A great website is an increasingly important aspect of any business trying to market itself. There are plenty of incredibly talented web developers to fit every niche. Here is a list of things to consider before partnering with a firm to ensure you are getting quality service.
1. Learn About Their Hosting Plans
The best website in the world won’t help your business if your prospects cannot access it. A hosting server is where your website is placed, to be accessed by the public on the world wide web. If the hosting service grantees an uptime of 99%, that means 1% of the time people cannot access the website.
So let’s break this down by the numbers. A quick google search can tell you, there are 43800 minutes in a month. (of course, some months are longer than others, but let’s stick to this generalization)
43800 min x 0.99 = 43,362 min
43800 min – 43,362 min = 438 min
This means a 99% uptime locks people out of your websites for 438 minutes, or 7.3 hours every month. Of course, every .1% added to that 99% improves this time.
2. Does The Plan Include Unlimited Emails?
Emails including the business domain are becoming essential. It is near impossible to get a business up and running by continuing to utilize Gmail or Yahoo email accounts.
Web development firms usually provide access to only a limited account of emails.
This tactic to nickel and dime for additional emails is not only costly but also puts constraints on your growth. Always look for options for a firm that provides unlimited emails.
Email alternatives that strive away from Google GSuite and Microsoft Exchange are also cost-effective and expansion friendly.
3. Do you Own the Website, or do They?
There are many reasons why you may choose to switch your web development partners. Maybe you’re unhappy with the hosting uptime, or perhaps the service is not as good as it used to be. Market changes happen all the time. The last thing you wanna hear is that the firm you were working with, has ownership of your website, and will not hand it to you to be hosted anywhere else.
If you are paying for web development, always make sure you are in control of your content, and they will happily hand over the reins to you if requested.
4. Does it Include Professional Photography?
Visuals, such as photography, are an important asset for attracting viewers to your site. Photography is a great way to present a specific environment or product. It also gives valuable insight into its services visually. Most developers will use stock images when designing a website, this has the potential to make your product seem low-quality.
It is important to have professional photography to capture your work and showcase it on your website.
5. Does it Include Extended Tech Support?
Anyone with a growing business will want to make changes after their website is up and running. The last thing you need is to get a bill every-time there is a minor change or correction on the website.
If you’re paying for a service you should not be dropped as soon as the website is done. It is always best to be able to work with the web developer on all stages of building and expansion.