|
Did you know by selecting the right website development company for your business can make a huge difference on how successful your website will be? I do a great deal of consulting for businesses that want to improve their web strategy. It surprises me of how many businesses put their website last on their list. They all say to me that the design and look is most important. For print advertising the look of an ad is very important, but in the online world functionality and usability are number one.
Sure everyone knows you need a website, but most business owners under estimate how much to spend on the website its self. When it comes to the design, structure, content, features, etc most business websites fall short. Before spending a fortune to market your business website, you should make sure it has been designed properly. Most business owners have limited understanding on how websites work and leave it up to the first guy they find that claims they can design and put up a website for cheap. A poorly structured website can hurt your business as much as professionally produced website can help it. No I am not talking about how it looks, but how it was designed. Just like a poor foundation on a house can have negative affects on your home later, a website that is not structured properly for people and search engines to understand can have very negative effects that may not be felt until it is too late. A business should always select a company that has an understanding of how to convert traffic and optimized a website for search engines, plus know about standards compliant HTML markup.
There are many people out there that can build a website, but only a few that can do it right. Unfortunately for your business, a web designer does not have to be bonded and insured to build a website. If it fails you are the one holding the bag.
Here are some questions you should ask your web design company.
1. Do you know search engine optimization, and what do you suggest for my website.
2. Can I do my own updates if needed or will I have to pay you to do it?
3. Do you provide help and assistance along the way, is it extra?
4. Will there be something in place for me to measure my websites success?
If your company stumbles on any of those keep looking, in this business you really get what you pay for.
Time is money and selecting the wrong person or company to build and support your website can be a very costly mistake. If you can get a 3rd party consultant to help you with selecting the right company, or make sure that company has some protection for you if they fall short on their promises.
Until next time,
Jay Roberts
|
