The website designing companies are your marketing partners. The websites they design for you act as an important tool in conveying your mission & vision and achieving your targeted goals. Your relation with website designing companies is beyond the business contracts. You just not assign a project to them but also entrust your brand to them. Even if you know a very little about technology then also it is possible to get your website built within your budget and on time. The only thing you need to do is prepare yourself with some basic questionnaires so that you know what to ask web developers before hiring them. This will help you to understand their work approach to handle unique challenges that your business is struggling with. Further, you can assess the answers and get an idea that the websites they deliver look great, the job they do is commendable and the solutions they provide are professional.
Whether approaching web developers for developing a website from the scratch or revamping the existing websites, decision to hire the best web developer is the most critical task. With so many options of web development companies to choose from, both full-time and freelancers, it becomes overwhelming to choose which one will best suit your needs. To help you out, here is an exhaustive list of questions to each web application development firm you’re considering working with:
1. How do you price your services?
You are purchasing a professional service where a team of experts must be putting its time and efforts in planning, developing, testing and managing your project. The price for website development can range from few dollars to thousands. However, big price differences arise based on what extra features you want to incorporate into your websites such as shopping carts, payment gateways etc. and how much graphic work you want to get done.
2. How do you track the success of your websites?
A more important question than “how much does it cost?” is “how the companies measure the success of their websites?” There are a few technical terms like bounce rate, conversion rate, unique visits, time on site, page views, inbound links, search-engine rankings, etc. that define the success of a website. Another follow-up question that may arise is what number to expect. This is generally a typical question and hard to answer even by the most experienced firm. But if they have prior experience of the similar projects, they must have a general idea.
3. What are your core services?
A firm that offers custom web development services often provides other services like web designing, hosting and digital marketing. Generally, companies that have complete skillsets are more likely to get you a return on your investments as well as are more qualified to deliver best solutions.
4. What is your policy regarding building websites for my competitors?
The company that you select for website designing should be as concerned about generating revenues for your business as you are. Consequently, it must be able to enlist policies it adopts to design websites for industries of similar domains. This is a good question to ask that can help you in your evaluation process.
5. What information do you need from my side to get started?
Often, a client is required to provide images, texts and other content that he wants to get published on his website. If he wants the company to get the same on his behalf, he has to provide the company with some basic information. Whatever the case is, the company should be notified in advance.
Apart from these general questions, you might ask few technical questions like:
• Will I be able to get the ownership of final program code, content and images?
• Can I take the website to another web development company for updates and expansion?
• Will I get the documentation of test cases being done to find and fix the bugs?
• Will the domain name and web hosting account be registered under my name?
• Will I be able to access my website statistics without contacting the company?
Putting your business online is like being accessible across the globe. A website is the reflection of your business goals among your audience. It is essential that the company you select should justify your decision. Ask in-depth questions and conduct a thorough market research before you finalize. This will ensure you retain a result-oriented partner for your business.