Wise up to Websites – Part 5

So it’s now time to contact your list of web developers. It’s important to ask the right questions and remember your check list of requirements.

Part 5 – Before you contact a developer

Give the web developers on your shortlist a call
How do they respond?
What are your first impressions?
Did the business sound professional and helpful – it is vital you can establish a good working relationship and feel you can approach and talk to your web developer
If first impressions aren’t good change your short list
Arrange meetings with your shortlisted developers
Give them a clear brief about what you want
Ask them for a quote or a pitch – don’t rush into choosing the first you see

Review all the quotes/pitches you have received
Go through what has been suggested and prepare for a second meeting
Here are some questions you will need to check out if the quotation doesn’t specifically state the answers:
Will the website have a CMS system (so you can update it yourself)
Do they code (develop websites) to published W3C Standards?
What do they use? (beware of Word Press this is a fantastic blogging tool but it is NOT a web development tool)
Do they programme things themselves from scratch or use software?– which will mean there can be limitations to the design and functionality
Do they design for all common browsers or just one? – websites can appear differently in different web browsers a good developer will make sure your website looks the same on all browsers – IE, Safari, Chrome, Mozilla, Firefox etc.
Will your website be search engine friendly – and if so how?
Do they take DDA guidelines into consideration in the design and style of the website? And how?
Do they optimise images for fast loading of the website? – it can ruin a website if the pictures aren’t correctly sized and take ages to load.
Can they link your site to social media? If yes how will this be done?
Will they offer a service for future maintenance and updates to your website?