Questions for Your Website Designer

…to make sure you get the best ROI (return on investment)

If you’ve decided to take your business online, then you understand that in today’s business climate it’s important to have a web presence. Along with that you should also understand that just “having a website” is not the end of the journey. The first step to owning and running a successful website is understanding that you don’t just buy a domain and put something on it. The website you offer your customers and potential customers should be informative, dynamic (a blog is a great way to offer ever changing content), and should be optimized to draw in the traffic that will grow your business.

The following questions should be asked of any designer you are considering for your project.

• Will you use a pre-designed template or site builder for my website, or will it be an original design?

Designers who use pre-designed templates are not all bad. Some folks have spent their time learning the ins and outs of specific site builder, or specific types of website templates. If they know what they’re doing, their work should show this…in the look of the site. Keep in mind, that many sites done with pre-designed templates or site builders will have what’s referred to as a “cookie cutter” look to them, especially if the “designer” doesn’t know how to make many changes.

COST: You should expect to pay MUCH LESS for a site that uses a pre-designed template or site builder, than you would for an original design. Especially, if there aren’t many changes made to the basic template design. Basic changes you should expect would be use of your logo and color scheme, and insertion of your graphics and photos.

Original website designs typically begin from a blank page, and are hand coded by the designer. Finding a designer who does this means that you have someone who at least knows html very well, and in today’s online climate, a PHP programmer/developer would be ideal (PHP allows for so much more functionality).

Custom designed templates are typically the same as an original design…hand coded and designed just for you, but using a template to affect better load time and smooth transitions from page to page.

• Will my website look the same in all browsers?

Most web surfers are still using either Internet Explorer or Safari. But Firefox is very quickly gaining ground as the browser of choice. Because of this, it is VERY important that your designer (whether they use a template or they design an original design) guarantee what’s called “Cross-Browser Compatibility”, and that compatibility should be checked for every page of your site. Many designers design for only one browser, and this can be problematic…your site can look COMPLETELY different in 2 different browsers.

• When my site is complete, will I have access to the “backend”?

If you don’t have the time or inclination to do your own website updates, this probably isn’t important. However, if you want to be able to change things like phone numbers, email addresses, or simple wording on your site (to test SEO), you’ll want to make sure that you not only have access to the backend, but that you are provided with instructions for that access.

Hosting control panels can vary widely from one hosting company to the next. If your designer is also providing your hosting, they should be able to train you on how to add things like email addresses, email forwarding, and auto-responders…PLUS how to access your website stats and invoicing.

It’s probably a good idea to discuss this up front with your designer, to make sure at least SOME training will be provided, if necessary.

WordPress websites are built on an excellent platform for Content Management, and provide the owner with the easy ability to update content, optimize for the search engines, and more. If your designer does not offer training for your WordPress site, there are many places to go online with video tutorials and more.

• If there are any issues after the site is complete and has “gone live” (is online)-do you charge to troubleshoot them?

A good designer will test your site design BEFORE going live to be sure that everything works properly, and thus shouldn’t need to troubleshoot. Occasionally, there will be issues, however, and you should find out up front what this type of “website maintenance” will cost you.

If you were provided with a “design mockup” of your site at the beginning of the process, your site layout SHOULD LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THAT MOCKUP (minus any graphic or photo changes, of course). Good website designers know how to program their sites to look like the design they created. You should insist that your site look exactly the way you expected it to. Your designer should work diligently until it does, without charging you extra.

• Will you do anything to my website that will help it to start being recognized by the search engines?

Most designers do not include keyword research as a part of your design. However, if you or your marketing team have done some research, it’s important to know how much your designer will charge you to add basic Search Engine Optimization to your site. I typically will include basic keywords and meta tags (as provided to me by my client) in my final design, to help my clients at least get a start with the search engines.

Knowing what you’re paying for up front, will not only help you to compare rates more accurately, but will also insure that you are getting the best your money can buy when it comes to your website.