5 Questions You Should Ask Your Web Designer

By MSW -

Questions you should ask before having your website designed


Asking a series of important questions before contracting with a web design company can help avoid issues down the road.  Getting adequate answers to these questions will help ensure you selecting the best company for your needs.


1)  Can you provide me examples of your work or testimonials from your clients?


If your website designer does not have a sample portfolio to show you or existing clients that you can speak with, then you should consider interviewing another company.

2)  Is there paperwork involved before you start on my website?


Your web designer should present you written documentation of the exact cost and any recurring costs, as well as the length of the contract.  You should also expect a time table for the design of the website, what materials will be required, the feedback process on the design, and other important information.  If it’s not written down, misunderstandings can occur, as well as unwelcome surprises.

3)  Does your cost quote include all fees?


Nothing sours a business relationship more than hidden fees or costs.  Once you have conveyed your vision and requirements for the website to the designer make sure the quote you receive has ALL fees included.  Things to look for are domain registration fees, visual element development, programming fees, costs to update the website in the future, and any other initial or recurring fees.

4)  Will I own my domain and website files?


This is a very important question to ask.  Your domain name registration should have your name and contact information as the Registrant on the account. This will allow you access to it.  You should also own all website files and the rights to all images and content used in the website.

5)  Can my website be easily moved to another hosting company if I decide to make a change?


You should know upfront whether your website is tied to a proprietary content management system or platform.  Template sites and other database driven websites may not be easily portable.  If you decide to change companies down the road, you could have unnecessary and costly challenges.

Working with a professional web design company should be stress and hassle free if you ask these questions before you start a business relationship with them.  Nobody likes surprises, and getting answers to these questions up front can help avoid them.

As always, if you have questions about this topic, or any other website or social media questions, please give MSW Interactive Designs a call!



Follow MSW Interactive Designs

Sandy Waggett, MSW Interactive Designs LLC ~ We put the web to work for you!
573-552-8403


Location: Lake Ozark, MO 65049, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Instagram is an Important Social Media Platform for Business

By MSW -
Image
Instagram is the fastest growing social media platform and it's a fantastic place for businesses to share content. When used correctly, this platform is a highly effective way to reach customers. There are many perks of posting to Instagram and our social media marketing business in mid-Missouri is here to showcase why your business should be on this platform. Great Potential for Reach Instagram has 112.5 million users in the United States. The potential for reach is huge! Ensure your message is being seen on this platform for the best chance of exposure for your business. Showcase Creative Side Get creative with your posts on Instagram. This is your chance to show a more personal side to your business. Consumers like to do business with people and your business can showcase your personal aspects with your content. Attract a New Demographic Instagram has a wide range of users but for the most part, it's a younger demographic. Reaching this age range is impactful...
Read more

4 Sources for Finding What's Trending

By MSW -
Image
Finding relevant content that your audience will want to read can be challenging for any marketer.  How do you know what people are interested at this point in time?  How do you get them to read your blogs or engage with your posts? One way is by finding what's trending.  Those of you that use Twitter for your business have probably seen the little box on the lefthand side of your Twitter home page that shows current Trends. These are topics that Twitter users are currently interested in and they change all the time. In addition to Twitter, there are other ways to find trending topics that you can use in your online marketing campaigns .  Check out a few of our favorites below: 1. Buzzfeed   BuzzFeed has the hottest, most social content on the web. They're redefining online advertising with their social, content-driven publishing technology. BuzzFeed provides the most shareable breaking news, original reporting, entertainment and video across the social w...
Read more

Protect Yourself from Falling for Phishing or Spoofing Attempts.

By MSW -
Image
We love to fish at the Lake of the Ozarks, but there is another kind of “phish” you should always avoid. Email is a popular target for cyber criminals to gather information and is often used for “phishing”. This communication method is an easy way to steal sensitive details about people or deposit malware or a virus on your device.  It’s widely used, because most people are generally trusting and/or curious. Our internet marketing company in mid-Missouri gets questions about this kind of activity from our clients. Learn what phishing is and how you can better protect yourself from a potential threat: What is Phishing? The term Phishing is coined after “fishing” and is when a cyber-criminal hangs a digital “lure” and waits for an unsuspecting victim to bite. A phishing email typically has a link for the email user to click, and attachment to open, or prompts an email reply. Once you’ve taken the requested action on a phishing email, the cyber bug is in and likely gathering p...
Read more