The 5 tips to make sure you find the right web development company

If you want to invest in a new or updated web presence, you must ensure that the web development company you select is the correct one. With over 11 million web developers around the world, it can be a difficult choice, so here are five key tips to help you make sure you select the right company the first time.

1. Know what you need

Before you start, take the time to understand what you need from a web development project. Too often, customers just say "I want a website" without having a clear idea of ​​what is required. Taking the time to develop a basic requirements specification will save you time and money and will ensure you get exactly the website you need the first time. You should consider the following elements:

What is the purpose of the website? - Is your site primarily a place where you sell products and services or somewhere to display your products or both? For example, a brochure or information site is more likely to contain more static pages than a complete e-commerce site.

Decide what you want the site to do, this can be to increase online sales, customer inquiries or general traffic and who is the target audience

What site structure does it require? - An idea of ​​site design is vital and the extraction process can be useful to plan and consider how you want the site to work.

Design and user experience: how you want your site to look and how you would like it to work. Both should be considered hand in hand, there is nothing worse than a site that looks good but can not be navigated! Think about how your potential user will navigate the site and what you will need to do.

The websites you want to be (and those you do not want) list the sites you admire. This will give the developer an idea of ​​the type of site you want and if there are sites that are frustrating or difficult to use, list them to get an opposite position.

Who are your competitors? - It is important to understand your competence and what you are doing online. However, you do not want to copy your site, you must make sure that it at least offers a similar level of functionality, just better!

Budget and time scale: have a clear idea of ​​what you want to spend and when you want the site to be active. This will allow the developer to provide the right balance for you and your restrictions.

This may seem like an important job, however, not only will you save time and money on your web project, the process will give you a clearer idea of ​​what you need from your new website.

2. Does this company work on similar projects?

Unless you have a simple requirement, you will find that working with a web developer who has experience in your business area will be a benefit. Ask the company if they have worked on similar projects and ask them to show you examples of this work. The joy of the Internet is that you can see past projects easily and see how they work. Look at the sites objectively, they are sensitive and easy to navigate. He is the design and support professional of the brand of the organization. Even seemingly simple things like spelling errors on the pages can give you an idea of ​​the developer's attention to detail.

3. How will you support me?

Once your web development project is finished, how will your site be supported? There are two levels, simple updates and continuous maintenance. No website stops and you do not want to have to call your web developer whenever you need to make small changes to the content of your site. Most sites can be easily updated using a content management system (CMS) that will allow you to edit text and images and make small changes to the company. Ask if your developer will provide a CMS with the site as well if you will receive training on how to use it effectively. Ongoing maintenance means ensuring that the back-end of your site is kept up-to-date with security patches to prevent hackers from gaining access to your systems and fixes if there is a sudden and unexpected problem that stops your website. Ask what kind of ongoing support is available and what the level of service is. You will not want to panic if your site goes down and you find that your web developer has a period of three days!

4. Will the site be ready for SEO?

The large proportion of your web traffic will come through the major search engines like Google. Ensuring that your site has a high rating is of vital importance (how many times have you clicked on page two of the Google search recently?) SEO is search engine optimization and uses techniques to ensure your site has the best possible rating. This can include ensuring that headers and titles are used to help humans and search engines navigate the site, making sure that pages load quickly and can be seen on mobile and desktop browsers. You should ask your potential developer what they will do to ensure that your site is ready for SEO, they should be able to explain what they can do to ensure that they have the best chance to rank as high as they deserve.

5. How will we know that the site is effective?

You must understand how the developer will test the site and what measures you will use to ensure that your site functions correctly and is effective. Even a simple site needs extensive tests and reviews to ensure that it is correct and does what it should do. Your developer should tell you how they will test the site and what measures will be used to ensure it works correctly. This should include tests for browsing, content review and testing of any e-commerce system. Good developers will be open to the tests they perform and will assure you that the site will be delivered ready to start working.

Do it right the first time: choose Web Choice UK

Web Choice UK has years of experience in the development and delivery of professional websites for clients ranging from SMEs to large organizations. Together, they can provide support for every part of the development process, from designing excellent-looking pages to developing industry-leading e-commerce solutions. You also have the peace of mind of having full support and continuous or ad hoc maintenance available to ensure that your site is protected against any security risks in the future.