Here are some suggestions in finding the right people for the job and some considerations to become taken into account.
Numerous businesses appear to get a web designer as although they have been shopping for a general commodity item such as a light bulb – i.e. All websites are equal and paying the 16 year old student on a personal computer course to construct the site will reap precisely the same dividend as paying a specialist web development agency. Other organizations usually really feel they have to devote thousands upon a large number of pounds on a website for it to become successful.
Let us dispel these myths
Contrary to what several believe, web design is only one element inside the production of one’s website. Some web designers can speak day and evening about how quite your web site may be, but if it isn’t functional, user-friendly, or capable of assisting you meet your online goals, then all of the superficial beauty inside the world is not going to assist it serve it is goal. The design theme of a website is only a single element of developing a successful online presence.
Choosing a Web Designer just isn’t a simple task! – Here are some tips…
There’s so much much more to web design than just producing a few web pages look fairly if you want to succeed. You need to consider your target audience, underlying message, content, preferred responses, visitor effect, online objectives, how you’re going to measure the achievement in the site and much more. There’s so much much more to web design than just producing a couple of web pages look pretty
2. Defining Your Specifications
If you have no concept why you need a website or what you want the website to attain, it is too to sit down and think it via, instead of rushing to place up a “White elephant” that does not serve a goal. Every website must serve a objective, and that is generally where many websites falls brief. They serve no objective since the website owner in no way gave a lot believed to it. It really is not the website’s fault. A website is inanimate. It’s only what you make it. The only life a website has is the a single provided to it by its designer and owner. In the event the human element does not do a great job of defining the creating blocks, the website will serve no purpose and eventually die a digital death. Each and every website should possess a distinct objective With that in thoughts, we’d recommend the very first stage could be to define the “Goals” in the website in relation for the requirements and aspirations in the business or organisation involved.
Defining the Goal
Every website should possess a distinct objective or number of targets that are measurable. A aim can be anything from communicating with pals and associates via to making profits by selling products or solutions online (e commerce). Your goal in the first instance may even be to possess a web presence so potential clientele don’t regard your organisation as getting backward! As soon as you have defined a objective (or number of goals), it is equally important to define:
The target audience. i.e. Who you want/expect to visit your website.
The actions you want to outcome from their go to. i.e. Producing an online sale, obtaining them to produce an inquiry etc.
What rewards you might be giving and getting from getting the website.
Defining the Key Functions (The actions)
As soon as the objectives from the website happen to be established, it’s important to define the actions required by site visitors to meet the objectives. An action is any traceable sequence of events carried out by the end user.
Examples might consist of:
Obtaining in touch – either by telephone, e mail or through an online kind.
Disseminating Details.
Signing up to get a newsletter.
Completing a questionnaire
Commenting on a Blog
Downloading or purchasing products
Utilizing an online tool
Obviously, you will find other intangible benefits that your website may offer to an end user that do not result in direct “actions”… i.e. merely offering “peace of mind” to an existing or potential customer will be deemed as such. In the event you haven’t currently completed so, then it really is also beneficial to take a look at the competitors, for tips, likes and dislikes.
Establishing Your Design & Development Preferences
When you have formulated the targets and functional requirements for the website, it really is time to start building a picture of how you anticipate the site coming together – with regard to structure and design theme. This doesn’t need to be a definitive exercise – Your web designer should be able to add a lot of input and suggestions at a later stage, but it helps to have some suggestions to feed into the specifications you approach the designer with inside the initial instance.
As follows are a few that we really feel ought to be mandatory:
The website must adhere to recognised standards. The site must be written to conform and validate to the standards defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) – this will in turn, mean your site should be cross-browser friendly (i.e. Appear the identical across various different types of web browser).
The website must be accessible. In web terms, this means that it conforms to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
The website should be clean, crisp and fast loading.
The website should be simple to use and inoffensive (see below).
Our Tip: seo malaysia Straightforward to use and Inoffensive – The WOW factor
Webbies often get asked to produce a website with the “WOW factor”. The “WOW factor” is a term that means different things to different folks. Often, the person or business commissioning the website have grandiose plans for extensive animation, splash screens, cartoons, garish designs… This is not the WOW factor – A bold garish design with “off the wall” colour schemes may seem bold and innovative to some individuals, but might really put off other site users – Find the happy medium.
If a person wants to buy a pair of shoes online then their mission is basically to find the desirable pair of shoes at the proper price inside the quickest possible time. They don’t go to an e-commerce site to watch an animation of shoes tap dancing across the screen. Leave cartoons and needless animation that add zero value to those experts in their own field. Individuals watch the Simpsons for that type of entertainment. They likely won’t be visiting your website for (or be impressed by) to be “dazzled” by irrelevant attempts to stand out.
Our own interpretation from the “WOW factor” is a site that is very simple to use, clean, crisp, user friendly, fast loading with great content material. Basically, the site that delivers it’s underlying message quickly and concisely will be the most effective. Google has the WOW Factor and you don’t see slow loading animation on that website. The WOW factor must mean Winning on the Web and nothing else.
Ok, so you’ve mapped out some targets and needs… time to start looking for the proper guys to go ahead and implement the solution for you.
3. Selecting a Web Designer / Developer
Initially, the best place to begin is by putting together a shortlist of designers. You may choose to do this in any number of ways but right here are some suggestions that you might wish to factor in:
The location in the prospective designer. This could or might not be a factor for you. Some individuals are happy to work remotely and others prefer some face to face interaction. In the event the latter is essential to you, then you will have to focus on designers in your local area.
The designer’s portfolio. This is typically a crucial factor in any shortlisting process. You may choose to favour designers who have worked specifically in the sector you are targeting, or you may merely like other unrelated websites they’ve developed.
Independent Word of mouth recommendation. You may have received glowing reports on particular designers and their after-sales service. Never overlook this.
The size from the company. Generally speaking, the size of the company provides you with little concept to the quality or work they can produce or the solutions they can provide. Some SMEs prefer to work on a more personal level with smaller providers or freelance designers with larger corporates preferring the opposite.
The cost – Most professional web designers tend to produce work on a bespoke basis, tailored uniquely for each client – and the vast majority do not publish prices. (We do). However, an initial discussion should be able to offer you with a “ball park” figure at least based on your requirements outline. Some designers are also able to supply cost-effective “out in the box” solutions at a fixed price.
Tip: Get a fixed price quote rather than an hourly rate. Let’s face it… an hourly or daily rate is meaningless as a measuring stick when your consider it might take 1 designer twice as long as another to complete exactly the same job.
Web designers will typically showcase previous work on their own websites, but be sure to consider that they are gearing a site’s design and structure to needs presented by another party that likely won’t match your own. It is more essential that you might be confident that they can implement your solution than perhaps reading too a lot into other design work that you may not necessarily like.
Another consideration you may must take into account may be the attitude a designer shows when you first make contact. You can usually gauge whether they are genuinely interested inside the project and whether they are going to become proactive – and if they can offer a high level of support. Designers not providing a landline phone number or a business address may be harder to contact when you’ll need them the most. Trust your instincts and exercise common sense.
Tip: Never base everything on price and make sure you compare “like” with “like”. Also, do not be afraid to share your budget with the designers during initial discussions and then see what they can deliver within it. Time is usually wasted should you are discussing the project over days or weeks and then end up getting miles apart on pricing expectations.
The more details you give furnish the designer with, relating to your objectives, needs and design preferences, the better. Also make sure that you discuss timescales and payment schedules (most designers will ask for any deposit upfront and a final balance payment when the project is completed. There could also be interim payment milestones for larger projects). Additionally, enquire about any recurring charges for support, future amends, web hosting, domains etc. Neither party will want hidden surprises.
4. Questions You will be Asked
It is always better to become prepared when you approach web designers… they will also have their own queries to establish a the specifications, gauge the work involved and furnish you with a quote.
Typical questions you may well be asked contain the following:
What does your company do?
What are the Unique Selling Points that your company has to offer?
What may be the objective in the website?
How do you see the website evolving in the future?
Do you have any current branding? i.e. Logo, colour schemes or other marketing materials?
Who are your competitors?
Do you require e commerce or an online payment mechanism?
Can you provide links to other websites that you like from a design perspective?
Can you offer links to other websites that you like from a functionality perspective? (i.e. How they work)
What is your budget? Never be afraid to disclose a budget figure – it can aid a lot.
If you aren’t able to get an immediate quote, request that the designer gets back to you and establish a timescale for this to happen. As you can probably tell, choosing a web designer isn’t necessarily a straightforward process in the event you are seeking the proper fit for your project. The much more detailed research and preparation that you carry out, the better.
5. Going ahead
When you make a decision on proceeding with a designer, make sure to get the quote in writing and make sure the it’s clear that the copyright in the website is yours once completed. Ensure all charges (including any future and/or recurring charges) are spelled out to avoid any ambiguity and problems further down the line.
Ideally, as soon as you wish to proceed, your web developer should create a test web address, where you can monitor ongoing development and supply feedback throughout.
Part of a wider strategy
Your website should integrate with and complement your other marketing activities. Promote your site address exactly where you can. Consider putting it on your business cards, stationery, merchandise, delivery vans, carrier bags, client receipts and on your shop front. Drive folks to your website via online adverts, search engine marketing and active offline promotion.