It is September 2019, and anyone can build a website, right? Well, yes, anyone can create a website but if you are already running your own business you might want to hand the reins to a professional.
So, here at Bandicoot Towers we are going to help and show you what to look for in a website developer.
New Or Up And Running Business?
One thing we would say to begin with is that if you are just starting out as a business, unless you have an unlimited budget, in which case Hi!, then it may be a more economically viable idea to not spend lots of money on a website developer straight away.
But if you have already been up and running for a while then read on…
Check Out Their Websites
This may seem obvious but, before you sign a contract with a web developer, have a look at websites that they have worked on.
For example, here at Bandicoot Towers we develop websites and you see from this page and our website in general that it is professionally designed, good to look at and intuitive to navigate.
All too often people may be taken in by an impressive sales pitch and agree to pay for some website development without seeing examples of their work.
How Do They Work?
Do they have a strategy for development work with you? Or are they promising this and that without any clear goal or vision?
Any web developer worth their salt will have tried and tested methods and processes that they should be able to talk you through stage by stage.
This also helps reduce the risk of any confusion whereby you think they’d agreed to do something else and vice versa.
Who Will Own Your Website?
Be a bit wary of web developers who will take ownership of your website. It’s absolutely fine when things are going swimmingly of course, but if there’s a problem then you could run into trouble.
Will You Want To Create Content?
You may be happy to hand over all web content to a developer. However, you may wish to be a bit more hands on and have a bit of input yourself.
If so, then ask your prospective developer if they could show you how to update your website or if they could create or provide a content management system (CMS) for you.
How Much Will You Get For Your Money?
Some website developers will, unsurprisingly enough, just develop websites. Others however will provide more services.
Will they look after your social media? Do they offer copywriting? Will they provide website maintenance? Or SEO?
If they do offer these services and you are interested then as we mentioned earlier, have a look at some of the social media they have posted or blogs they have written.
Google some of their websites to see just how well they perform search engine optimisation!
Often you will find that web developers also operate as I.T companies. If this is the case, then consider whether you’d like them to look after most or all of your I.T requirements.
From website or server hosting, to security updates and technical helpdesks, it may be a good idea to have one company looking after your I.T instead of having to shuffle backwards and forwards between several companies all with different opening hours and ways of working.
Will You Be Selling On Your Website?
According to the Nasdaq, by 2040, “it is thought 95% of purchases will be facilitated by e-commerce.”
Ecommerce is rapidly becoming the preferred way to shop and with that in mind, you may wish to sell products through your website.
If you do, then can the web developer incorporate this onto your website? Here at Bandicoot Towers we can provide exactly this.
Mobile Phones And Tablets
Remember in the olden days when people used computers to look at websites?
We know, it’s hard to believe, right?
These days more and more people access most of their lives through their mobile phones or tablets.
If you have ever seen a website that hasn’t been designed for mobile devices then you will know how difficult they are to navigate, some text and menu options become unusable and it makes for an altogether unsatisfactory user experience.
Always make sure that website developers can provide mobile friendly versions of your website that you can easily check and test.
Get In Touch
Of course, there is so much more in the world of web development and if you would to find out more or would like more information on the services that we can provide then please let us know.
Our team of experts at Bandicoot will be more than happy to help. You can telephone us on 01282 506 616 or use our online contact form here.
