50 Crucial Questions to Ask Your Web Developer

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50 Crucial Questions to Ask Your Web Developer
Designing a website is a massive task that can
feel overwhelming if you have never done it
before. A simple Google search will reveal a
variety of companies claiming to design and
construct websites that will drive traffic and
produce leads, but how can you say with
certainty that they genuinely do? Whether your
firm wants to create a new website from scratch
or redesign an existing one, the web designing
company you choose will be important to the
success of your website. This is why, during
your selection process, it is critical to ask the
correct questions to your potential
agencies. Read Artificial Intelligence
Effective Guide for Web Developers and
Designers Examine your prospects carefully and
thoroughly to find a web designing company that
you can confidently refer to as a partner.
Throughout this process, youll need to ask the
right questions to ensure that the web company
corresponds with your firms aims and future
ambitions.
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• To help you with your search, weve developed a
  list of crucial questions to ask web design
  companies.
• Have you ever worked on projects with similar
  objectives to mine?
• To produce a website you desire, your developer
  needs to understand your vision. You must ensure
  that they comprehend what youre looking for and
  that your developer has worked on similar
  projects or has enough experience to continue
  with this one. A newbie may take up time as the
  process will take a lot of research and planning.
• How do you go about conducting research?
• A successful website necessitates extensive
  research into your company and industry before
  the development of your websites concept design.
  You want customers to visit your website and
  comprehend your brands image, mission, and
  ambitions. Going above and beyond to work on
  your site is critical to creating a website that
  correctly portrays you. Hence, you must find a
  web designer who believes in extensive research
  before starting the project.
• How long does it take to execute one web
  development project from scratch?
• Developers take varied lengths of time to finish
  their tasks but, you need to be sure their
  schedule and availability match yours. You want
  to get the most value for money, so you need to
  check if staying on the same schedule can help
  you do just that. When working with deadlines,
  be sure your developer is able to provide you
  with the site just on time.
• What are the services offered?
• Different developers provide a variety of plans
  and services. It is your responsibility to
  determine which package is best suited to your
  company. You need to make a list of services you
  expect from your developer and then go on a hunt
  to find your developer. If they do not provide
  you with the features you find necessary, then
  time to find a new one.
• What is your SEO strategy?
• Your developer should use keyword research and
  other optimization tactics to increase your
  companys lead generation and engagement. The
  entire purpose of your website is to serve as a
  hub for visitors to explore, gain interest, and
  convert.

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• Can I reach out to your references?
• Talking to their previous customers will help you
  to choose the better developer. They will give
  you the most honest and unbiased perspective
  about how the developer will work and benefit
  you.
• What steps does your organization take to ensure
  the security of the website?
• For most businesses, security and maintenance are
  key components in the operation and success of a
  website. To avoid managing the process
  internally, some people choose to have their
  website hosted by a web firm. It is critical for
  your organization to thoroughly grasp the
  security procedures that will be implemented to
  avoid attacks. Along with web designing, your
  web agency should provide plans for website
  backups and CMS and plugin maintenance to ensure
  continued performance.
• Will we be able to track the progress of the
  website?
• During each stage of project development, a
  professional web designer will send progress
  reports that can be viewed. They will also urge
  you to provide feedback or make suggestions by
  maintaining an open-door policy to promote
  complete transparency and communication.
• How many design modifications are you willing to
  allow?
• As a customer, you want to be pleased with the
  end result, and your web designer should be able
  to provide it. Its critical to understand how
  many modifications you can make throughout the
  approval process. You should also ask if you will
  be charged extra for further alterations.
• Will our current website face downtime while we
  build our new one?
• Inquire whether your present website will be
  unavailable at any point in time during the
  process. A seamless transition is critical to
  your customers experience. With the development
  of your new site being underway, you need to know
  if your current website will face any problems.
• Are high-quality assurance testing performed?
• For your site to be a success, you need to give
  your customers a great first impression. Website
  functionality testing ensures that your users
  enjoy a trouble-free surfing experience.

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• What type of content management system(s) do you
  employ?
• A content management system (CMS) allows easy
  management of website content. The most
  efficient CMS allows you to make changes to your
  website yourself. Ask your prospective web
  developer whether they utilize an open-source CMS
  (such as WordPress or Drupal) or their own
  customized CMS.
• A custom (or proprietary) CMS may not enable
  access to source code, limiting your ability to
  contribute content or custom metadata.
• Consider asking these additional questions if
  youre speaking with a web developer that uses a
  proprietary CMS
• Is it compatible with e-commerce? Which browsers
  are supported?
• Is it possible for me to make updates on my own?
  Will I be able to use all of its features?
• Will I be the sole owner of the website after its
  launch?
• It is necessary to determine if the domain name
  will be registered on your name or whether the
  web developer will require website hosting on
  their servers. Again, bear this in mind if your
  web design firm uses a proprietary CMS. Youll
  also want to know if your company will be
  required to sign an ongoing contract to keep your
  site up and running, or if they intend to supply
  the finished site after the launch date.
• Will you incorporate social media into the design
  of my website?
• Linking social networking sites to your website
  is now considered perfectly acceptable in web
  design. Determine whether the site designer will
  perform this and how much it will cost. Inquire
  about social media marketing strategies, such as
  setup and management, blogger outreach, and
  monitoring. Some web design firms go a step
  further and provide social media integration
  services to assist you in generating more leads
  and converting them into sales.
• Do you provide web hosting services?
• Web development or designing companies frequently
  provide web hosting plans as part of their
  services. Inquire whether their hosting package
  contains a unique IP address, how much bandwidth
  you will get, what kind of technical assistance
  will be provided, and how much uptime is
  guaranteed. The type of hosting you choose will
  have a significant impact on your sites uptime
  and speed.

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• Do you offer domain registration?
• Before any website goes live, it needs a unique
  name. Inquire whether the company will check to
  see whether the name you want for your website is
  available, if they will register it for you, how
  long the domain name registration is valid for,
  and how much it will cost to conduct this
  service.
• Are e-commerce services offered by you?
• A sophisticated web developer provides E-commerce
  services in order to execute online sales.
  Inquire particularly about their experience with
  e-commerce systems and features such as shopping
  carts, inventory control, and customer engagement
  when requesting their services.
• 18. Is A/B testing something you do?
• A/B testing occurs when two or more variants of a
  page are given to users at random to test their
  performance and discover which variant converts
  better.
• It allows you to compare design layouts and
  uncover better keyword, headline, and ad copy
  combinations.

19. Do you incorporate search engine optimization
into your
websites? Almost all websites should now be coded
with SEO in mind. A new website might introduce
a wide range of technological challenges. If
youre having a new website built, its a good
idea to have a third-party SEO agency perform an
SEO audit prior to the launch to ensure there
are no severe concerns.

• Are the websites optimized for mobile and SEO?
• Over half the traffic on a website comes from
  mobile devices. You need to inquire about the
  experience of their SEO staff and whether or not
  they are certified. Then, as a surprise, ask the
  agency even more comprehensive questions about
  their SEO techniques. How fast do you want your
  page to load? How much consideration goes into
  your title tags and descriptions? Is it possible
  to access your websites from a mobile device?
• Do you work with custom or pre-made websites?
• Based on the extent of your demands and goals,
  web design businesses may offer both custom and
  template websites, but youll want to understand
  the difference between the two before making
  your decision. While a template website is a
  low-cost choice, it may harm your organization
  in the long term.

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• A custom website is developed specifically for
  your companys needs and avoids needless
  back-end programming. It creates a strong online
  presence for your company that is unique to it.
• What are the assets we need to provide?
• Try to collect your companys branding assets,
  such as logo files, brand guidelines, typefaces,
  and colors. The next step is to decide who will
  be in charge of gathering images and authoring
  your websites content. Your site partner will
  usually supply you with graphics and content
  limitations, such as word count limits and file
  types and sizes, but dont underestimate the
  time commitment.
• How much do you charge for a project of this
  scale?
• Every developers fees vary do your homework to
  determine the budget you want to set and the
  amount youre willing to pay. Dont go with the
  cheapest developer you can find. Spending more
  on a project well done is preferable to cutting
  corners and paying more later to compensate for
  inferior work.
• Do you offer training after the website goes
  live?
• Its a good idea to ask your developer if there
  is any training they can provide to your team.
  Timely updating the knowledge of your teammates
  is though necessary.
• Do you provide post-launch analytics?
• Your collaboration with your web solutions
  company should not end with the launch of your
  website. The agency you choose should provide
  service offers as well as an in-depth
  understanding of measuring the success of your
  website.
• What will happen to the ongoing CMS maintenance?
• Even if you arent seeking the most cutting-edge
  features right now, bear in mind that you still
  need to make your site secure. The majority of
  website hacks occur on sites that are not
  updated. Inquire about what your web developer
  will do to keep your CMS up to date. Monthly
  updates ensure that your website is safe and
  bug-free, as well as that you have the most
  recent features, improved compatibility, and a
  seamless browsing experience for your users.

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• Can you show a portfolio of websites developed by
  your company?
• Do a little detective work and examine a web
  developers portfolio. Doing this might give you
  valuable insight into their design models. After
  completing this process, you can be sure of the
  company.
• What if I dont like the original design?
• The design phase agreements include either an
  unlimited number of changes or a set number of
  revisions. Others have several sign-offs on
  proposed colors, design layout, photos, and type
  fonts, so you can see how the final design will
  look. It is critical to go over the process and
  policy for revisions with the design firm.
• Will my website be designed to grow with my
  company?
• It is necessary that your website is designed
  with capacity for expansion, especially if your
  company plans to offer additional products or
  services in the future. You can inquire about
  the design scalability and how much is the scope
  for increase without having to pay extra.
• Can you design a logo for my website?
• Most website designers can build a logo for your
  company either as part of the first project
  quote or for a charge. Inquire about the firms
  experience in this field and examine previous
  logos it has made, giving special attention to
  graphic attractiveness, how well the design
  suits the emphasis of the business, and how well
  the logo promotes brand identity.
• Will you be able to provide my established brand,
  a consistent website look?
• If your company has an existing brand, be sure
  the website development agency that creates your
  new website has experience preserving brand
  consistency. Ask them how they approach such
  projects and what steps they will take to ensure
  that the site design is consistent with your
  present marketing goals.
• Which web standards and practices do you adhere
  to?
• A web design and development company should be up
  to date on all design trends and web development
  standards so that your website operates on all
  operating systems and browsers. Inquire whether
  the web design firm is up to date on the W3Cs
  CSS and HTML standards. Inquire if it performs
  code validation to guarantee site coding complies
  with W3C standards.

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• What kind of IP address will be assigned to my
  website?
• If the web design firm is arranging this for you,
  inquire whether you will be assigned a unique IP
  address rather than a static IP address. A unique
  IP address ranks higher in search engines and is
  not considered spam by major e-mail providers.
• Will you test the functionality of my website
  before it goes live?
• Web design firms frequently test new web design
  functionality before releasing it to the public.
  You should select whether this testing phase
  involves the functionality of forms, links,
  scripts, and other website features and checking
  for syntax mistakes, cross-browser
  compatibility, successfully uploaded files.
• Will I own the rights to the sites artwork?
• Some designers copyright their unique artwork.
  You must be aware of the firms policy and
  negotiate conditions in advance to ensure that
  you own all original artwork and information on
  your website. Be sure of the fact that you will
  be given the original graphic files.
• What methods will you employ to create cash for
  my website?
• The company you hire to create your website
  should be just as interested in producing cash
  as you are. As a result, they should provide a
  list of tried-and-true tactics that experts
  usually employ in site design.
• Will you be analyzing my current websites
  performance before making design decisions?
• If your present website design is performing
  well, you probably dont need to redesign it.
  Find a developer who honestly intends to review
  your current website performance and then makes
  changes to your site.
• What is your policy on developing websites for my
  competitors?
• I wouldnt completely dismiss someone if they
  built a website in the same industry last year,
  but having an ongoing relationship with that
  client could negatively impact the website.

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• How do you analyze my business, market and
  competitors?
• The planning of your website is critical to its
  success. This necessitates researching your
  sector and conducting a preliminary market
  analysis before developing the overall
  functionality, content layout, aspects, delivery,
  and other website elements.
• Who will be responsible for the development of my
  website?
• Depending on the scale of the work you want to be
  done, some web designers may dedicate one person
  or a team of persons to your project.
  Understanding how your project will be managed
  requires knowing who will be working on which
  components of your project.
• What are the credentials of the people working on
  my project?
• When working with a web designer, you need to
  know whether or not they are the perfect fit for
  your websites needs. Dont hesitate in
  requesting samples of previous websites theyve
  created, talk about their experience in web
  design and development technologies, and ask for
  client references.
• How many pages will my website have?
• Once the material has been agreed upon, you will
  work out the details with the website design
  business. Search engines prefer websites with
  multiple pages of high-quality material, and
  most websites contain standard sections such as
  homepage, about, services, blog and contact us.
  You and your firm will then determine other pages
  based on your business like a resource center, a
  blog, case studies or testimonials, a photo
  gallery, products or services, etc.
• Will any of the work be outsourced?
• Some web designing companies outsource some part
  of the work to other companies as it allows them
  to provide a broader range of services at a lower
  cost. If they outsource, ask for the
  contractors credentials, and how your project
  collaboration will be handled by them.
• What services do you provide at this price?
• When you get a price quote, you should next ask
  for a list of what you are paying for. Request
  an itemized list of deliverables that are
  included in the pricing.

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• How do you charge for work that goes beyond the
  scope of the projects initial quote or
  agreed-upon deliverables?
• With the progress in your work, you will need
  additional services which may or may not be
  decided upon in the initial contract.
• Find out how billing works if you decide to add
  additional features or elements to your website
  after it has begun to be built.
• Will I be able to view my website statistics
  without having to contact you?
• Web design companies use a variety of analytics
  to track the performance of their websites. They
  should be willing to give you access to this
  interface. Inquire about acquiring a password so
  that you may access your website statistics
  online at any time.
• Can you work within our financial constraints?
• It may be tricky to have a large budget if you
  are a new firm. Even for pre-existing
  businesses, there are limits to how much money
  they are willing to spend on a specific
  activity. It is totally acceptable for you to
  provide an estimate to the web designer in
  advance rather than discovering it afterward.
• What is the extent of your abilities?
• Websites are the greatest asset a company
  possesses. You will need the services of
  marketing strategists, content strategists,
  copywriters, photographers, videographers, etc.
  Therefore, it is critical to pick a firm that
  offers the majority, if not all, of these
  competencies and can deliver them on an as-needed
  basis.
• Can I contribute written content to the website?
• You can yourself create material for your
  website. Giving your written content to an
  editor for evaluation and asking coworkers to
  criticize it is a great approach. The text on
  your website is so vital that you should engage a
  professional to do it correctly the first time.
• Is my website ADA-compliant?
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was
  enacted to make all public locations, including
  websites, accessible to people with disabilities.
  Enquire with your web

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designer about their accessibility testing
procedure. It is critical to optimize your
website in order to provide a positive user
experience to all visitors. One last
question Do you now have a deeper understanding
of the questions you should ask your potential
web designer before starting a new project with
him? To Conclude Your companys website is an
intangible asset that aids in the achievement of
all tangible results in the form of monetary
gains. The aims and vision of your company
should be reflected on your website. It is
critical to pick a web designer who knows your
vision, has sufficient experience, and can answer
all of the above-mentioned concerns.
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