CHOOSING A WEB DEVELOPMENT COMPANY
No serious business can compete in today’s market without having a quality website that actively promotes your company’s services or products. Unless you have an employee who is sufficiently trained and experienced in website development, however, you will likely have to hire the services of a web hosting company to help you create a website that works. Choosing a web development company can be a confusing prospect for any business, no matter how large or small its operation. There are a few simple questions to ask any web development company before making the decision to obtain their services.
WHAT DOES THE COMPANY’S OWN WEBSITE LOOK LIKE?
Before you agree to have any company build a website for you, it makes sense to take a look at what they have built for themselves. Take a few minutes to read through the web host’s site to see if you like what they have designed. Many web hosting companies have a basic “house style” that they use with all of their clients; if you find that you dislike it, you probably need to look elsewhere for a web designer. Remember, if they do not take the time to design a truly great website for themselves, what makes you think they will perform any better for your company? Some of the site features to pay attention to include:
- Fonts: Are they clear? Is the site basically easy to read? If the font style is too busy or the colors too harsh, people may be immediately turned off and navigate away from your page. You want users to easily scan through to find the information they are looking for on the page. Unnecessarily extravagant writing can be a real turn-off.
- Images: Are they relevant to the text on the page? Are they clear? Is there a lack of images at all? Many Internet users are accustomed to viewing images that reflect what they are reading, which is why simple illustrations or interesting pictures can be a real asset to your site.
- Content: Read through the web hosting company’s copy to discover how closely they pay attention to detail. If you find blaring grammatical errors or blatantly false statements, be careful about hiring that particular company. Your web copy needs to be crisp, clear and concise; sometimes the easiest way to find out if a company can produce that quality of copy for you is to read their own.
- Dead links: This is a simple one: if a web development company has several dead links on their site, move on! You deserve a host that pays attention to the details of web hosting.
WHAT SERVICES DOES THE COMPANY OFFER?
Some web developers can only offer your business web design, while others are complete web hosting services. If you can, choose a company that can give you a range of web hosting services; including web design, search engine optimization marketing, domain registration, e-commerce solutions, virus clean up and technical support. It takes a wide range of expertise to offer all of these, which means you cannot simply hire the first web development company you find. It is also important that you go with a company that is willing to carefully explain what all of the various web hosting services include and is able to help you choose the services your business needs.
HOW CAN I FIND OUT THE RELIABILITY OF A PARTICULAR WEB DEVELOPMENT COMPANY?
Every reputable company should be a member of the online Better Business Bureau; if you are not sure about a company’s membership, it is quite simple to perform a quick check. There are many other Internet company associations that are also good indicators of a company’s performance, including:
- SEMList.com
- topseos.com
- SEO Consultants Directory
Perhaps the best way to discover the reliability of a web development company is to contact previous clients. Find out how accessible the developer’s technical support is. Ask questions about how difficult it is to meet with the web hosting company in face to face meetings. And, of course, take a good look at the clients’ sites and navigate through several links. Of course, if the web developer cannot give you the names of any willing references, it may not be wise to hire that particular company.
DIRECTORY ONE
No matter how you go about choosing a web development company, it is always a good idea to take your time. You want to be sure that you are hiring a company that will really listen to your vision for your business, and who will work hard to help you reach it. At Directory One, we work hard to focus on what our clients need, and are constantly working to make our web development services even better. Whether you need an entire web hosting package or are simply looking for ways to edit your current site’s copy to make it more keyword-rich, contact Directory One for the experience and resources it takes to help your business succeed.