Navigation- Articles & Tutorials
- Free layouts
- Free Logos
- Free Graphics
- Free Wallpapers
- Premium layouts
- Top Sites
- Webmaster Resources
- Webmaster Tools
Recommended Sites Partner Sites- Programming Tutorials
- Free Web Templates
- Free Webmaster Tools
- Vertex Templates
- Chipmunk Scripts
- MSN Emotions
- Free Templates
- Free Flash Templates
- CSS Templates
- Template Basics
Sponsors
|
Melissa PhilpMelissa has been a content writer for NPA Media for the past 5 years and continues to produce great and helpful artciles.
View all articles by Melissa Philp
Credibility Indicators
Identifying “credibility indicators” can help ensure a firm is trustworthy, and will be around after your deposit or full payment is sent. Credibility indicators include, but are not limited to:
* Toll free telephone support
* 24 hour customer service
* Better Business Bureau affiliation
* Human e-mail address contacts
* Google PageRank of 2 or above
* Presentation of a hard-copy quote/design contract
Design Experience/Portfolio
Does the design firm have experience in working with similar types of businesses? Even if a designer doesn’t have a web site in their portfolio related to your industry, the firm you select should have a strong working knowledge of how to develop an effective site for your business type. Product and service web sites are not the same. Your designer should have a plan of action for developing a site that reaches the maximum number of prospective customers in your target market.
A few good questions to ask about a firm’s design experience include:
* Does the firm offer a number of diverse, finished web sites available for review?
* Will the firm conduct research regarding my competition?
* Will my web site highlight the features, benefits and value of my product or service?
* Has the firm outlined a plan of action for creating an effective site, start to finish?
Design experience need not always relate to the type of web sites the firm has previously developed. If you have a specific look in mind, ask the firm if achieving a similar design is possible. The ultimate goal is to know you’re going to get a tangible benefit out of your site through effective, affordable web design.
Additional Services
Many web design firms offer design, but do not provide other required services such as hosting and domain name registration. Ideally, your web design company should be a full-service firm, offering at least basic hosting, domain registration and search engine optimization services tailored to your needs. Research each firm to determine other key lines of business, so that any future expansion of your site will be seamless as your business grows.
Turnaround Time
An effective website should take 30-60 days to go live, from the start of production. Unless you’re offering hundreds of individual products or services on your web site, the entire development process, start to finish, should take no longer than 60 days. Turnaround time should include:
* Upload of your web site to the hosting provider
* Configuration of any scripts or forms on your site
* Domain propagation (accessing your web site and e-mail via yoursite.com)
Hiring the cheapest, fastest, or most elaborate design firm does not always equate to hiring the right web design firm. A limited amount of front-end research can save time and money in the long term, and maximize the sales revenue from your web presence.