Simple Tips For Choosing A Website Designer For Your E-Commerce Website

Are you trying to choose a website designer? You need to ask yourself what goals you want to achieve and how much you want to pay in addition to other factors. According to thunderdata.com, these are ten questions you should ask web designers when you are shopping:

1. Businesses are often judged based on the aesthetics of their website design. Ask your potential web designer to show you their web design portfolio to get an idea for creative ability. Make sure they understand shopping cart systems and have e-commerce experience.

2. Does the developer use pre-fabricated website templates? If so, another company may have your website design. Ensure your developer has an in-house artist capable of creating unique designs without using templates, or at least have the ability to modify the templates to give you a unique look and feel.

3. Ask your potential designer if websites are created with easy-to-use and built-in-software that allow for self-editing. A good website is regularly maintained, and frequent edits by a hired developer can be very costly. Your e-commerce back office and shopping cart manager is very important. You also want to be able to import and export products via data files.

4. You will need continuous website development to compete in today’s business world, and taking advantage of new techniques, customer-friendly enhancements, and functional data processing on the web means you need a company capable of handling the web programming needed to take you to the next level. Ask a development firm if in-house programmers are on staff so the firm can keep up with new developments and not remain stagnant.

5. What is the base price? Make sure you get examples and find out what additional features are available and for what price. Of course you will want to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best price for everything you want. A lot of companies charge for base services and add-ons cost extra. Be sure you understand what you are getting and provide your web designer with your list of requirements. Make sure the agreed requirements make it into the contract.

6. The web is full of linear website layouts using stock photography. They may have a professional appearance, but they tend towards a look seen all the time. Customers will make quick judgements on the aesthetics of your website. If you want a website with a great look that represents your company, ask to see website samples that utilize 100% width designs, custom created graphics, and complex layouts such as multi-column configurations.

7. Your website should have functional elements that get your visitors to take action. For example, you can use discreet Flash banners to catch your visitor’s eye and direct them to special offers. Ask your website designer about creative ideas they can employ to engage your audience and keep them interested. You want customers to take action while they visit and to come back. But at the same time, limit the use of flash and other interactive scripting as it does not get seen by search engines.

8. A plain website may be able to be enhanced using Flash animation. Internet Explorer, Firefox, and other browsers usually have the Flash plug-in installed. If you are happy with your existing design, ask your developer to suggest Flash elements that will enhance your site. (Again, limit the use of Flash. I do not necessarily agree with this one).

9. In order for a website to be available on the Internet, it must be “hosted” on a server or computer that is connected to the Internet. Most website developers offer hosting, yet even hosting services vary. Just think about losing your website’s data. This could bring your company down. Make sure you have a managed backup plan to keep website contents safe in the case of a server crash. Learn about your developer’s hosting service, and get their backup plan in writing. Also make sure they are financially sound. The last think you want is your hosting company going out of business, leaving your business dead in the water. (I never host with the design company as it makes it easier to change designers later)

10. Ask your website developer what kind of statistics tracking tools they offer with a completed site. To get a handle on your website traffic, it is important to know if your website is being “indexed” or tracked by search engines such as Google or Yahoo. A general upward trend in visitor numbers provides a measure of success. Knowing if your page is book marked or saved as a favorite measures the success of your content.
(I agree but it is so easy to incorporate Google Analytics, and even most 3rd party analytics programs yourself, that you should not pay for this as an extra.)

Keep in mind that these are generalities and that you should always define what it is you want and shop around. Avoid fancy flash screens, and keep your site as text based, and make sure they use CSS style sheets. Additionally, make sure they certify that their sites will be W3C compliant. This is a code standard that ensures quality. Just because a site looks ok in the browser, does not mean there aren’t errors in the code. Just because you can’t see them, does not mean that the GoogleBot can’t.