Whether you are just starting out, have been in business for awhile, or it is finally time for a digital face lift, you need to have a new website designed. That means you need to be ready to communicate with your designer so they understand exactly what you are looking for in your next website to help attract new customers and easy to navigate for all!
Set A Deadline
Perhaps the most important thing to do is to set a hard deadline for having the site completed. You may choose to give your designer a bonus if the work is completed early, but it depends on how urgently you need the work done. When working with a United States based web design firm it is important to listen to their needs as well when it comes to scheduling. They will need to leave time for revisions as well as other projects in their queue. Be prepared to pay a fee for front-of-the-line service.
Support & Updates
Lay out who will be taking care of future support and updates. Some companies may offer a free support bundled with the design, while others may want you to start paying for support right away. If you do not have any sort of contract in place for future updates, expect that you will be responsible for doing them yourself. If you are not comfortable with this, either create one with your designer, or find another firm that would feel comfortable supporting your site.
Security Issues
Check to ensure that security is going to be part of the site design. Your website is the online face of your business, and without proper security it is far too easy for others to decide when your site will be available. Even worse, poor security measures leave your data open for anyone to take, which most customers are less than thrilled about. Instead, check to make sure that proper security measures are being implemented from the beginning.
Website Responsiveness
The way people access the internet is changing. Phones, tablets and laptops are all used to access your site. Websites now need to be designed to handle all these different devices. The term for this is user experience. The good news is that a good designer will be able to handle the code needed to make a site work no matter where it is being accessed, whether that is on a phone, iPad, or computer. You just need to be sure your designer is planning on implementing these features.
Cost Comparison
Now that you know what you are getting, what features it will have and when it will be done, it is time to talk about money. This is one time where the lowest quote is not always the best. Keep in mind all the things that your web design company is taking care of for you when you are comparing quotes. For example, one company might be including two years of updates, while another one does not charge extra for mobile compatibility. Discuss this with us and we will do our best to fit what you and your company needs.
Conclusion
Having a website designed is a time consuming process. However, by ensuring that your needs are understood from the beginning, you can drastically improve your end product. Keep these items in mind and you should have no trouble working with a United States based web design service.
