So, here we are . . . After discussing largely what can go wrong in
Part 1 of this series, and what the landscape is in
Part 2, let's focus on
what's the right thing to do
when you want to create a website for your business in the final post of this series!
First, and foremost, let's understand that of all the possible portions of your
"online presence", only your
own website is the one item that you actually
own and can control. Not your social media accounts; not your Google Business Listing, not directory listings like Yelp, etc.
Only
you own your website.
So, it should be obvious that you must take creating it seriously. Really. We've already discussed how you can do this with DIY website builders, and what they can offer as well as what they might lack. If you choose to go that route, you can stop reading now because we will assume that you will engage a website designer/developer/agency for your needs.
Given that, the fundamental issue(s) now are (a)
what questions should you ask of your potential vendor, (b)
what are the answers you want to hear, and (c)
how do you best manage this relationship once you've decided on who to use?
So, here are the topics you should consider and discuss with any potential website designer/developer:
About Them:
- Regardless of size, are they a
"real" business? Business license where required? Registered with their State for corporations and LLCs?
How long have they been in business?
- Can they provide
samples of their work and
contact info for references?
About You:
- Do you already know what you want/need for your website? If you're
experienced in online presence, and you do, great! If not, does the designer/developer
seek to learn as much as possible about your specific business and situation? Do they
offer suggestions, ideas, & possibilities?
About the Process:
- Does the designer/developer provide a clear description of
"how" their website creation process works?
- Regardless of their specific process, there will be
lots of communication between the two of you. Does the designer/developer ask
what form you want that communication to take place (Email, phone, SMS, instant messaging, videoconference, collaboration software, etc.)?
- How long will the project take? Can the designer/developer give you an estimate of the time to project completion? Does (s)he provide you with
expectations about your role in the process?
(N.B.
It's more than just providing feedback & approvals; it's also a
lot of work in providing the specific business assets such as images, logos, and text content necessary to complete the website. Our experience tells us that almost always, the biggest "bottleneck" to timely project completion is the time it takes clients to provide the needed materials and complete reviews of work in progress).
About the Technology:
- What
platform
will the website be built on?
- Will the website be "responsive" (meaning, it displays well on all types of devices - desktops, tablets, mobile phones)?
- During the development phase, can the designer/developer provide you with a
"live" website preview where you can see how everything looks and works?
- Who is responsible for website hosting? You or the agency? If the agency, who actually hosts the website?
- Will you be able to edit the website, or will you have to rely on the designer/developer to make any changes? If you want to be able to edit the website yourself,
will the designer/developer teach you how to do it?
- Who is responsible for
technical maintenance?
About the Costs:
- There are
3 categories of costs associated with creating and maintaining a website -
(1) the
cost to design & develop it, (2) the
cost to edit its contents and design over time, and (3) the
ongoing cost to host and maintain the technology the website.
- How does the designer/developer's proposal account
for each of these categories? All
separately, or is there
some combination of two or all three?
- Is the designer/developer's proposal a
fixed amount for a complete project with defined & discrete specifications? Or is it a
flexible amount based on the project's consumption of
"cost-driving" variables such as the
number of web pages, the
time required for creating/developing, or the
technical difficulty involved?
- Finally, how are the cost
payments structured
both time-wise and amounts?
Actually, there's a great deal more to consider than what we've outlined above, but we think our summary outline is a basis for you to work with. And, we're ready to work with you as well. Additional questions? We've got answers. We'd be honored to chat with you:
Email us at: contact@doggonegoodtech.com
Leave a message at: 678-883-3436
We'll get back to you as quickly as possible!
