Essential questions to ask your web designer/developer before building your website
In our experience you can never ask too many questions. Specific to the web design/devt process this is a good measure of how forthcoming and helpful your new web designer will be.
If someone takes the time and effort to answer each one of your questions thoroughly it is a good sign they have your best intentions at heart. They will invest the time to educate you on the web design process to ensure you feel confident.
You don’t have to ask every one of these questions but pick and choose what is relevant to your business. They will also trigger further ideas.
Experience
Have you worked on other websites in this industry?
Can I see examples of your previous work in a similar price range to my proposed project?
Can you provide references and contact details of past clients so that I can speak with them directly?
Process
What is the framework or process that we will follow when building the website?
Who is responsible for preparing the website content?
Can you recommend a copywriter who is experienced in writing results driven, SEO friendly copy?
How long will my website take to build?
Do you include sourcing and purchasing images as part of your proposal or will this be an additional fee?
When can you start?
Design
What is the process if I am not happy with the first design that is presented?
Do you have a dedicated graphic designer on your team who is an expert in user interface design and conversion optimisation?
Will the design be reponsive-ie fit well for mobile devices?
How many rounds of design changes are included?
Will you keep working on the proposed design of my website until I am completely happy?
Tools
What is the content management system you will use to build my website? Tip -WordPress & WIX are some of the easiest to transfer over and highly universal
Do you utilise templates or will the layout be designed and built from scratch?
Where and who will host my website?
Do you host our email and will you help me configure my email accounts?
What is the website backup process to ensure I always have an up-to-date backup to roll back to?
Will you keep WordPress and associated plugins up to date and secure as part of your hosting fee?
Will you install Google Analytics?
Via Google Analytics, will you help set up goal tracking?
Will you set up regular Google Analytics reporting to be delivered to my inbox so that I can see the traffic to my website?
What will you do to make my website search engine friendly?
Who will be responsible for the onsite search engine optimisation of my website?
Will you test my website in a variety of different devices, platforms and browsers?
Can you integrate social media widgets into my website?
Will my website be mobile friendly and look great on lots of different mobile devices?
Will you ensure my website looks good on a retina display screen?
Will all source files be provided including layered Photoshop files and all other working files?
How will you ask for feedback during the web design process?
Will you test the load time on my website and ensure it loads in under three seconds?
Can I collect money via my website through PayPal or via credit cards?
Will you install an SSL certificate if accepting payments via the site?
Team
Can you describe your team and the different people we will be working with during the process?
Will there be one central point of contact throughout the process?
Do you have a physical office that I can come and visit you to meet face to face?
Money
What are the payment milestones for the project?
Are there any other unexpected costs that I should be aware of?
How much will the total project cost?
Who owns the website after final invoice payment?
Ongoing Support and training
When I send you an email, how long will it take you to respond?
Will you train me on how to use my new website?
Will you provide training documentation for future reference?
Can you help if I need changes to the website after it is launched?
How do you charge for ongoing updates to the website?
What happens if our working relationship doesn’t work out and I want to move?
A website is a critical marketing component of your business. Ensure you are comfortable with your choice of web designer/developer by doing a bit of extra leg work up front. This will potentially save you time and money in the long run.
Choosing a good website company is crucial – do your research and find someone with a good portfolio of past work. Keep in mind you get what you pay for. Write a clear, detailed brief and ask lots of questions. Cost will depend on how customised you need your site to be. Investing the time during briefing will improve accountability and timely progress.
For more tips on:
How to get the most value from your website click here
Reality Marketing are available to assist you with all your marketing needs, please contact us on 0423 361 093, leonie@realitymarketing.com.au
