1. Do you handle all development work in-house? How big is your team? How long have they been working together? Many design firms do not have in-house development teams. This is typically a sign that the person selling you the website doesn't understand the technology that drives your website. Additionally, having a middleman between you and your developers is a recipe for disaster. You're actually buying the work of a third party that you know nothing about. Make sure the firm you hire has their own staff of web developers. Additionally, it takes years for a team of developers to settle on a set of technology and become experts. If a team has been together and focused on the same core set of technology for three or more years, they probably have a reliable web solution.
2. How long have you been deploying this technology? Can you show me the back-end of similar sites you've deployed? Getting an early peak at the "back-end" (content management system) will be very informative of what your experience will be when you get your website. Being able to quickly and intuitively edit your website is critical to the long term value of your website. If you have to contact your design firm every time you want to edit a word on your website, you're going to lose your shirt in costs.
3. Can you build the site responsive (so it will work on mobile devices and tablets). Over 50% of all websites are now viewed on mobile devices. Your website should be built mobile ready. These days, that means that the site is "responsive." In layman's terms -- the site design changes (responds) to the dimensions of the screen on which it is viewed.
4. Is your content management system (CMS)/technology proprietary or open source? What types of licensing fees are there? There are many content management options on the market. Software that is "open source" means it's created and maintained by the developer community at large and free to use (although it still costs money to implement) and frequently means there are more people that are familiar with it and use it. This drives development costs down. Proprietary software owned by a specific company and may be so custom that only the creators know how to work with it. Imagine buying a car with a new engine design that only one mechanic knows how to work on. It's expensive and risky. You want the cheapest, most widely adopted technology that gives you the functionality you need. When it comes to content management systems, for most small to medium sized businesses, that solution is WordPress.
5. Do you offer a warranty? If so, how long is the warranty good for? Maintenance plan? Service Plan? Hosting? What are those costs? A website is like a car. It requires ongoing maintenance and support (you have to change the oil!) Every single day the world wide web is changing. Web browsers are being updates, new viruses are being born and new functionality is being introduced. Your site may function beautifully today, and be broken tomorrow. You need to prepare yourself for ongoing costs. It's best to know how the firm you're going to hire for your website development is going to handle that.
6. How do you base your pricing? Will this be hourly, or flat-fee based on the project? How frequently do http://www.yellowpagecity.com/US/MI/Traverse+City/Internet+Consultants/SEOTraverseCity/2135597683/It's a nice layer of protection for your project.
13. Do you have a dedicated project manager that will be managing this project? It's very helpful to have a dedicated manager on your project. They build timelines, schedule meetings, coordinate feedback, review and organize content, etc. If the firm you work with does not have a project manager, be prepared to spend a lot more time dealing with web development minutia. And understand that most web development in traverse city mi delays occur because of the minutia. It's the little things that cause the biggest delays!
This blogger graduated from Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses program. Goldman Sachs is a partner of the What Is Working: Small Businesses section.
