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Condensed from Secrets of Successful Web Sites by David Siegel
Your company wants a Web site. Your boss has asked you to "make it happen." Where should you begin? You may be relieved to hear that you don't have to go into the process with ideas and designs already in mind. Your goal should be to find the right group of folks that will work with you to develop your personalized Web solution. Locate a few promising candidates and start finding out all you can about them. The Portfolios Every good design firm has plenty of examples of their work that you can refer to online. Start by taking a look at their own Web site. Is it well designed? Easy to navigate? Does it meet your needs and answer your questions as a prospective client? The site should have a portfolio section featuring their work. Check out their clients' sites - particularly any clients that have a business similar to yours. Do the sites load quickly? Are there broken image links? Is the design and color scheme appropriate to their client's business? Is the type legible? Do you find it easy to navigate the site? Does it provide a valuable service or information? Are there examples of e-commerce sites? Are there examples of animated or interactive features? Does the site leave you with a favorable impression of the business it's promoting? The Testimonials Perhaps the best way to get the scoop on a Web shop is to talk to their clients. If you've looked through some samples of their work online, you know several people you can call, or request a list of references from each shop you're considering. Call these folks and ask some hard questions. No project goes perfectly and they should be able to give you an honest opinion. The Meetings The shops you're considering should be willing to meet with you on their turf to discuss your project. This will give you a chance to form initial impressions of their people, work atmosphere, offices and equipment, and to find out how they would approach your project. At the same time, it will give them a chance to get to know you and your company's needs. They should have a lot of questions for you concerning your company, the products or services you provide, why you want a Web site, who your target audience would be, whether or not you want to sell online, when the site must be online, if there are existing graphics and/or content or if everything must be created from scratch, and so on. If they don't ask many questions and don't seem to care or understand your needs, beware! The Proposals After one or two initial meetings, the shops you're considering should be ready to submit proposals to you. Using the information they've gained from your meetings, they'll each come up with a plan that should include details of site structure and organization, outline of information to be presented, functionality, time estimates and, of course, a price estimate. Although many companies consider price to be a major deciding factor, keep in mind that if you choose the right shop, they'll be willing to work with you and your budget. However, if you focus on just getting a cheap price, your chances of ending up with the right shop are slim, and your chances of wasting money are great. In Web development, as in all things, you get what you pay for. The Finalists Once you've got a few proposals in hand, if you still don't have an obvious choice, try rating your finalists on the following criteria using a scale of one to ten.
Total up the scores, pick a winner, sign a contract and get started! |
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