Welcome to Miami Web Design Solutions.
Before you begin your search for a web designer:
- Make sure you have a clear understanding of what you want your web site to look like and how you want it to work
- Clearly document your goals. You need to be very clear about what you want your site to be, and what you want it to do.
- Who is your target market? Who is the intended audience of your site?
- Do you have a domain name reserved? Do you have a list of potential domain names?
- Search for competitor web sites and note what you like and don't like about them.
- Establish a budget for your project.
What to look for when selecting your web designer:
- Experience:
Select a designer who has at least 5 years experience in building and deploying web sites and Internet solutions. Look for someone who has experience managing the entire web development lifecycle (from conception to delivery). Make sure your designer is experienced in creating search engine friendly web sites and understands search engine optimization techniques.
- Portfolio:
Make sure you view at least 3 to 4 examples of the designers work and understand the extent of designer's involvement in each design. Look for a variety of styles from the designer. If a designer has mastered only one style of layout, this may not meet your specific needs. Make sure that your designer understands your vision and has the experience to deliver an appropriate solution. The designer should have a strong knowledge of html, site layout, Cascading Style Sheets "CSS", color, content, content management and graphics.
- Planning:
A good designer will provide a detailed proposal of services, or better yet, a written "System Requirements Specificaiton" (SRS) document prior to accepting any engagement. Never engage a designer without a clear, written set of requirements.
A professional designer will ask many questions about your needs prior to beginning an engagement. Be wary of any designer that is eager to start developing your site before these important questions are asked:- What is the site's overall purpose?
- Who is the intended audience?
- What are your expectations? Short term vs. long term
- What type of content is required? - Dynamic vs. Static
- What functionality is required? Desired?
- Pricing:
A professional web designer will not normally haggle on rates or overall cost for a specific solution. A true web design expert will be able to give you an accurate estimate of all costs to be incurred. It is not difficult to find designers who "seem" to be a good bargain. But, in the web design world, always beware. "You get what you pay for". Make sure you are paying for experience. Make sure you are NOT paying for someone to learn as they go. You'll end up paying twice!
- Relationships:
Look for a long term relationship. In order to ensure that your designer will be available for ongoing updates, it is often a good idea to agree on a monthly retainer that will allow you to request minor changes without having to go through a quote and approval process. Some designers are willing to reduce the initial design cost if the client is willing to enter into such an agreement. This allows the client to spread the design costs out over time.
- Development Milestones:
For larger projects, always make sure that there are clearly defined milestones for project delivery. Otherwise, make sure that a portion of payment is contingent upon successful completion and delivery of the project. Make sure that your designer will continuously test your web site design with all of the major Internet browsers.
- References:
If you have any doubts about the experience or integrity of the designer, do not hesitate to ask for (and follow up with) references. Make sure you ask if they were completely satisfied with the work done? Was the work completed in a timely fashion? Did the designer maintain an open line of communication throughout the entire process?
Other sites that offer guidance on selecting web designers: