If you are thinking about building a new website, or even just a “facelift,” there are a few things you should know before hiring a developer. If someone tells you they can build a $600.00 website, RUN!
2) If someone tells you they can design, develop and optimize themselves, RUN!
3) If they don’t have a conversation about your goals, and a strategy to meet those goals, RUN!
4) If they want to charge you by the page, RUN!
First, $600.00 will never get you a quality website. You may as well throw $600.00 down the toilet. I know this because I’ve had clients who made the mistake before coming to me.
This type of site is most likely a static site that, if found in search – would be a miracle. It’s also built on a template and the “Developer” will cut and paste your content into it. Most likely, you or someone on your staff will need to write the copy. Second, as much as we’d all like to be proficient at absolutely everything – it is most unlikely that one person can design, develop, write and optimize your site. It takes individuals who are educated and who have years of experience, but that’s not all. These individuals should be on top of their game and know the latest trends and changes in technology. What worked last year doesn’t necessarily work today. Simply put, you get what you pay for. Your site can be built by one guy who probably knows code, or by a professional team.
This team should design and develop your website simultaneously, based on a strategy to reach your goals. That means that the team will include an executive who works with you to create this strategy for long-term success. You should discuss your prospects, demographic, your competition, your successes and your needs. A customized site should be built around all of these factors. If you have a TRUE strategist, that person will have a plan outside of just the website. That person will encourage you to implement vertical tactics to enhance your online efforts. Perhaps the most important person on this team will be the SEO expert. This person works with the writer, designer, developer and executive throughout the process. He or she knows who you want to reach and the right words to incorporate into your copy to reach them. This person works with the developer to ensure that the most relevant terms, words and phrases are used in content, titles and tags. He or she will ensure that you have as many inbound links that lead your prospects to your site.
And finally, if someone wants to charge you by the page, then they’re still using old school methods and must not have read a white paper, article, blog or even browsed the internet themselves this past decade. Here is why…
Unless your site is built on a content management system (CMS) then you will need to call your developer any time you want to add a page, change the copy, add a graphic or delete something on your website. This call is not free; and you don’t know how many clients who’ve come to me after this developer has gone MIA (with the client’s server information and logins.) When your site is built on a CMS system, you own the site. It should be “handed over” to you and you should be trained on how to maneuver the backend. A CMS, like joomla is very user friendly and you will be able to update your site for years to come. (ie: no calling a developer who will nickel and dime you, and no limitation on the amount of pages you can add, and best of all, you will not need a new site 5 years down the road.)
The expense of hiring a quality team to develop your website is well worth the time, money and energy put in at the start. You can go the cheap route, but the aggravation and the nickel and diming that you’re likely to experience can be very expensive in the years that come.
Rather than waste money doing it the wrong way, spend the money and get a return on your investment. Done right, your website will be your best sales tool.
