Are you considering getting a website or updating your current site? If you answered "yes," we can help. Below are key steps we've identified in getting the most bang for your buck.

Learn web basics.

Do you know what HTML, Flash, and RSS means? How about blogs, forums, podcasts, or Web 2.0? Are you unsure about these terms? Well, don't panic! We've made it easy for you. Check out Juxtaflo's web glossary in our Resource Center. Having a basic understanding of these terms will be helpful in navigating through potential web designers.

Determine the key goals for your website.

Before you begin looking for web designers, outline what you are trying to accomplish. Here are sample questions that will help you this figure out.

• What do you want your site to do for your company? Increase revenue? Increase public awareness? Create an email list for your marketing materials?
• Do you have a marketing plan? What are your marketing objectives?
  
• Who is your target market/audience?
  
• How important is having your site searchable? Do you want a potential customer to be able to type in key words in Google and have your website listed as a search result or are your clients getting to your site via an alternate method (email campaign, postcard campaign, word of mouth)?
• Do you have am existing corporate identity (e.g., logo, branding)? If yes, are you planning to update this along with your website or should your website incorporate your existing corporate branding/identity?
• Do you have artwork, photography and promotional materials already developed?
• Do you want to be able to sell goods or services from your site?
  
• Do you have one product or thousands? How often do these change?
• Who is writing the content for the site? Is it already written or will it need to be developed? Writing your own content saves you money, but you want to be sure to you can write to maximize your searchability. See our article on Increasing Website without Hiring a Search Engine Optimization Specialist.
• How often will do you need to update your site? If it's once in long while, it may be worth it to pay your web designer on an as-needed basis (usually about $75/per hour). But, if you have regular updates, you may want to consider a content management system.
• Do you have a site map? What key pages do you need? (e.g., About Us, Contact Us, Our Services/Products, News and Events)
• Do you want to develop an opt-in mailing list?

Find a web designer that you can trust.

After you've outlined a general idea of your website needs, congratulations! Your virtual ducks are now in a row and you can begin your search for a web designer. Your next step is gathering bids based on the specifications you've outlined above. Where do you start? Ask your business colleagues who they use and recommend. Word of mouth is one a outstanding way to get references. Look in the phone book. Search online for design firms in your area. Once you have a list together, contacting them and provide them with as much information as possible about the website you want.

After you get the bids, be sure to check out each designer's website (and be leery of those who don't have one!). Take a look at their portfolios. Check references. Ask questions. Find the firm you know can do the job well and that you feel comfortable working with.

Also, see if the web designer has demonstrated experience in your industry. Often times, they can help you evaluate website features that you may not have considered. Example: if you want a website for your CPA practice. Check with a web designer who has worked with CPA firms in the past. They may be able to identify web features that some CPA firms are integrating, what industry best practices are for navigation and page layout, and can even make imagery suggestions.

And finally, you should be able to talk to the web designer you select. He/she should be able to navigate you though the tech talk though, and explain when don't understand.

Get it in writing.

Make sure the agreement you get with your web designer is in writing. What are the key deliverables? What is within scope of the project and what is outside the scope? What is the project timeline? When are payments due? What guarantee have they made?

Understand that building a website is a dynamic project. If you want to add features later down the road, you certainly can. But, if the added feature is not included in your original cost estimate and is outside the original scope of your project, it will likely mean more work for the web designer, which means it will be an additional cost. It also may impact your go-live date, so make sure you understand the impact. You can always consider adding features as Phase 2 of the project.

Want to learn more about...

...how to find a trustworthy and reliable web designer? Give us a call at 562.436.5802. We can help.

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