How to Select a Good Web
Designer/Developer
Good web designs are very subjective and even the designs perceived as
great by one person will not be viewed as so by another.
Before starting your search the first
thing to establish is what budget you have. This determines whether you
should be looking at a design agency or a freelance web
designer.
So what do you need to look for? Do you
look for someone with amazing creative talents, a history of excellent
websites or simply rely on recommendations from others. Without doubt a
web designer''s portfolio
is of utmost importance, you are not going to contact someone if you
are not keen on their previous creations. When looking at their sites
check they don''t all look the same, check the pages load quickly and
above all check they are easy to navigate through and that you never
feel lost in the site.
When you approach a designer we suggest you ask the following questions:
1) If a logo is required ask them how they approach the branding process and how can they build on your current branding
2) Ask them how many design concepts they create
3) When coding sites check they validate
all pages on the W3C validator? This ensures the pages are free from
errors and any respectable coder will automatically ensure this is
automatically carried out on all sites. A good test is to look at their
recent client list and check those sites using the W3C validator http://validator.w3.org/).
4) You need to decide what audience you
are targeting and hence what
browsers you want supported. If you want a
site that works in all version 4 browsers and above on PC and Mac then
it will cost more than a site is developed for Internet Explorer 5 and
upwards on the PC. When you have decided what browsers and operating
systems you would like supported check the developer has access to all
the relevant browsers and platforms you require (i.e. do they have a
Macintosh if you require this)
5) If your site requires e-commerce ask the designer if they have experience in this area and get them to show you examples.
6) Do you require a content management
system (CMS)? Content Management Systems help you manage the text on
your pages without knowing any HTML. Many developers can offer this
service so if you require one ask them for recommendations, as a CMS
they have worked on before will be a lot more cost effective than using
one they have not.
7) If you want your designer to market
your site on search engines then experience in this area is vital. Many
companies offer tools which promise to submit to 1000''s of search
engines but most people agree these do not work as well as links
submitted by hand. Find out what projects they have marketed on search
engines, go to Google and if you have the Google toolbar installed find
out the Page Rank of the site (a Page Rank of 4 and upwards is
generallt regarded as acceptable, anything less than a 3 could do with
further optimisation and site submission). Do bear in mind it takes
time to get listed on search engines, and even longer for the Google
Page Rank to be updated. (this process can take over three months)
8) Work out if you require affiliate
marketing e.g. banner ads or other forms of online advertising. If you
want to go down this route you need to make sure they have experience
in this area or use a separate company for this work.
So where do you start the search for a
designer? Google searches, Kelly Search (http://www.kellysearch.com)
and the UKWDA (http://www.ukwda.org) are all good places to start but
even better is finding a site you like the look of and enquiring who
developed it.