Whether you're building a website or a blogsite, the investment in a designer can be fairly significant. It's at this point that many service business owners decide to cut costs and have their 16-year old nephew design their site. This works out well until something breaks (with technology, it's never a question of IF it will break, only WHEN) and your nephew is out of touch because he just started his first year of college and can't be bothered. What are you going to do?
To run an online business, your website is your key to success. People arrive on your doorstep (site) like they might in a retail establishment, and decide within 5 seconds if they're going to stay and look around or if they're going to leave. It pays to invest some money in your site, as your site is the first stop on the like, know and trust journey that prospects experience with you. You need to be perceived as legitimate, as a "real" business, and as the solution to the problems that ail your prospective clients. If you're not able to design your own site, an experienced website designer can help finesse this relationship with your visitors.
How can you determine if your designer will create a site that you like and is useful? I've heard many horror stories over the years about the experiences that services business owners have had regarding the creation and maintenance of their websites. Here are 5 critical questions that you should have answered before hiring a web designer:
1. Site Ownership. First and foremost, you should ask if you own the final version of your site and the graphic source files. I've discovered that many web designers do NOT work on a work-for-hire basis. Instead, they maintain the copyright to the design of your site, so if you don't want to use that same company for site updates and maintenance, for example, they will not release any source files to another designer. Consequently, you will have to pay to have your site redesigned all over again. At the very least you should obtain a license to use the files in perpetuity and be able to make revisions to them in the future. This same rule applies to any special fonts or special applications developed for the site.
A second key issue in site ownership is ownership of your domain name. If your site design includes purchasing the domain name for your site, be sure that your domain's purchase is credited to you and registered to you as the administrative and technical contact. Many times the web design company registers your domain name and lists themselves as the contact, or actually purchases the domain and is considered the owner. At that point it becomes almost impossible to get your username and password for the account should you need to make any changes to your domain registration or to even prove ownership. Purchase your domain BEFORE beginning any work on a website.
2. Ongoing maintenance and hosting. Secondly, determine if you will be locked into a maintenance contract or hosting contract with the designer. Are they using any special software or application that will tie you to a particular type of hosting service? This may not be problematic for you initially, but ensure that you've got the flexibility to change your mind in case the design company is sold, for example, and dramatically increases their prices. Once the site is up, can you buy a program, like Adobe Contribute, for example, and do simple site updates yourself or must you use their company for any updates?
3. Experience with similar companies. Thirdly, take a look at their portfolio and be sure you like their previous work and that they have experience in web design for companies like yours. Call 1-2 of their clients (from the portfolios) and ask the client how easy the design company was to work with and how satisfied they are with the final product.
4. Marketing experience. Many web designers are simply that -- great web designers. They can make your site sit up and bark and run around in circles, if you like. However, the newest, coolest, showiest and flashiest technology is oftentimes NOT what you need to bring you the most traffic, get your site found in search engines, and convert prospects to customers. Don't fall for the glitz and glam that you see in a designer's portfolio. The best sites are simpler sites with a clean design and distinct marketing elements, like a clear call to action as seen in an email list signup box. If you can find a designer who excels at both design and marketing, you have found a gem whom you need to hold onto.
5. Return on investment (ROI). Asking a designer about the ROI for their clients is somewhat sneaky. In essence, what you're doing is determining their longevity (will they still be in business tomorrow), as well as their followup strategy in terms of staying in touch with clients to see how their businesses are doing. A web designer who stays in touch is one who's concerned about your success and is one that is much more likely to create a website that will produce profitable results for you.
The creation of your online presence can be a very expensive failure that takes much longer than anticipated. Don't let yourself be the next victim! Before hiring a website designer, make sure s/he answers these questions to your satisfaction, and you'll be on the path to a profitable relationship with a talented professional who can help your online business grow.
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1.How much is the start up cost? Are there ongoing costs? If so how much? This is especially important if you very low on funds and now days who isn't? Often a business can cost more to start that what it may appear to begin with. It is also important however, to realize that you have to spend money to make money.
2.What kind of training and support is there? The training and support offered by a company will make a huge difference in your success. Do you have a quality up line with good ethics and leadership skills. Are they dedicated to helping you succeed? If the training materials and company leadership are good, you will grow your business faster and it will be easier.
3.What are the rules for advertising your business? Many businesses have rules regarding how and where you can advertise. In some cases you may have strict limitations and in others you may be able to do more or less whatever you want. In any case, it is very important to know and understand what you can and cannot do. For example, the company names are often copy-writed and therefore you are not free to use them in your advertising without permission.
4.What are your options for promoting and running your business? Are there any restrictions on what you can do? This is important because some companies have restrictions on this and the more restrictions the harder it will be for you to be successful. Also the more options you have for selling your products and or promoting your opportunity the easier it will be and the more money you will make.
5.What is the income potential? Some businesses have more income potential than others and before you invest your time and money into one you should understand how much you could expect to make.
6.How long have they been in business? A brand new company has no track record and it can therefore, be unstable. A company which has already been in business for a few years has the advantages of new opportunity along with stability while an older company already has a lot of reps and customers and it may be more difficult to find your own.
7.What is their Better Business Bureau record? If its perfect then you know you are dealing with a great company. If its less than perfect but it still has a good record then you know it is reliable. If its record is bad then stay away. It is probably a scam.
8.What are their products like? Are they high quality? High quality products will endure and sell better than products of a questionable quality.
9.Is the product consumable? Will people reorder the products? Consumable products offer the business owner more money because people will reorder and buy more. Non consumable products can only be sold once and then you have to go out and find more customers.
10.What are the quotas or ordering requirements? If you are required by the company to buy a large quantity of products on a regular basis then it can be difficult to maintain the business or it can be financially stressful if you need to temporarily stop working your business. The last thing you want is a basement full of unused products.
11.Are the products affordable? The majority of the population must be able to afford your products. The more expensive it is the harder it will be to sell, because less people will be able to afford it.
Both Donna Gunter & Annalaura Brown are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Donna Gunter has sinced written about articles on various topics from Internet Marketing, Property Investment and Nutrition. Online Business Manager and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your. Donna Gunter's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.
Annalaura Brown has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Foreign Language and Language. AnnaLaura Brown is a successful team leader in an international organization. She can be contacted through her She also runs an ecourse. Annalaura Brown's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.