If you want your business idea to succeed online it’s no secret picking the right web developers and the right web design company for your project is crucial. The tricky part is deciding what sort of company is going to suit you, are you looking for a big company with plenty of staff who can churn out a quick job or are you looking for a small agency where you will work one on one with a dedicated project manager?
Picking the right web developer should actually be defined by your requirements firstly and once you have a shortlist comparing quotes will then be much easier as you will have selected comparable web design companies.
What are the factors to consider for selecting a web developer?
Firstly think long term. This is one of the most important elements when deciding which web developer you are going to choose. There is nothing worse than going through the process of picking a web design company, having a custom website developed only to realise when you go to add more functionality your site can’t be customised and you are told you have to start over with a new more expensive website. Think about the long term, whilst you might not be able to afford to develop the site with all of your dream functionality right now, your business will grow and your customers will expect more automated systems from your website so when you are looking for the right developer the CMS – Content Management System they will set your site up should be a major consideration. At Neubreed we have chosen to use the Drupal CMS as it allows us to pretty much develop any functionality into your website at any stage. This means starting with a business website that can migrate into a custom database driven application.
Do you need big or boutique? The next big consideration is what you need from your web developers/ web design company in terms of an ongoing relationship. There’s the big company/ agency. A large company will have a large amount of staff which means they can be quantity based, if you have an idea for a business website and you need it turned over quickly this can be a good option for you. The downside to these types of companies is that they can tend to turn over staff quickly and generally you have to deal with different staff members each time you call to discuss making changes to your site and you can find that you are always having to repeat the history you have with the company.
A boutique or small web design agency works in a different way. They will focus more on quality jobs and not the quantity model. You should generally find that you will have a dedicated project manager who looks after your account from start to finish and as your account manager each time you wish to make changes or amendments. They will also generally meet face to face as opposed to phone and email only which is generally how the bigger companies work.
Working out which option will work for you should really be based on the caliber of work that needs to be carried out on your project. For example at Neubreed we focus on custom projects, so the majority of our clients are local as they are looking for web developers in Sydney that can meet with them and discuss the project and return for another meeting at any stage of the life of the website. If you have a basic site and you just need something basic pushed out quickly a big agency may well suffice for you requirements. If you’re looking for a managed service a smaller boutique agency will more likely be the best fit.
Ongoing management and support. Again, dependent on your project and your requirements choosing the right web development team comes down to your ongoing needs too. If you are developing a basic website you are probably happy to have a website whereby you manage all of your own updates. If however, you have had a custom database driven website or custom application developed you will need a support management plan. Make sure you pick the web design company that can support you no matter your requirements.
Finally trust and a good connection. After all of the above is taken into consideration you must also make sure you feel like the web developers are enjoyable to interact with and that you feel you can trust them to develop your ideas into the finished product you envisaged. Establishing a strong long term relationship with your web developers is crucial to the successful growth of your website.
If you are researching web developers, give us a call on 1300 858 495 or contact us and submit a brief
Comments