Do you know what kind of web site would work best for your company?
What are you shopping for?
A professional looking one, you say. Do you know what flash, Joomla, WordPress, CSS and XHTML mean? Can you tell the difference when you look at a web-site? If not, that’s not a problem. There is nothing wrong with not knowing these things. I can’t build a car either, but I know what kind of a car I need.
Looking to acquire a web-site is much like purchasing a car. Before we go car-shopping, we make a mental list of what we are looking for, or, at the very least, we know what our car will be used for. We might have a favorite color, but even if we don’t, certainly a favorite functionality. You wouldn’t get a two-seater sports car if you had three kids and need to take them to soccer practice three times a week. With that in mind, we might approach the salesperson and ask for recommendations. Oh, and not to forget, probably have a good idea about how much you want to, or can afford to spend.
With that mind frame in place, now let’s go shopping for a web-site:
Question # 1
You: “Can you build me a web-site?”
Web Designer: “Why of course, that’s what we do!”
You: “Can you show me your portfolio?”
Translates into: Can you sell me a car, please? And by the way, what have you sold recently? It is not usually put that bluntly, it more likely sounds like:
Advertisement:
“Local company needs a web designer to put together professional website. Please send us a link to your portfolio.“
How is “professional web site” for YOU defined? That depends hugely on the industry you represent. The advertisement doesn’t give a clue.
Professional for an insurance agent, ticket broker, musician or photographer will look completely different. Beautician or lawyer? You will instantly know by looking at their site, and if you don’t, there’s a problem.
So, back to part one of our little study: “What kind of company do you have?” (Car translation: What are you going to use this vehicle for? Inner City traffic? Long distance driving? Family car?) With that you will be able to determine if you need an informative web-site, an e-commerce web-site, or more of a blog format, or maybe a mix of all the above. And so will the person who responds to your ad.
[See our Article Entitled: Three Kinds of Web Sites]
If you are advertising for a professional web developer in a local newspaper or someplace like craigslist, you will save yourself a lot of time and trouble by making sure you give a little information about who you are and what you do.
What is your goal in having a web site?
Something like:
Advertisement:
“I am a roofing contractor who needs a simple web site to show my clients what we offer. I would also like some sort of photo gallery to display our home remodeling skills.”
That is a lot more information than “I need a professional web site” (for what kind of business). “Do you have a portfolio?”
A portfolio is only good for showing that someone has built web sites. But what if the developer hasn’t specifically built a financial news web site and that is what you are looking for? You might think that because he doesn’t have one in his portfolio that he can’t do it. If he is a good web developer, that is certainly not the case.
What if you need more? What if you have products and you know you want to sell them online?
Then, your ad needs to reflect that information. Be specific. If you have only two or three products, your e-commerce solution may be entirely different from someone who has 500 products to list online.
This information lets a potential web developer know if he should even contact you back. No Web Developer should be giving you a proposal for a web site unless he has all the information. If he does, he is not a good web developer and you should be wary. With the first ad, I could tell you I could build your web site for $300.00 – you agree, and then afterwards you tell me that you need a shopping cart for 5000 products and I have to create all the graphics and come up with all the content text. Not for three hundred dollars.That would be a miss-quote, because the potential web designer wasn’t given all the proper information.
The same holds true if a web developer bids the project too high just to make sure he has covered everything that could possibly happen. Then You have paid more than you needed to in order to get a web site designed.
It’s like an auto mechanic giving you a bid for work on your car before you even told him what was wrong with it.
You pull in, walk up to the counter and he says: “I believe that it’s going to cost you $800.00 to get your car fixed.”
And you stare at him as if he just stepped off another planet and say: “What? All I wanted was an oil change.”
And he just looks at you and replies: “Well I didn’t know that!”
Some web developers only work with small, informative based businesses. Others are like surgeons who specialize in one aspect of design like mid-to-large e-commerce solutions, and others other better suited for smaller solutions.
You wouldn’t go to Rolls-Royce if you wanted a Ford Taurus. And the same goes if you wanted a Hyundai, you wouldn’t go to the BMW Sports car dealer.
A good designer will make recommendations.
He will also know his limitation. Someone who specializes in race cars will not contact you back if you are asking for a family van. Web site design is no different, and the older the Internet gets, the higher the degree of specialization.
What if I don’t know What I Need?
With so many different “platforms” out there, you may not know what you need. If you are not sure what you need, ask.
Your best bet is to search “web site designers (your local state and city) and call a few instead of placing a nondescript ad in someplace like craigslist. Get to know your web developer. Ask questions and listen to the answers. If you feel that he or she can grasp the vision of your business and translate it onto the Internet – then you’re off to a good start.
Remember, when it comes to your business, You are the expert. The more information you have to available, the better answers you will receive and the better he will be able to represent you.
Coming soon:
Shopping for a web site designer – Part III
Time versus Money
If you enjoyed this article you may also like:
Shopping for a Web Site Designer – Part 1 (What to expect when you want a web site for the first time)
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