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 With the technologies available today someone with limited skills can purchase a ready made template and offer their services as a professional web developer. We often see brochure designs converted to web page using out of the box slice up software. This may work for some but it will never deliver a web site built to professional standards.
What are Professional Standards?
Recognize multiple web browser versions:
Some will develop websites for Explorer only. Make sure everyone in your audience can receive your message no matter which browser ( Netscape, Firefox, etc) they use. Sites designed at a professional level are not browser limited.
Monitor Resolution:
Todays computers can display web pages at many screen resolutions. Your site may need to display on anything from a wide screen laptop to an older computer set to 800 x 600 resolution. Many of todays web sites are designed to accommodate the 800 x 600 size, leaving much wasted space when displayed on higher resolution monitors. Coding the web site content to accommodate all potential resolutions is standard procedure when produced at a professional level. Click here to see examples.
Loading speed:
This is often the measure of a good web developer. Building a web site to load quickly using a dial up service requires skills that are only available through years of experiance.
 Plug-ins:
Flash deployed at a professional level will automatically detect if the necessary plug-in is in place and serve an alternate page if needed. This should all be transparent to the user.
Your client should never be required to determine if they have the correct plug-in.
Most web sites require ongoing maintenance and updates, so you will likely have a long-term relationship with the people who create your site. For this reason, it’s important to make sure you have confidence in their ability to provide this level of service. Here are some things to consider when selecting your web developer:
Examples of previous work (with references)
Look through their portfolio and click through some of the sites they’ve developed. While doinurself a few questions:
- Does the site’s design reflect the business or organization it represents?
- Does the site do what it is supposed to do?
- Do the pages load quickly?
- Can you find your way around the site easily?
- Can the site be found with search engines?
Experience & Qualifications
Find out how long they’ve been in the industry, how much experience they have, and how many sites they’ve developed.
Technical Expertise
Check/confirm they can provide
- Graphic design
- Programming
- Site optimization
- Quick load time, usability, and browser compatibility
- Multimedia development
- Application development
- Testimonials & References
- Staffing depth
Make sure they are willing to provide testimonials or references from past clients.
Customer Service
Find out if they will be willing to offer support before, during, and after your project. Make sure they answer your questions and return your phone calls and emails promptly.
Communication
Your web developer should be easy to reach and easy to work with. They should be able to help you understand web technology and terminology.
Price
Avoid the temptation to automatically choose the developer with the lowest price. In the long run, good value is more important than price.
On many occasions we have been called in to help customers deal with their bargain web site.
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