Nowadays, your website is the primary point of contact customers have with your brand. To ensure you create a favorable first impression, you need to pick the right website developer. However, with so many options available at your disposal, picking the best website developer to work with can be tricky.
When looking for the right website developer, it’s crucial that you know the right questions to ask. Asking the right questions can help increase your chances of finding someone who fully understands your vision and can give you the website and user experience you are looking for.
Below are some of the key questions you should ask the website developers you have shortlisted:
Have you worked on projects similar to mine?
If your chosen website developer cannot see your vision, they won’t be able to create the website you want. It is important that they fully understand what you want to achieve and can execute a process centered around it.
For instance, if you want to create an e-commerce site but your developer has no prior experience working on one, you are in trouble. Extra planning and research will be needed to compensate for the website developer’s lack of experience.
What is your research process like?
One of your primary goals is to ensure your website visitors understand your mission, vision, and goals. Do they research the target audience you want to appeal to? Do they know about your brand and identity? Knowing the answer to these questions is essential to creating a website that represents your brand fully.
How long will it take to complete a project from start to finish?
If you have a deadline for the completion of the website, you need to find a website developer who can complete the project within the time frame you have identified. Website developers can take different times to complete their tasks.
It is important that you work with a website developer whose availability and schedule aligns with yours. If you want to get the most out of your investment, you need to find a website developer that can work with the time frame you have defined.
What services are they providing?
Different developers offer various packages and services. It’s your job to find the package that will suit your needs best. How far will they go when it comes to design? Are they offering social media services?
Take note of the services you would like to avail of and go through each one with your prospective developer. Check if they are offering the services you are looking for. Otherwise, you are just wasting your time.
Can I make edits on my own?
Since websites need to be updated every now and then, you need to outline the editing process properly. Can they set up easy access so you can update your website and make necessary changes when needed?
You can also ask them about any software or tool they are using so you can better assess if working with them is worth your time and money. You also need to be clear about the amount of editing access you want once their job is done.
How much will you charge for a project of this scope?
Do your research and figure out the budget and how much you are willing to pay. Don’t opt for the cheapest website developer you can find. It pays to remember that in most cases, you get what you paid for.
That said, it would be better if you will spend extra on a job that fits your vision rather than skimp and pay more down the road to compensate for mediocre work.