If you are buying a product or service from someone you want to be able to understand what you are getting for your money. The same is true of a website. A website is a product and there are many technical terms that go along with its creation.
For example, Joe Bloggs Web Design Company proudly tell you that they are able to construct for you a website using HTML 5, CSS3, AJAX, JSON, PHP, using the latest SEO techniques, and that they create smooth navigation using jQuery. Wow! How impressive. There is just one small problem though; what on earth does all that mean?!
If you understood all those acronyms and technical terms then you probably don’t need a website built for you. You could probably build one yourself! The truth of the matter is that you do not need to know this information. What they should be telling you is what you will be getting for your money by using words that you can understand.
“We can provide you with a five page website that looks modern and can be found in search engines. We will add functionality to allow a visitor to do things like send a contact form or comment on a blog post.” This is a much more understandable way of telling you about the website you could have.
Technical jargon does not necessarily prove that a company can provide you with a good product or that they are competent in their skills. In fact, quite often it means exactly the opposite – somewhat like being blinded with science! A good web design company will be able to relate to their clients in an approachable and clear way especially as some customers will not be technically savvy. When looking for a potential web designer visit their website and look for testimonials from their customers to see what they say about the company. Is the web design company helpful? Do their customers understand what they are getting and are they happy with their products? Were they prompt when replying to questions?
If there are no testimonials on their website, feel free to ask why not. You could ask the company to provide you with details of some previous customers that you might be able to contact to ask for a testimonial. Of course, whilst looking for a web designer you will hear recommendations from friends and family about a web design business, but ask them if they are happy with the customer service and if they understood what they were being told when they were dealing with the company. It’s also important to do your own research into the recommended web designers as what suits one person may not suit another.
Finally, if you don’t understand what you are being told by a web design business, ask them to explain what they mean. A good web designer will be able to do that with no trouble at all. If they still can’t help you to understand, you would have to ask yourself how a future working relationship might be with them, especially if you need help after the website has been finished and made live.
This is part four of a twenty four part series of tips provided by cannedSunlight Web Design Costa Blanca to celebrate the run up to Christmas. You can view the other tips here: Tip 1, Tip 2, Tip 3. Come back tomorrow for further tips and advice on how to get a great website that works for you or your business.
