Selecting and hiring a web designer

This is one of the most important decisions you’ll take in order to retain an online presence and we’ll now look at some aspects that you should consider.  It’s quite a long section but really important if you’re about to embark on the development of a professional site.

Everyone knows of a friend, neighbour or relation who says ‘I’ll build you a website and it won’t cost you much’ but in the long run this could be a very expensive mistake. What happens if they don’t really know what they are doing and are unable to provide technical support or you fall out with them? If you change web designers would you have access to the site codes and has the site been backed up on a server?  Is it legal? If you don’t have answers to these you may have a problem.

In tourism, most of your enquiries are driven through the web so consider your website as a major investment in your business. Without it, your business would be damaged.

If you select a professional company, yes it will cost you more but there are more guarantees that there will be business continuity and your website and hosting arrangements should be secure.

So let’s look at some of the criteria you should consider:

• Firstly, your web designer will assume that you have the authority to commission a website and have an appropriate budget.
• You should be looking for an experienced company to undertake the website development.
• Don’t get bamboozled by ‘techno jargon’  e.g. acronyms like PHP, ASP, CMS or XHTML; if you choose the right web designer, you shouldn’t need to know about any of that as that’s their area of expertise; they should be able to explain the relevant parts and that’s why you’re employing them. It’s the same as your car; do you fix it yourself or take it to a garage?
• Write a detailed brief.
• Now select up to three companies to provide estimates based on your written brief.
• Talk to other people about who they contracted and discover the success or failure of the working relationship.

Here are some hints and tips:

1) Decide on the location of your contractor.

A local company will have more incentive in ensuring that you're a happy customer. If things start to go adrift then they are near enough to sit down with them to resolve any issues. That's not to dismiss a company that’s some distance away, especially if they have come to your attention through a referral. Using modern technology it can be quite easy to communicate effectively over a distance although quite often establishing a face to face relationship is a real benefit.

2) Check them out

Find out how long they’ve been in business. Nothing beats a personal referral and subsequent meeting with the company  but you should also visit each company's website and look for the following:
What is their area of expertise; are they marketers, website designers, copywriters etc?  Try to determine how they would be able to support you in the development of your website.
Quality content - Does their own website look professional and are they proud of their work? Are they interested in solving problems and guiding you through the strategy, design and build process. Do all their websites look the same and would you fall into the trap of being packaged like everyone else?
Develop a working relationship. Do they seem like the type of people who you can work with? Do they seem to have the right level of experience?
Ask to see the websites they’ve developed. Do they have the experience or adaptability to work within your industry?

Contact information - If your website development is going to be successful, you should know where the company is based and be able to contact them personally as well as by phone and email.  If you’re forced to fill out an online form as the only means of getting in contact, are they the right business for you? Be very suspicious about companies without a physical address or land line telephone number.

3) Proposals

Aim to get three proposals based on the same brief.  Assess the proposals by deciding if they have suggested appropriate actions and solutions to meet the brief. Additionally look to see if they have covered points such as search engine optimisation, site management and maintenance and do they guarantee their work?

4) Creativity

Your website needs to stand out from the crowd.  How creative are your web developers, do they use the services of a graphic designer or work to template designs?  A good company might have some good ideas that you had not considered.

5) Project management and planning

Have they allocated you a project manager and given you an indication of the length of time it will take to complete your project.  Does the timing fit your plans? Project management is a very important aspect as on larger site developments as communication has to be very clear.