Key questions to ask before commissioning any web designer to build your website.

Key questions to ask before commissioning any web designer to build your website.

KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK Before commissioning a web designer to build your website. As both an entrepreneur and business owner, you probably realise that in today s business world it is essential to have a website. This provides you with an opportunity to sell and market your services and products to a wider audience. But engaging a with a designer can be a bit of a minefield, especially if you know very little about website design and the build process. With this in mind I ve written this checklist for you so that when you need a new website built (or your old one redesigning) you can ask these key questions to make sure that you know what s involved and what to consider. #1 What will I get for my money? The first thing to consider is your budget range. Be honest and clear about how much you want to invest. This is really important as it helps your designer decide what they can and can t do for you. Next is the project brief. This is usually in the form of a document provided by your designer that you will need to fill out. And the more detailed information you can provide the better. This will outline your goals and objectives, the type of content you intend to include, information on competitors and the reasons for wanting a website. Once your designer has had to time to look at your details, they will submit a proposal. They should include details on the main elements of the website, any particular specifics that have been discussed and agreed, a list of the key pages to be included, and any additional design and build functionality. It doesn t have to be a lengthy document but should include the essentials from the design brief, costs and any benefits. Once you have agreed the costs and objectives, your designer will provide you with some general layouts of what your website will look like. These are diagrams that show you which elements go where on the page - called wire-frames. Your designer should also provide you with a design showing how your logo and branding will work in the layout. You will need to consider paying extra if you don t yet have a logo or brand identity. Some designers will be able to provide this service and package this cost into your website plan.

Lastly decide who will be organising your domain name and hosting for the website. Some clients prefer to organise this task themselves, but sometimes you may want a designer to help with this. Some web designers can even host the site for you - so check. #2 How long will the project take? In many cases this is a difficult question to answer. If you have planned ahead and already have plenty of content written for your website then, in theory, your website could take as few as two weeks to build, assuming the design has been agreed upfront. However this is rarely the case. In my experience very few clients write website content ahead of deciding to go ahead with building a new website. So if you want to speed up the process, have some idea of what you want to write about. Most web designers should then be able to copy and paste your content straight into the new site. #3 Does the website have a content management system (CMS)? These days a content management system is absolutely vital for any website where the content needs be updated on a regular basis. Until recently, content management systems were beyond the reach of most small businesses due to the complexity of building and hosting them. However, with the advent of open source software such as WordPress, content management systems are much more readily available and best of all free to use. If your web designer uses their own in-house content management system then you should ask yourself: What happens if I decide to move my website to another hosting company or have it redesigned by someone else? In these cases there will often be time and cost implications. I personally think in-house content management systems are not a good idea for clients, particularly in the long-term. So try to avoid them. #4 Will I need a blog? Will my new website include one? If your website doesn t have a blog then you are missing out on the opportunity to both build an audience and build your authority in what you do. In the spring of 2011 Google changed its search ranking parameters to focus more on content rather than other search engine optimisation (SEO) factors. This means that a blog is more important than ever on a website to help drive traffic.

Basically, a blog is a journal of articles, news items, updates, recommendations and comments about you, your business or your industry. It is your opportunity to share your expertise in your chosen field. So if your web designer isn t including a blog in your website proposal you really should question this, especially since Google now considers websites with blogs to be far more important than websites without. #5 Does the web designer have any client testimonials? Any good designer should have a list of genuine client testimonials. If they are as good as they say then you should be able to give a quick call to any of their clients and get positive feedback. Having said that, it s quite possible that some of the clients don t want to be contacted or haven t been asked if it s OK to use them as a reference. In my view, you should be able to look at the web designer s portfolio (much of which should be on their website) and call any of those listed. #6 Who keeps the web software updated? If your website includes a content management system like WordPress, then you need to know whether your web designer is going to keep the software updated for you. This is very important since content management systems that are left for any length of time can be susceptible to security risks like hackers. Additionally your site may include a range of plugins (which are installed to add website functionality) that will also require routine checking and updating. If there is a cost implication for keeping your software up-to-date then you should make sure that this is explained at the beginning of the project. If you are not technically minded or don t want the hassle, then agree to some sort of maintenance plan with your designer #7 Who owns the website and its copyright? The key with copyright is in working out who owns it to begin with. If a web designer creates a design for your website then the designer retains copyright until it is transferred to you. If they put code into a website to adjust the layout then that web designer owns the copyright to the code until it s transferred.

So you should have it made clear, right up front, who owns the copyright to the website and what happens should you wish to have changes made to it or for the website to be moved. Far too many businesses get into conflict with web designers over copyright. In my view it should be a simple matter of agreeing ownership in writing at the beginning of the project. #8 Should I be using social media? Will my website be linked to my profiles? Social media is one of the biggest marketing tools on the Internet since email. Any business that wants to be found online absolutely must have a social media presence of some level. This can be any combination of Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in, Google Plus, Pinterest, YouTube, a blog or any number of other social media favourites. So, for a web designer to build a website without connecting to your social media presence is seriously going to effect your chances of building an audience. Plus the best thing of all is that any updates to your website and blog you make, can be shared on any of your social media profiles at the click of a few buttons. #9 Is search engine optimisation (SEO) included in the website fee? SEO means far more than just inserting tags into websites to help them rank well in the search engines. Since February 2011 (with Google s Panda update) SEO has more to do with the content written on the site than what code is hidden behind each page. So if you re aiming to rank well for your specific search terms then you need to make sure that the words on that website page reflect that. You ll need to write the content to include your search terms and other similar phrases related to your business and page subject. But further to that, you ll need to be aware that SEO also means the activity on your website (such as a blog and comments on it) and the activity around your website (such as social media). Ultimately is means that SEO is an ongoing process and you have to keep working on it. You can t just set it and forget about it.

#10 I have seen adverts to create websites for 200-300. Are they any good? Website design can be seen as a basic commodity sometimes. And the rule of thumb with anything is that you get what you pay for. Many web designers that offer lower priced sites may seem like good value but you need to ask yourself - why are they priced so low? The fact is that they will use a basic off-theshelf template and offer little creative input. The site will end up looking like a hundred other sites and a year down the line you will probably want to change it. There will be little SEO input and poor marketing expertise to advise you on how best to promote your self and your services. There is also a possibiulity that your new site won t be responsive, which means it won t resize for tablet devices and mobile phones. So think carefully before parting with your money. Employing a good designer can save you time and money in the long run. So how can help? I build websites with all of the previous questions answered: 4 You ll get a comprehensive list of what I m going to do for you and what your new website will include. Not only that but I ll aim to make your website into something more than just an online brochure. 4 I ll keep you updated during the website build process by using an online development site. This way you ll be able to keep tabs on how your site is progressing. 4 All of my websites are built using WordPress software. This means that if you decide to move your website at some point in the future then you ll be able to find help. 4 My sites are designed to be responsive so they will work on desktop computers, tablet devices and mobile phones. 4 I craft and style the site to match your existing branding so it looks as modern and as professional as possible. 4 Plus I ll setup and show you how to build an audience of regular visitors. And advise you on best practices on marketing and on how to deliver your message. IF you would like a marketing-smart website that will help you drive more traffic and build an audience then let s talk.