Choosing a website design company in Shrewsbury
Selecting a web designer in Shrewsbury and over Shropshire can be a difficult decision, especially if you are not familiar with the intricacies of the internet, browsers, search engines, search engine placement optimization, web accessibility, web standards and other nuances of creating a successful web site. What is a "web designer/developer?" A "web developer/designer" usually has a much broader range of skills. A web developer/designer will handle every technical aspects of creating and maintaining a web site, including:
•Designing the graphic layout
•Designing the web site architecture and navigation
•Coding the XHTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
•Creating graphics and adding photos
•Creating links
•Testing for adherence to usability, accessibility, and web standards
• Programming web applications
•Creating databases
Providing tips for what to consider when choosing a web developer / designer:
Look for Specialisation
Many web developers / designers claim that they can do it all. The truth is that most web developers / designers are primarily either graphic designers or programmers. The fields of graphic design and programming are fairly specialized and it is uncommon to find people who are able to do both well. When looking for a web developer / designer, we suggest asking the professionals to designate who will be designing your web site and who will be doing any custom programming. If it is the same person doing both pieces, we advise paying even closer attention to their portfolio.
Look for a Strong Portfolio
The sites that a web developer designer has worked on are typically strong indications of the type of work that you can expect from them for your own web site. When reviewing a developer's / designer's portfolio, keep an eye out for aspects that you want incorporated into your own site. If you are looking for a bleeding edge design, then look for those types of designs in their portfolio. If on the other hand you are looking for complex programming, make sure you tell the developer / designer that you would like examples of those types of sites.
Expect a Focus on Marketing
In the early days of the Internet, simply having a web site was enough because not every company had one. Today however, a web site is an important aspect of marketing for small businesses. Make sure that your web developer will perform search engine optimization on your web site and that they will help you increase your rankings in search engines.
Think Long Term
There are several long term considerations that should be considered in your decision of which web developer / designer to use. Make sure that you understand how ongoing maintenance will be charged and at what point your initial project ends and the maintenance phase of your relationship begins. It is also important to make sure that if your web developer will register a domain on your behalf that they put it in your name or the name of your business. This ensures that you can gain complete control over your domain in the event that you need to make a change to your hosting without the assistance of your web developer. Additionally, make sure that you have a copy of your web site. We're always surprised at the number of people who spend many thousands of dollars on a web site but don't have a copy of it in their own hands.
Ben Stokes Marketing