Wild and Woolly Web

By Paula Mariedaughter and Jeanne Neath

The American Wild West may be gone, but the Internet is a new frontier tempting many with the lure of quick money. But, buyer beware! It’s an unregulated, wild and woolly world! Web developers have no certification and no professional organizations that enforce guidelines and standards. We spoke to one client who paid $6000 to have a web site developed. The following year the developer billed the client for $6000 for the coming year. Needless to say this shocked client was looking for a new developer.

All web sites are not equal. Your first challenge in obtaining a professional web site for your business is to find a web developer who can create a high quality web site at a reasonable cost. Start by locating several potential web designers and begin a stringent evaluation. You want a web site that looks great, loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and has been designed for search engine optimization. With these criteria in mind, go directly to any potential developer’s portfolio, usually available from the designer’s own web site. The sites this developer has created for other businesses are your best indication of how your site will look and function if you hire this developer.

Experience counts! Has the developer built one website or fifty? Select sites created for businesses similar to your business. Roam around extensively in at least three portfolio sites. Study each site. Do you like the look of the site? Can you find your way around? Does everything work? If you are planning to use a shopping cart, go “shopping” using the cart provided by this developer. Does the cart display the products well and give adequate room for product descriptions? Can you, as a shopper, easily find the products you are interested in? Is the checkout process easy?

If you have an overall positive impression of the developer’s work, return to the developer’s own web site, still using your critical eye. You should be able to obtain information about “package deals,” pricing, and available services. Take notes to help you when you contact the developer.

Do all this exploration before you call a potential web developer! You may eliminate some developers based on the quality of the work in the portfolio. Every businessperson understands how inferior services are never a bargain. Every time you are working on your site, you will appreciate the high quality of the developer’s work.

With your background research completed, contact each web developer and ask questions! Can you understand the representatives when they answer your questions? Is this developer too small to handle your work? Is the business too large and impersonal? What do they charge to make changes you might need once the site is online? Who will host the site and what are those fees? Request a detailed written quote for the web site you want. With written quotes from several developers you can get an idea of what a fair price is for the web site you want. Quality is critical. Do not make your choice on cost alone.

Your final step is a phone call to the owner of one or more of the businesses in the portfolio. These businesses have first hand knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the developer.

By doing careful research you will find a reliable, skilled and easy-to-talk-to web developer. You may have to pay more to get an excellent site. But make sure you are not paying more for an inferior site.