If you have found yourself reading this article, chances are that you are considering a website for your business or project, and if you want to expand your business these days, you absolutely need a website to do so. Once you have made the decision to take the next step for your business though, how do you decide who to let handle such an important task? You could use a friend of a friend or family member who dabbles in web design but doesn't quite have the hang of it yet, you can choose one of the many bottom dollar web design companies who give you the bare minimum and then leaves you high and dry when a problem arises, or you could even choose someone who will take advantage of you and try to sell you more than what you need to make an extra buck for their own business. To protect yourself, there are a few things to consider when you are ready to pick the right developer for your project. Of course everyone wants an affordable, working website, and they would like it done quickly, but there are a few more important things to consider when you are comparing developers.
As a business, it makes sense that you want to save as much money as possible when it comes to purchasing a website, but the cheapest website isn't always the best choice. If you pick the absolute cheapest solution for your development needs, you will get the cheapest result, a website that doesn't do your business or project the justice it deserves. It is true that not everyone needs the most technologically advanced or expensive website for their project, but cutting costs too far will leave you with a website that doesn't function properly, doesn't stand up to today's standards, and looks as cheap as it costs. Of course everyone wants their website to look aesthetically pleasing and for it to load quickly, but it is also important because that is what the users want, and expect. In fact, 47% of internet users expect a site to load in two seconds or less and they will leave and move on to the next website from their internet search results if the website will not load quickly enough. Not only will you have a less attractive, slower loading website if you choose the cheapest web solution, but you will also be less easy to find on the internet. A skilled web design team will also have search engine optimization skills integrated into their web design structure, ensuring that you will be available when a user looks for relevant businesses on search engines. This is often a place where a cheaper designer or design company will cut costs, delivering you a cheap website that will be incredibly difficult to find by potential customers, and therefore wasting your money.
Once you've gotten to the point where you are meeting with your potential future web designer to discuss your project, whether it be in person, phone, zoom meeting, or even just email, you need to determine if you and your web designer click enough to start a business relationship with them. Do they listen to your needs, take notes, and ensure that they understand what you are asking or just try to agree with everything you say to make a sale? If you don't feel comfortable with the designer or team who will potentially be working on your website, not only will this lead to frustration on both ends, but communication problems could lead to real world problems for your website. You may find yourself disputing charges from your design team over things that you never wanted for your website, or wasting valuable time going back and forth about things that your designer misunderstood about your vision. You need a designer who understands you and your business needs and what you mean when you come to them for work and who are willing to make sure they understand those needs before committing to a project and beginning work on it. You don't need to be best friends with your web developer, but if you and your developer click, the understanding between you and your team will lead to a smooth and quicker project due to the lack of misunderstandings that can occur when the two sides aren't on the same page. The ability to understand your needs and get it done quickly means savings for you and your business.
More importantly than cost and relationship with your developer, you need someone who is an expert with their chosen development tools and strategies. Your best choice in a web developer will be one who isn't some newbie who is learning to build his first website using the tools he will use for your website, but one who has tried and tested those tools time and time again. The most skilled developers, and therefore the ones will save you the most money in the long run, will already know most of what will or will not work when you describe your specifications and needs for your website. If you choose someone who hasn't built many projects with their chosen development stack, they will run into hiccups along the way that someone more knowledgeable would have avoided due to their previous experience with those potential issues and familiarity with the proper workarounds. When you choose someone who may not be aware of the limitations of their chosen technologies, you will likely find yourself being charged for more work time as your developer struggles to determine how to meet your needs.
Even more important than simply knowing how to use their preferred tools though is that you need to have a web developer who is not only knowledgeable, but always expanding their knowledge base. The internet and all things tech related are ever-changing, meaning that the needs and requirements of websites are always changing. To ensure that your website is built up to today's standards and with the proper technologies to achieve your website goals, you need a developer who is passionate about staying ahead of the latest web development technologies and tools. If you choose a developer who knows their preferred technology and tools, but is unwilling or unable to alter their development stack to fit the changing needs of their clients, you will be at risk of losing functionality that your website relies on. A good web developer will always be on the lookout for new and more efficient ways to achieve the goals of their clients, instead of trying to force their existing skills and tools to do the bare minimum to inadequately attempt to fulfill their client's requests. When you have a developer whose skill set is always growing, they will be able to build and maintain a website that will be able to grow with your business and meet its needs not only now, but in the future.
Here at Vhical we pride ourselves on the tools that we use to build our client's websites, as well as our commitment to staying ahead of the latest technologies to improve our products. We are committed to doing whatever we can to make our client's dreams for their websites into a reality, and are always available to hear what your goals are for your future website. We are located in the Southern Indiana town of New Albany, Indiana, minutes away from Louisville, Kentucky, but we are happy and ready to help anyone outside our immediate area as well, so reach out to us and let us know how we can help you!