So you’ve finally decided you need a website for your business? Well, there are some key points to remember before you make one of the most important decisions for your business.
Choosing the right designer for your new business website:
When it comes to choosing the right web designer for your website, you should always shop around first to check out all the available options. There are many web design companies to choose from. And most of them are pretty good at what they do.
Always ask to see samples of a web designer’s previous work and review their portfolio. This will help you better understand the style of site that a particular web designer is capable of making. Most of the time, web designers have their own unique style, and you can easily see what designs they have made in the past. I mean, it’s similar to any other artist’s style; you can definitely spot their previous work based on the overall layout, colour scheme, and overall visual look of the sites.
Experience is also a key factor here. Just like any other job, web designers get better with experience. So, of course, you will be better off if you choose a web designer who has more experience under his belt.
Another key point you should define is whether or not the web designer can make you a 100% custom website. Or it will just be a basic web design template that 100 or even 1,000 people already have on the Internet. Almost anyone can create a basic HTML web page in Microsoft Word or Publisher and change its title to reflect their Branson business. But you have to ask yourself, “Is this really what I’m looking for?”
Websites that are truly customised will stand out more than the rest of the basic template web designs that so many people use these days. A custom web design will grab the attention of your potential clients and show them that you have a truly professional web presence and that you are serious.
Many web designers these days choose to create template websites for one of two reasons:
It’s cheaper to use a basic web design template. They may lack the skills to develop a fully customised website. Whatever the case, make sure you go with a designer who is able to create a custom web design for you. It will inevitably cost you more for a custom website. But it’s totally worth the extra money spent. Trust me, in the end, you will be much more satisfied with your website if it is a unique website created just for your business and not everyone else’s.
Communication with a potential web designer is also critical in developing your website. You need to be perfectly clear and define your goals from the beginning before you actually sign a web design service contract with a designer. Make sure you know what you’re getting for your money, and make sure you get it in writing! I have a 9-page website design contract that I use every time I design a new website. Included in this contract is a detailed list of all the work to be performed during website development. Things like the exact number of pages, the exact number of graphics that need to be designed, whether or not I need to create a logo, the estimated time before completion,
Defining these things will help you in the long run and also ensure that you and the web designer are on the same page.
I also use what I call my “web design planning worksheet”. This worksheet provides “stages” or deadlines for each phase of the web design project. Things like “In 2 weeks the general layout will be done” and “2 weeks after that, the website will be coded and launched” and then “In a month after the website is launched, we will evaluate it to see what needs to be done.” be adjusted “etc. (These are just examples, by the way. The details included in one of my actual worksheets provide exact data and more specific benchmarks.
And what about web hosting for your new website? Usually, a web designer will provide some kind of insight into the hosting company they recommend. Web designers generally have a preference for a hosting company that they know will be a good choice for your website and should help you make that selection.
Luckily, we have our own web server here at Digital Spiral Web Design, so we can do all the hosting ourselves. This is very beneficial as we can ensure that the web server remains up and running, and if there is any maintenance that needs to be done on the server, we can do it ourselves in a timely manner. In addition, we will always make a deal for our website hosting services for any new business that chooses us to do their web design.
Will your new website require any specialised web programming? Well, the answer to that question is based solely on the needs of your Branson site. What kind of site will it be? Need an eCommerce shopping cart? Will you be implementing special web applications or online forms for your viewers to fill out? Will it be a website that requires viewers to fill out registration forms and register in order to log in? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then chances are you need a web designer who can also program.
Web developers and designers must be skilled in the art of web programming (something that is very different from regular web design). Web programming involves the implementation of various web programming languages such as Java, PHP, Flash, SQL, or.NET. All these web programming languages need highly skilled people to code them and develop web programmes with them.
PHP is my personal favorite!I use it for almost everything. I won’t go into details about PHP in this article (I’d have to write a whole book about it to cover everything). But with PHP, I can create almost any web application that is logically possible.
So, make sure you choose a web designer who is also able to code any special features your new website needs. This choice should be talked about and looked over with any web designer you might hire to make your Branson website.
And finally, you should always check with the potential web designer’s previous clients to make sure they give him a good reference. Remember: it’s just like any other service. You need to check a web designer’s references and make sure they can do what they say they can do.
So, just to summarise all the tips I mentioned:
Ask questions, questions, and more questions before choosing a web designer. Define your goals clearly from the start. Ask to see the web designer’s portfolio and samples of their previous work. Make sure they can help you choose a web hosting provider. Get documentation to show exactly how many pages will be included in the project and the estimated time before completion. If your Branson website requires special web programming, make sure the designer can handle it. I hope this article will help anyone who is preparing to create a new website. A good website can do wonders for your business!
Here at Branson Website Design, we specialise in affordable custom web design for all businesses! We also offer very affordable prices for our web hosting services. If you would like to learn more about our services or view our web design portfolio, visit our company’s main website at the link below. We offer custom web design at an affordable price!