Choosing a Web Site Developer

Choosing the right web site developer will help your organization shine on the Internet.

Tutorial

Choosing the right web site developer can make a huge difference for your company or organization's website. There are some basic things to keep in mind when selecting a website developer:

1. Design Experience

Does the web site developer have a lot of sites under her belt? Does he do web design full time or part time? You should always request sample live sites you can review to see if the designs are professionally and well done. Reputable firms should be willing to let you contact past customers to see how their experience was.

2. Original Designs

Does the web designer use "templates" or does he design each website for the customer as an original design? There are companies that sell thousands of design templates - the designer then plugs in your company name, information, and content. Most successful designers design each website to meet each customer's needs.

3. Designer Abilities

Are you looking for someone experienced in graphic design or in copyediting? Does the designer have access to graphic designers or copyeditors if they do not specialize in that function?

4. Cost

How does your designer charge? Most designers charge by the page, a package for the site, or by the hour. Get a written estimate from the designer before proceeding.

5. Who Owns the Rights?

Some designers insist on owning the copyrights to your site when they are finished. This may cause you problems down the road if you need to bring in a different designer or bring it in house. Demand the source files for all of the graphics and design and see what the designer says.

You can usually find good designers by looking professionally designed sites and clicking the "designed by" links at the bottom. You can also contact local businesses and find out who they used to design their site.