Whether you’re transferring your site to a new developer or building a new site from scratch, there are a few key things you need to ask before you make your decision. Regardless of who you choose, these are some things you should know to help you make the best decision.
Ask about contracts
I know that some developers require long contracts that you’re locked into – some go as long as three years. With technology and business moving as fast as it does, things are bound to change in much less than three years. Just make sure you read all of the fine print and know exactly what commitment you’re agreeing to before you sign. If you’re not comfortable with it, ask them to change it or remove it. Their willingness to work with you on that will also be a good indicator of how well they’ll work with you on future requests as well.
Ask about ownership
Your website will be a living, breathing part of your organization and you’ll want to have a great relationship with your web development team. But what if you choose a web provider and things don’t go so great? If you were to ever move the site for whatever reason, you need to be able to own your site – the content, photos, database tools, admin tools – all of it. Otherwise, it will be completely static and unusable when you try to move it somewhere else. The chances that you would have to move are small, but you just never know. Do you want to take that kind of a risk?
Ask about maintenance
Depending on what changes you foresee to your site as it grows, some developers will have a minimum hourly charge for any updates that they make to your site and it can be hefty. If they charge you one hour every time you request a change (that in actuality only takes them 10 minutes), your bill is going to add up quickly. Plus, do you really want to have to worry about every little change and how much it costs? Check to see if your developer offers another option for website maintenance.
Ask about marketing
Once you have the website built, you’re done, right? Um…no. If no one can find your site or if no one knows about it, what good is it? Find out if your web provider will help you market the site so that you can get the most bang for your buck.
What’s the Fifth?
In your experience, what other things should people know before they choose a web provider? Let us know! Comment below…