How to spot the Web design SHARKS! Cen-net Associates

 How to spot the web design Sharks!

Green Arrow Introduction

We would like to make it clear that the following is a brief breakdown of the most common questions and problems encountered by our clients. It is a collection of issues we feel have been used to fool clients or otherwise mislead people. This article will be updated often with new information or corrected information as time goes on. If you would like to submit additional infomation to this article, please do so at the following email address : info@cen-net.co.uk

We will credit your information, but you submit with the understanding that the information does not hold us to any financial commitment.

Mobile App development

For all the years I have worked in the Web industry, the truth is that not many “really” know what they are talking about. If you find one that does, keep them! They are rare. It is our hope that the following article will enlighten, equip and educate you on how to get the most from your Website design company.

Web designing institute in ranchi training

Although a lot of this is common sense, let me run through how to spot the difference.

First, let's get things straight from the start. These are the wrong reasons to have a Website:

"Everybody else has one"

"I want an online brochure"

"A Website will give my business credibility"

It doesn't matter if they are true statements, you need to remove these ideas from your head. On their own they are a total waste of your time and money, and therefore dangerous. There are only three reasons why somebody would need a Web presence:

You have products or services to sell

You have important information to share with the world

You wish to run Business Applications on the Internet

Ok, now pick the one that applies to you. When you have this idea in your mind, you have to fix it there. Nearly all Website design companies that you will come in contact with will try to move your focus away from these facts, but you mustn’t let them. This is the first sign of a Website design shark. They will probably start talking corporate image, and that’s where you stop. You have to discern if they are looking at form over function. The long and short of it is, if your Website does not function, then the form doesn't matter. Design should always follow content, NOT the other way around. There is no nice way to say this. If they are just painting you a pretty picture, they don’t care about your business. They have other things on their mind. Your money is my guess. You see, for the Website design company to produce work that actually meets the criteria I have fixed in your head, they need to know about you and your business. If they are cold enough to not care about the content, then there is a high possibility they will be cutting corners every chance they get.

Green Arrow The truth about traffic

Your next concern should be Traffic. Traffic is the air your Website breaths. Without Traffic, you will not get the visitors, and your Website will fail. Any Website designer that has the philosophy of "If you build it, they will come" is an extreme hazard. I feel it is important at this point to say that you have another dangerous pitfall to avoid. Please brace yourself, as this will hurt. "THERE IS NO CHEAP WAY TO MARKET YOUR WEBSITE". Your choice is either to pay someone to market your site, invest a huge amount of time learning and implementing your site marketing or join pay-per click Websites. All will cost you either time, money or both. However you choose to do it, it WILL be expensive. Another sign of a Website design shark is if they promise you Internet success on a low budget. Let me say it one more time ... "THERE IS NO CHEAP WAY TO MARKET YOUR WEBSITE", don't let them tell you different. They are lying.

Green Arrow Protect yourself

Your next concern should be your site security. Since you will be spending a fair bit of money, YOU MUST PROTECT YOURSELF. If you buy a really nice car, with all the latest gadgets and don't think about security, then you my friend, will be walking home. Remember that you must own your own Domain Name. This is like leasing car and spending a fortune increasing its performance. If you don't own the car, once you have finished working on it, the real owner can just take it back. Remember, you are marketing your Domain Name, not your site pages.

Ok, here's a point that I feel strongly about, but it's only a suggestion that you are dealing with a Website design shark. I have not, nor will I ever feel comfortable with my company designing and owning the servers that hold my client's pages. "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely". If you have a problem with the company that built your site, you might be in for a rough ride trying to change hosting companies. I've seen it happen, and it isn't pretty. Just be on your guard.

After sales support is very important, and you should make a point of asking about it before you allow any company to build your site. I'm not suggesting that they deliver more then is agreed, but if you have questions or a problem arises after your contract has expired, are they prepared to help you? Any company worth their salt will honor their responsibility to you.

Speaking of contracts, while it seems obvious to have a contract with your Website design company, there are many companies that stress "No Contract" as a selling point. This is NOT A SELLING POINT, it is a "we can rip you off, and get you sued" point!! You MUST have a contract. As I am sure you're all aware, anybody can write HTML. I would be surprised if you couldn't train a monkey to write it, so it is no assurance that the job will be done correctly. So get a contract. If they don't have one for you to look at there and then, PANIC. They will be gone next week along with your money. Once you have a contract, you must ensure that you are protected. Get the company to give you a standard copy of contract and take it away with you. Read through it and as you go, write in plain english what it is saying on another piece of paper. They can get tricky and you can forget important points if you don't follow this procedure. Here's what you're looking for:

All the work required by you is in writing and they agree to produce it all...

Upon completion and final payment, you own ALL materials pertaining to your Website.

They will not use copyrighted material in your site, and if they do, they are legally responsible, NOT you.

They and their employees will hold indefinitely, confidential information passed on to them during the work process, even after the contract has expired.

If in doubt, get legal advice.

Now you have your Website developer relationship off to the right start. Don't worry if they don't like you for calling them out. If you are going to part with money, you need to be sure they are concentrating. Drive them hard and you will get the results from your Website you want.

It's time to get down to the nitty gritty of setting up your Website. Before this point we are just shaking your Website designer down and focusing them on what you want. Now I want to run through some important factors you need to make sure of.