“94% of first impressions are based on your website”
Your site is the window to your brand. It is the first experience a visitor will have of your brand. It’s critical to make a good first impression and it will take visitors less than a minute to decide whether to stay or move on to another site.
A successful result and smooth process begins with the web developer you hire. With so many developers vying for your attention and dollars, we suggest interviewing several developers, and the following list of interview questions:
1. What is your experience?
Experience matters. You want your new website to be a masterpiece, not a practice run. Does your developer have industry-specific experience? Ask for several client referrals that you can call. Review their sites carefully. Be aware of load times, ease of navigation and overall appeal.
2. Which platform is best for my business?
There are dozens of mainstream platforms including WordPress. Magento. Wix. and Shopify. These are essentially the foundation of your website on which the rest of your site will be built. There are pros and cons to each, so ask which one your developer plans to use and why. Note that hosting is a separate charge, usually running less than $15/month.
3. How will you research my industry?
Experienced developers can build an industry-appropriate site that meets your specific goals, and outshines the competition. The site should not only appeal to your target market, but provide useful information for visitors that encourages them to linger and return – for example, by incorporating a blog.
4. What SEO is included?
This refers to the steps taken to ensure your website appears on Google and other search engines when key terms are searched. Basic SEO should be incorporated into the website coding. Prepare a list of search terms for your developer to include.
5. What is my role?
Particularly in the planning stages, clients should be involved in goal setting, design style and content. Identify your top competitors as for content reference or example website that you really like. If you need assistance with copy writing, content generation, and photography, your developer may have a referral partnership with these service providers.
As the project progresses, your developer should keep you in the loop, and seek your feedback from time to time. It is a prudent practice that you sign off on all the page layouts prior to coding. It is ultimately the client’s responsibility to proofread the website, test the links and contact forms, etc., prior to signing off on it and publishing.
6. What is the estimated timeline?
Good web development takes time and should not be rushed into. It’s important for you to understand the timeline as different companies can have significantly different timelines ranging from a month or two to much longer. A lot of this depends on the complexity of the project and your specific requirements.
7. What is the total cost & what doesn’t it include?
Web developers not only vary greatly in their experience and skill sets, they also vary greatly in price. Done well, websites are an investment. Your developer will be able to outline your costs upfront and work with you to ensure it falls into your budget before starting. Expect to pay a deposit.
8. What support is offered after the site goes live?
Understand your developer’s policy on post-publishing support and edits. Most developers should include a limited amount of edits post publishing, such as fixing a typo or adding a phone number.
9. Let’s agree & sign a contract
As this is a business arrangement, a contract or detailed proposal should be agreed upon and signed. This document should include the site’s specific features, content sources, number of pages, basic timeline, payment terms, etc. This proposal or contract serves to protect both parties.
Your website developer will be key to whether the building of your new website is a nightmare or a dream whose time has come. The up-front interviews will help ensure you are working with a quality developer that is suited to your needs.
All Media Marketing offers consulting and strategies for developing a website. Our web services include state-of-the-art technology, competitive pricing, industry research, effective design & custom content.
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Call us at 321-698-1550. We’ll make you look good!n’t