Have you ever been asked to sort your business’s website out by your boss or marketing manager. If you have been tasked with finding a website designer or developer to design or redesign your company website then you will know just how difficult it can be wading through the endless pages of search engine results for the term “web design sydney” or website designers”. In fact it is usually best to try and localise your search so as to find a designer or web agency who are close by and you can really visit as opposed to working through your brief over the phone or via email~ Edit this text } .~ Edit this text ~ Edit this text }
For example if you live near Sydney the following search terms would give back a list of web design firms and freelancers who would be suitable to make an enquiry to. Web Design Sydney, Web designer Sydney, Sydney Web design
Or if you are needing a more specific web service or solution you may want to add that service to the search, such as: Ecommerce websites content management system.
In our experience it is a good idea to make a shortlist of say 5 – 8 companies who you can approach for an initial discussion on your web project. To get your shortlist you should make notes on how they present themselves on the internet. If they are good at web design and development then one would hope that their own website would reflect a high level of quality , professionalism and presentation. If you are happy with this aspect then the first items you need to check out is the web agency’s/ freelancer’s portfolio to see what they have designed in the past. If they do not have a portfolio then this should start alarm bells ringing.
Every professional website designer will have a portfolio of work to show potential clients. Take a look carefully at each range of work. It is preferable to find a designer who has worked across many industries, eg, ecommerce, hotel website design, service based sites and product based sites. If they have a wide range of sites this is a good indication that they will be able to produce what you need for your website.
It is important to find out from them what exactly they did on particluar design projects as many designer simply show you the best owrk they have done whcih may have cost 10′s of thousands of dollars compared to the smaller budget you may have for your web project. You must ensure you are comparing apples with apples when viewing a designer’s portfolio. Many businesses have been burnt during this process os it is imperative your designer is honest and transparent when they discuss their portfolios with you
Usually web designers do not show their charges or prices on their web page. It is common practise to approach your chosen candidates and ask them to provide a quotation for you which you will find will range widely depending on who you ask. Therefore it is prudent to get 3 or 4 quotes from different web design companies so you can asses what is the best solution for you. Remember you should not make your conclusion based on price alone. You should be looking at what value you are getting and that the web solution presented is the one that is going to make your business work online. Ask about support once the site is complete and costs involved for small changes and edits to the site. If the company is proving a content management system then how much training is there, what documentation is available. Once you can satisfy these aspects the you can make your decision with wisdom and with confidence.