Looking for a Web Design Company?
So you’ve decided to have your first website created! You’ve got a good idea of what you want now all that remains is a company to turn your ideas and vision into reality.
Its important to look at companies in the greater Hamilton region not only to help local businesses but also to meet with them in person, to share thoughts and ideas face to face. There are some instances where you would want to consider outsourcing your web design and development needs but the best results are always obtained when working with a company in your area. We won’t go in depth about outsourcing in this article, but as for everything there are advantages and disadvantages, the main advantage is price and the disadvantages follow.
Most Common Problems with Outsourcing
- Timezone differences
- Communication problems
- Unexpected delays in delivery
- Little or no verbal communication
- Chance of fraud or mediocre results
Checking up on Web Design Companies
All web design/development companies will have a website, and its imperative that you visit them and see the quality of their work even before asking them for a quote. There are many companies in the Hamilton region which offer web design, some of them have been around for many years and others are new. This should by no way reflect the quality of their work! The most important part about a web design company, like any company is their portfolio, take a look at the work they’ve created before. You will notice that many companies have been around for years yet their designs have not changed or evolved to keep up with current trends. This is a sign to check out other companies!
Your website will be a marketing tool, perhaps your most powerful in the years to come, so its very important that your website looks and functions to the best of its ability. This is why the company you choose should be more important than the quoted price you’ll receive.
Ask the company what technologies they use, do they use open source software such as WordPress or Joomla? If they don’t, they are not utilizing perhaps the most utilized cost-effective and powerful website platforms available today. Perhaps you have heard about WordPress or Joomla, they are Content Management Systems (CMS) that give the owner complete control of their website! Most websites today are built on such platforms and for good reason, they offer a simple, password protected interface to controlling your website, which at the end of the day will reduce long term costs and have you in control of your website without any technical knowledge!
Prices / Quotes & Proposals
In recent years prices on web design have dropped dramatically, because of new modular technologies that have greatly increased the time in which a website is completed. It’s important to ask for quotes from several companies and meet with them in person, have them come in and meet with you and see what they can offer.
Sometimes it’s a good idea to ask the companies to approach you with a proposal consisting of the different features that are included within the price quoted, and maybe even a mock up of what your website could look like based upon your preferences.
Hosting & Domain Names
This will be just a snippet of the full article i’m going to be posting later in the week
Its good to keep in mind most web design companies don’t always mention hosting (it’s just where your website will reside on – a server). All web design companies will allow you to manage the hosting yourself which isn’t very difficult, and some will offer to host it for you. Over the years I’ve seen some companies charge ridiculous amounts of money for hosting so its not uncommon for a company to overcharge on hosting.
The rule of thumb with hosting a small business website is simple, if the hosting costs under $50 a year, its going to reflect in the quality; you’re very likely to run into problems with website and email downtime. If hosting costs over $120 a year your overpaying!