I was just talking with a business professional that wasn’t
happy with his website. His web designer “finished” with the website but left
the business phone number as “00-0000-000” prominently displayed on his home
page. Looking deeper into the website, I
noticed a missing photo and saw instead, the words “Image Placeholder”. This is a far too common example of what you
get when you hire a web design company that I refer to as “Hit and Run”. Why does this happen? You wouldn’t think of paying for 4 new tires
and drive away with just 3. Yet, so many
websites are delivered with crucial missing elements and there’s not much a
business can do about it—after all coding is not easy.
To help avoid this situation, here are some tips:
- Know who you are dealing with. Most times, it makes sense to hire a local
designer, someone that you can physically meet with and visit if
necessary
- Do your homework, check out the designer’s portfolio—ask
for referrals from the designer—ask your prospective designer all the questions
that you have on your mind before signing on the dotted line.
- Don’t pay for the entire project up front— ½ down
and ½ upon completion is a safe way to help make sure that everything is
completed to your satisfaction before the designer says they are “finished”.
- Your web designer should provide you with a
temporary website that shows you the progress of the design as it is
happening. Providing you with an
opportunity to give feedback can save a lot of time and make the entire design process
more efficient.
- Hire a web designer that stays with you after the website is done. A web design firm that offers marketing/SEO services, hosting and maintenance will usually stay close to their clients and be there to help potential new clients find the websites they have created for your business.
Always keep in mind that your website represents your
business online—so never settle for anything less that the image you’ve worked
so hard to create over the years.
As with many business owners today, Web Designers depend on
word of mouth referrals—the only way for them to get these referrals is to make
sure their clients are completely satisfied.
