The 10 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Web Site Company For Your Business

1) Can the company provide every thing necessary to get the web site on line and working or will you have to find other companies to take care of parts of the solution such as, domain registration, search engine optimization, updates, and hosting?

2) Will the site be done professionally with attention to detail? Ask to see working examples, not just screen shots, and see if their sites are legible, easy to navigate, load quickly, and are aesthetically pleasing to look at. Also check for spelling errors, consistency of style from page to page and clear presentation of the content.

3) What is the process for approval of the work and what happens if you are unhappy with the design created for you?

4) Will the site function correctly, be viewable by all standard computer monitors, have no broken links or images, and display properly with the all of the most commonly used browser versions? What if anything is done to ensure this on an ongoing basis?

5) Will the site be optimised for search engines during set up as part of the service? If not is this service available at extra cost? What if anything will be done on an ongoing basis to ensure continued optimal search engine placement?

6) How much is the initial set up and design going to cost? Will it be quoted in writing in advance of any work being done? Or is there a clear written pricing policy that you can apply and understand?

7) When adding new content or changing content will it be done on a live site, where all mistakes will be visible to the public, or do they have test servers where all work is done and approved before being made public?

8) What are the ongoing costs of running the web site and what is included in the service? Check that it includes: hosting, domain name renewals, email services, hit statistics reporting, link checking, and updating services. How much do routine updates cost? By the hour or flat rate? How fast will the updates be done?

9) Do they have happy customers who will vouch for them and that you can get in contact with?

10) Is any technical knowledge required of you? What must you provide to the company in terms of content, pictures, logos, files. Will the company be able to provide stock photography, and are they willing to write content?

Well Ok, technically there are more than 10 questions here but in order to understand what you are really getting and not have a nasty surprise or a bad experience you really need to understand that there is a lot involved in getting and keeping a web site for your business. If you are not computer savvy it is even more important to know what you are getting yourself into. You do not need to learn all there is to know about web design and web site management but you do need to find out what parts of the service are being offered by the company you hire. The less you know the more parts you should be getting from the same company, and the more important it is to hire a company you can trust.