subject: How to select a website design company? [print this page] How to select a website design company? How to select a website design company?
Once you need a website, it's time to decide whether you are going to design it or you need a designing company. If you have the technical knowledge about designing softwares and techniques or the money to hire a professional web master, you can get your website designed by yourself. If you have small business, then you would like to outsource your work. While hiring the designing company, you need to be very careful, as poorly designed website can cost you money, decrease your customers and also effects your reputation too. Certain basic steps are required to be followed to increase your odds to hire a creative, technically confident and cost effective designing company.
Firstly, you need to evaluate your needs, you can sign contracts with the web masters to create, implement and maintain your website. As if your site serves as a brochure only, then you must consider outsourcing the creation and implementation, while handling future maintenance like fixing of broken links etc. you have to be realistic and optimistic about your own goals and plans, so that you get to know whether you need to hire a short term or a long term contractor for website design. Secondly, you need to get a research done for the candidate's work, which is going to work on your web design, just to see the potential. Once you choose the best out of the designers and developers through recommendations or directories or sites, you can evaluate their portfolios and fees they charge. A site is not required to be flashy but it should be attractive enough to solve your purpose, through this you must appreciate the designer's creativity. And consider him for hiring as you can see that he is familiar to the industry you want.
Deciding that whether the designer/ developer meet your needs, whether you want to sell your products online or you are looking for some e-commerce expert. Also if you are thinking that one people will be able to complete your website, and then you need to know that does the developer has the necessary skills to complete the task. Your website design firm, whether it is one man firm or a big company, is going to represent your company to the world. You need to work collaboratively, and get answers of certain questions like do they listen to your needs, explain issues in ways you can understand, do they know your industry, or share the vision for your site. These details play a very important role in judging and deciding the web professional company to work for you.
