Websites: You Get What You Pay For!
|
|
So you finally decided to invest in a web presence or upgrade your current site? There are many available choices in "web designers" to choose from. This decision is an important one! You may have a relative or friend of a friend who will do your web site at a very low cost from the comfort of their house. At the same time you receive a quote of a higher price from a professional design house. Who do you choose? The first instinct is to always assume the lower price is a better choice. This article will discuss why this isn't always true, and why "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!"
After 5 years of web site development, I noticed a reoccurring response when I did project estimates. That being, "My sisters' neighbors' cousins' daughter has a friend who will do it for $300!"
Lets cover a few examples of the difference between an inexpensive, inexperienced "web dude" and a professional developer.
Quoting:
Throughout my experience in estimating websites, I have learned some valuable lessons. It's easy for the customer to look at the bottom line number on an estimate. What's more important however, is that the customer knows and understands exactly what they are getting for their money. There should never be any misunderstanding between a developer and a customer in regards to what exactly the project entails. The experience of the designer affords him/her to accurately estimate and communicate every aspect of the project to the customer. This avoids the very common customer concern of, "I thought that was included in the price!".
Understanding:
The relationship between a developer and their customer is very important. The more the customer understands and knows about the technology, methodology and limitations, the more comfortable they will feel. A professional developer understands that their customers are not "techies" for the most part, and beyond "surfing" the internet, they may not be aware of their options, or understand development terminology. A professional developer will offer terminology definitions, explanations, and details. The customer should understand every aspect of the scope of work, and understand why certain programming languages or methods are used.
Planning:
The success of the project lifecycle and its implementation is a direct reflection of the planning and pre-development decisions made. A professional developer focuses on the "big picture" from the very beginning stages. A developer should never assume anything in regards to what the customer wants. Professional planning encompasses documentation, flow charts, site layouts to name a few, and most importantly, inclusion of the customer throughout the planning. Knowing what the customer wants and expects is the key factor. This can be accomplished through surveying of the customer for information, including getting to understand their business, their mission, their vision, their likes and dislikes about other sites, and who their competitors are. The time spent on this is invaluable.
Communication:
Communication between the developer and the customer is critical for the success of the project. A "web dude" will assume too much without consulting the customer, or involving them in decisions. A professional communicates and documents every aspect of the project life cycle. This gives the customer the ability to be involved as much as they want, giving them a feeling of inclusion and reassuring them they made the right decision in hiring a pro. Detailed communication and documentation of conversations and decisions, ensures that all involved are "on the same page". This helps to derail issues and misunderstandings upon completion of the project.
Design:
Every "web dude" thinks they are great designers. Professional developers prove they are! This proof comes with vast experience, successful project completions, and a history of customer satisfaction. There are many different variables to consider when designing the "look" of a web site. Consideration is given to the company branding, or visually showcasing their "vision", and most importantly, understanding what the target market is, and what that market likes. A "web dude" will generally use the same methods and design basics for all the sites he/she does. This is all good and dandy, except that they don't reflect the image of their clients. You wouldn't expect a doctor's website to have the same "look and feel" of a high-energy nightclub, would you? Great design gives character and individuality to a web site.
Behind the scenes
Ok, so the "web dudes" tell you they are done with your website. Everything looks to be in order and working. However, what happens if you type in a page name that doesn't exist? How come the website is not appearing in any search engines? How much traffic am I getting, and how did they find my site? Where is the privacy policy, what is it, and why do I need it? What about copyright issues? Why am I receiving spam all of a sudden? Is my site secure? What about standards for visually impaired or cross browser display? These are just a few of the "behind the scenes" questions that professionals address with every site. These are the factors that will make the web site a success and give the customer a truly satisfied feeling that their investment was worth while.
Choosing your developer - summary
A couple key notes to remember when decision time comes are:
- Look beyond the estimated price before making your decision!
- How long has the developer been in business and will they be in business when support is needed?
- Every developer MUST have a portfolio of completed work! Take the time to view the portfolio and the success of those sites.
- Who are/were their customers? Has this designer ever done a project similar to the size and scope of yours?
- Is the developer easily accessible for questions, meetings, or general concerns?
- Will the developer be available in the future for support?
Comparison:
Although the analogy may be overused, I submit a comparison between a web site development project and the construction of a house. Although two houses may look identical in many ways on the outside upon completion, the real level of quality is apparent in what lies within. Solid construction, infrastructure, and quality of material are what give the home its true value. Just like a web site requires solid programming, functionality, dependability, management, and ease of scalability.
About the Author:
How do I know so much about this? My career in web development started 6 years ago, and by all respects I was a "web dude". Through trial and error, and over 50 web sites later, I have successfully become a professional developer by following these standards.
Greg Priemer
Professional Web Developer
|
|
|
Created & Maintained by Empower! CMS Web Sites
Host2Sell Web Hosting | Emarketing Workshops | Site SEO Review | FREE NewsletterDeveloping State-enabled Applications With Php
Installment 1Developing State-enabled Applications With PHPWhen a user is browsing through a website and is surfing from one web page to another, sometimes the website needs to remember the actions (e.g. choices) performed by the user. For example, in a website that sells DVDs, the user typically browses through a list of DVDs and selects individual DVDs for check out at...(related: Web Development)
How Does Your Website Make Me Feel?
When people think about the Internet, they think about technology. When people hear that I am a Website strateg...(related: Web Development)
Server Stats ? Analyzing Traffic To Your Site
Analyzing traffic to a site is a key factor in tweaking search engine optimization and marketing campaigns. Determining how people get to your site is critical. Surprisingly, few sites take advantage of the data available on their servers.Server LogsTypically, there are two server tools available to you. Server logs are on your server and analyze site activity. The log keeps track of the files created on the server, the number of times there is a request for the file, whe...(related: Web Development)
Html Editors - How To Choose The Right One For Building Your Websites
There are lots of HTML editors on the market, however, you will want to look for one that has specific tools that will make building your ...(related: Web Development)
Building A Web Site Requires The Right Software To Eliminate Headaches And Keep Money In Your Pocket
When most people build a web site, they think one simple thing. "If I build it, they will come". How further from the...(related: Web Development)
Stop Losing Precious Web Site Traffic To The Dreaded World Wide Web Black Hole
You work hard to build traffic to your web page. If you are not doing 1 simple step you are loosing a portion of all your web site traffic to the dreaded World Wide Web Black Hole.We have all seen the dreaded 404 page not found error. This Error happens when you type a web page address into the browser window and the page does not exist on the Web Site. Most Cpanel's enabl...(related: Web Development)
Uk Online Shopping With An Edge, For Buyers And Sellers Alike
Any new website competing on the internet, needs to take its business seriously, as there is so much competition around. So, there needs to be an edge on quality, content, and general user appeal.The raw basics in designing and running any commercial website, are to consider the customer first, and last. Time is a precious commodity, and so a user friendly website, with little form filling, that takes the user straight to where he wants to be, are the foremost requisites in creating an online business.Once created, constant updates, the latest information, and a clear and concise approach to absolutely every aspect of the website, all ensure the end user believes in what he is seeing...(related: Web Development)
Entangled In The World Wide Web
I am just a learner who likes to delve in websites as a hobby. Hobbies are what make life so enjoyable for me. I have tried many other things - watercolor and pastel painting, orga...(related: Web Development)
7 Golden Rules For Building Mini Sites
First, an eye opener. Making your fortune throughaffiliate programs on the internet is not easy. Somepeople would tell you different. It can be done, butit is not as easy as some would have you think.
Having A Portfolio On The Internet Can Help You Infiltate The Workforce
If you're an up and coming graphic/web designer just out of university, you'll know it's quite hard to break into the workforce. You have to contact employers one by one, spend your time traveling and lugging your portfolio to their offices. Well, things have changed, and for the better let me tell you. Now you can make your own on-line portfolio on the Internet, and send its web page addr...(related: Web Development)
Make Your Web Site User-friendly!
Making a web site is easy. Making a good web site is not soeasy. There are many things you have to consider if you want tomake a good and successful web site.Everyone who knows at least something about marketing knows thatyou have to fit your product so that suit customers need. Don'texpect that customers will accommodate to your web site. If, fromsome reason, they get an impression that your site is confusingand that you didn't tried hard to make their visit as easy aspossible. As you know, there are many web sites, so why do youthink that anyone will bother to stay at your si...(related: Web Development)
Track Your Visitors, Using Php
There are many different traffic analysis tools, ranging from simple counters to complete traffic analyzers. Although there are some free ones, most of them come with a price tag. Why not do it yourself? With PHP, you can easily create a log file within minutes. In this article I will show you how!Getting the informationThe most important part is getting the information from your visitor. Thankfully, this is extremely easy to do in PHP (or any other scripting language for that matter). P...(related: Web Development)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Empower! Web Design | All Rights Reserved. | Web Development