you?
Have they addressed the basic concepts of your goals,
target market, branding, etc.?
3) CREATIVE DESIGNS
Creative designs are most readily available in
a portfolio. Are the designs different; do you like
them; does the firm seem to have a grasp on developing
strong sites across various industries? Do not be
afraid to ask if their designs are original or if
they use pre-produced templates. A good design portfolio
should give you an idea of the capabilities to do
a good job on your site.
4) MARKETING
All development firms should have knowledge and
be able to provide assistance in marketing your web
site. No matter how great your site may look, if no
one is visiting it, then you have wasted your money.
Ask if the firm can assist you with general web site
marketing including help with META TAGS, search engines,
and grass-roots marketing strategies to drive traffic to your site.
5) DEADLINES
Does your project have a specific time line? Can your
development firm meet this time line? What is their
history of doing what they promise? What is their
history on meeting deadlines? Make sure to ask these
questions and then verify the responses with their
references. A good firm will be able to layout strong
project timelines and will be able to meet completion
deadlines and objectives.
6) CUSTOMER SERVICE
How does your firm handle customer service in
general? How quickly do they respond to any inquiry
or concern? Is there a mechanism in place to track
customer inquiries and concerns? What is the general
feedback from existing clients on the overall customer
service of a firm? Make sure to check this. It is
not uncommon for many development firms and individual
developers to start a project and then your project
may "get lost" in others they begin.
7) PRICING AND PAYMENTS
Many development firms ask for 50% of a project up
front as a deposit and the remaining 50% upon completion.
On average, most web sites will range from $50 to
$175 per page depending on the size and complexity.
Hourly rates range from $30 - $195 /hr, but a lower
rate is not always better! Do your homework and research
before selecting a firm.
8) WEB SITE HOSTING
Does your firm offer a web hosting solution? Many
times, it is much easier and more affordable to allow
a single point of contact to handle the web site development
as well as the hosting. In addition, firms that offer
their own hosting solutions often have more experience
and more resources available to develop a strong site
with added functionality and management tools.
9) REGISTRATION SERVICES
Domain name and SSL certificate registration is
another step that will make things easier for you
if it is handled by a single point of contact. All
sites should have a domain name. This is your "www.yourname.com."
SSL certificates are used is needed to make a site
secure and is mainly used for credit cards transactions
and user name and password functions. Does your firm
offer registration services? How much is it? In general,
".com", ".net", and ".org"
domain names range from $15 - $35 per year while SSL
certificates range from $99-$199 per year.
10) BUSINESS STRUCTURE
How is your firm structured? Is it an individual or
a company? Do they have graphic designers, programmers,
etc. or do they do everything on their own? Most importantly,
if it is an individual, make sure they do web development
as their full-time job. NO MOONLIGHTING!
See how Austin
Data Works can enhance the results of your online
marketing efforts!
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