How to Choose a Web Design Firm
How to Choose a Web Design Firm
Know what you need. Web sites come in all shapes and sizes. If you envision a bustling e-commerce site where customers can search your catalog, place orders, and get online customer support, your needs and budget will be much different than if you need a non-interactive site that gives information about your company. You should know what you want your website to do for your company, and have a sense of your budget.
Know where to look. Your first step should be to do an online search. Notice how well each firm is ranked in the search engine you use-this is a good indication of how adept the firm is at search engine optimization, which is crucial to your web site's effectiveness. Referrals are another important tool-make a point of asking colleagues, particularly others in your industry, for recommendations. At the end of this process, you should have a long list of candidates.
Narrow it down. Contact each firm and ask for links to other websites they've designed. Do they have websites in their portfolio that are similar to what you have in mind? If so, how well are they constructed? Can you navigate easily? Do an online search using relevant keywords-does the site appear in the search results? How well is it ranked? If possible, contact the owners of the sites and ask about their experiences with this firm. Talk to a representative from each firm. Can they meet your needs within your budget? Do you get a sense that they understand your business? You should now have a much shorter list of possible candidates.
Get a Proposal. After discussing your needs and budget with each firm, ask that they submit a formal proposal outlining exactly what they will deliver and how much it will cost. Ask the following questions when evaluating proposals:
* Does it meet all my needs and stay within budget?
* Does it include search engine optimization?
* Can I easily modify my content?
* Does it include ongoing tech support?
* Is a domain name included?
* Is a clear time frame spelled out in the contract, and are there financial penalties for non-delivery?
* Will you own the copyright for the graphics used in the site?
* Is the cost calculated per-hour or per-project? If it's per-hour, you should have a not-to-exceed price included.
Once you've evaluated your proposals, you should have enough information to choose the web design firm that best fits your company. Never hesitate to ask questions before making your choice-you are entrusting this firm with an integral part of your business. If you take the time to get to know your needs and your options, you'll have a much better chance of choosing the right web designer-and getting a website that takes your business to the next level.
How to Choose a Web Design Firm - To learn more about this author, visit James Keough's Website.
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Having a website is no longer optional for most businesses. In order to project a competent image and allow your customers to find you, your company must have an online presence. Your website will often be your company's first point of contact with your customers, and it has to make a great first impression. Your web design firm can make or break the success of your website-which is why finding the right one is crucial.
Know what you need. Web sites come in all shapes and sizes. If you envision a bustling e-commerce site where customers can search your catalog, place orders, and get online customer support, your needs and budget will be much different than if you need a non-interactive site that gives information about your company. You should know what you want your website to do for your company, and have a sense of your budget.
Know where to look. Your first step should be to do an online search. Notice how well each firm is ranked in the search engine you use-this is a good indication of how adept the firm is at search engine optimization, which is crucial to your web site's effectiveness. Referrals are another important tool-make a point of asking colleagues, particularly others in your industry, for recommendations. At the end of this process, you should have a long list of candidates.
Narrow it down. Contact each firm and ask for links to other websites they've designed. Do they have websites in their portfolio that are similar to what you have in mind? If so, how well are they constructed? Can you navigate easily? Do an online search using relevant keywords-does the site appear in the search results? How well is it ranked? If possible, contact the owners of the sites and ask about their experiences with this firm. Talk to a representative from each firm. Can they meet your needs within your budget? Do you get a sense that they understand your business? You should now have a much shorter list of possible candidates.
Get a Proposal. After discussing your needs and budget with each firm, ask that they submit a formal proposal outlining exactly what they will deliver and how much it will cost. Ask the following questions when evaluating proposals:
* Does it meet all my needs and stay within budget?
* Does it include search engine optimization?
* Can I easily modify my content?
* Does it include ongoing tech support?
* Is a domain name included?
* Is a clear time frame spelled out in the contract, and are there financial penalties for non-delivery?
* Will you own the copyright for the graphics used in the site?
* Is the cost calculated per-hour or per-project? If it's per-hour, you should have a not-to-exceed price included.
Once you've evaluated your proposals, you should have enough information to choose the web design firm that best fits your company. Never hesitate to ask questions before making your choice-you are entrusting this firm with an integral part of your business. If you take the time to get to know your needs and your options, you'll have a much better chance of choosing the right web designer-and getting a website that takes your business to the next level.
How to Choose a Web Design Firm - To learn more about this author, visit James Keough's Website.
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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