QUESTIONS YOU MUST ASK BEFORE HIRING A WEB DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

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1 QUESTIONS YOU MUST ASK BEFORE HIRING A WEB DEVELOPMENT COMPANY BY CHANTELLE LITTLE TAC MARKETING

2 6 questions you must ask before hiring a web development company Choosing a website development company is a difficult and critical decision. The purpose of this report is to educate the non-web professional about some of the key terms, trends, and processes in web development. By better understanding what is involved, you will be more equipped to interview and hire a website development company that is the right fit for your business. Question #1: What relevant experience does your company have? Question #2: What is your process for designing and developing a website? Question #3: Will I be able to edit the content on my website? Question #4: Do you optimize websites so they are cross-browser compatible? Question #5: Do you develop websites using industry-standard coding languages? Question #6: Do you build mobile websites?

3 Question #1: What relevant experience does your company have?

4 Before hiring a website development company, ask to see their portfolio and to give you an overview of their experience. What type of experience are we talking about? Industry experience, design experience, and technical experience. Specifically ask them about the industry your business serves Do they have any previous experience in this particular industry? If so, what is their experience and how will it help them more successfully market your business online? Also ask about their design experience does their portfolio appeal to you? If you see a design you do not particularly like, you may even want to ask them about the design. You may find that they recommended something different for that particular client, but the client was set on something else. A company s portfolio is not always an accurate representation of their best design work, because at times color palettes, content, budget, and other client-dictated constraints may have limited them. On the other hand, it may be that the company s strength is simply not design. Finally, ask about their technical experience. A portfolio may consist of many aesthetically pleasing designs, but are these sites functional and technically sound. This is often harder to gauge than it is to gauge the quality of a design. If you make sure to ask questions 4-6, outlined later in this report, you will be able to get a good sense for a company s technical proficiency. Just make sure to do your due diligence before making a hiring decision, because there is so much more to an effective and efficient website than a nice looking design.

5 Question #2: What is your process for designing and developing a website?

6 A sequence of actions taken to achieve a desired end result Ultimately, this is the definition of process. In many cases, there are a variety of processes that could lead to the same (or at least similar) end result. However, not all processes are made to be equal. That is why you need to ask the web development companies you are interviewing to explain their process to you. As they explain their process, try answering the following questions: Are they listening to me? Does the company ask me lots of questions? Are they seeking to understand my business, my vision for the site, and my goals for designing the site? Are they involving me? How involved will I be in the process? What tasks (ie. content creation, pictures, etc.) will I be responsible for? At what points in the process will they get my feedback and/or approvals? In what ways will they keep me updated on the progress of the project? Are they educating me? First of all, is the website development company taking time to help me understand terms, processes, or fees I may not have a clear understanding of? Secondly, is the company planning to provide me with the direction and tools I need to successfully complete the tasks I am responsible for throughout the process (or am I left to figure it out on my own)? Are they empowering me? Will I be able to edit content on my own? Do they provide one-on-one training, workshops, or phone support to help me? Are they suggesting tools and resources that can help me in the long-term management of my website, social media, and other digital marketing mediums? Read the next section of this report for more on editing the content on your site. These key questions will help you determine the effectiveness of the process. Without listening, involving, educating, and empowering you throughout the process, you may end up with a website but it is unlikely the website will capture your vision, reflect your brand s personality, or help you achieve your online goals. Make sure that whatever website development company you hire, that you are confident when you sign on the dotted line that this company will engage you in the process so they can truly set you up for online success.

7 Question #3: Will I be able to edit the content on my website?

8 Getting your website built properly is only the beginning. When you are looking for a web development company you need to keep in mind that you will be working with this company on a long-term basis, not just for the duration of the initial development of the site. Ultimately, you are looking for a company that you will partner with and that will continue to provide support to you far beyond the launch of your website. This means that you need to feel confident that the web development company you select has your best interest in mind, and that they will be great people to partner with for the long-run. How does this relate to managing content? Well, there are usually three types of on-going relationships you can have with a web development company. Understanding what relationship you would have with the company post-launch is very important in order to ensure you select the right company. Here are the three types of on-going relationships you can have with a web development company: They can manage your content for you, by having you commit to a long-term content management contract (with a monthly fee). They can manage your content for you on an as needed basis, charging an hourly billable rate. They can provide you with a content management system that allows you to manage your own content, which inevitably reduces long-term costs. The primary problem with option 1 and 2 is that the speed and frequency of your content updates is now dependent solely on the efficiency of the website development company. Consider what would happen if suddenly your business phone number changed under option 1 and 2, you would be required to contact your website development company either by phone or and request that they make this change on your behalf. This sort of relationship with your website development company often leads to two major frustrations: (1) changes are not made as quickly as you need them done (in the example mentioned above, consider all the phone calls you might miss if the change is not made immediately!); and (2) you usually end up spending more money than you expect. Since we opened our doors in 2008, we have heard business owners share these pains with us over and over again.

9 Option 3, as outlined above, addresses these frustrations. A content management system empowers you to take charge of your online presence. Typically, you will receive a username and password to your website so you can change your phone number, names of team members, portfolio, and other critical information from the comfort of your own office or home. Today s most popular and effective content management systems do not require any software to be downloaded onto your computer; instead they simply require an Internet connection and a popular web browser such as Google Chrome or Firefox. With a content management system, you will be able to make changes to your site when you need to make them, and without additional fees. Keep in mind that no content management solution is perfect or allows you to change anything and everything on your website you will still need the support and technical expertise of the website development company that you select. Should you decide to add functionality to your website or make significant architectural changes, your website development company will be able to do this for you (they will likely quote you a range of hours to complete the work at their billable rate or a flat fee). So, when you are selecting a website development company to partner with, make sure you understand four things What is their billable rate? For functionality improvements or additional design work on the site, how will they quote and charge you? Will they build the site so it works seamlessly with a content management system? Are you satisfied with the content management system they are recommending? Do they provide one-on-one training or video training to show you how to use the content management system properly? Note: We have found that some of our larger clients are not interested in the use of a content management system or the cost savings that are associated with it. Instead, they want to have a team of efficient designers and developers that they can call or with changes, as they need to be made. There is nothing wrong with this arrangement and for many larger companies this makes more sense. Nevertheless, we do encourage you to inquire about a content management system if you do want to have control over the content on your website and are looking for ways to save money on an on-going basis.

10 Question #4: Do you optimize websites so they are cross-browser compatible?

11 What is a browser? A browser is a tool an Internet user utilizes to navigate through the World Wide Web (it's basically that bar you type a web address into). Don't get confused with services such as Google or Yahoo! - These are nothing more than sophisticated websites. Many people have no idea there are different browsers you can use to surf the web. If you are one of those people, you are definitely not alone. In fact most people do not even know which browser they are using; they just use the one that came with the computer. If you are using a windows based PC it's almost certain the browser that came with that computer is Microsoft\Internet Explorer (IE). So then, it's reasonable to assume that IE is the most widely used browser on the Internet as the majority of computer users are on a PC. Does this make IE the best? No, absolutely not! How many browsers are there? Safari (4.25%) Opera (2.21%) Internet Explorer (17.66%) Google Chrome (40.38%) Firefox (34.59%) To make matters even more confusing (and difficult for a web developer) there are multiple versions of each of these browsers, and websites will often behave differently on each version of the same browser. For instance, the latest working version of Internet Explorer is 9, but versions 8 and 7 are still alive and a trial version of IE10 is also available. That adds up to 4 versions of Internet Explorer alone.

12 What is Cross-browser Compatibility? Cross-browser compatibility is the term used to explain how a website looks and performs in different browsers on the web. Not all browsers are created equal Browsers are proprietary and therefore have there own way of rendering (displaying) a web page. For instance, Safari was created by Apple, Firefox by Mozilla, and Internet Explorer by Microsoft. Needless to say, each company believes they know what the web should look like so each one renders a little differently. The Good the Bad and the Ugly The good news is that the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an organization of web professionals, developers and staff that work together to create web standards. This initiative is to set out standard rules that will increase the likelihood that websites will render equally in all browsers. In the future (hopefully near) the life of a web developer will be a lot less stressful. All of the browsers listed above, with the exception of Internet Explorer, do a great job of following web standards and are at the forefront of initiating these standards.

13 The bad news is that Internet Explorer has, for the most part, been reluctant to follow any kind of web standard in its history. IE6 and IE7 have been nightmares for web developers, sometimes doubling the amount of time it takes to create a website, which results in higher development costs. Unfortunately, because 17.66% of users worldwide still use IE, web developers cannot ignore it. To give Microsoft a little credit, each new version is getting closer and closer to following web standards as per response from the web development community. The Development Process The best way to optimize a website for multiple browsers is to develop for one standard compliant browser (Firefox) first, and then test it in IE and other browsers. Testing will help the developer identify and fix any glitches in a particular browser, to ensure the website displays well in that browser. Does my site need to look the same in all browsers? NO. Usually people do not check or visit a website in a variety of browsers. People become comfortable with and loyal to their favorite browser. So, if there are minor differences from one browser to another that's okay. The important thing is that the functionality is the same in all browsers and that there is a high level of consistency on each browser. What does all this mean for you? The difference in browser rendering makes it more difficult for a web developer to build a website that looks the same in all browsers. Elements such as fonts, images and margins will look different in specific browsers and even in different versions of that same browser. This means that a web developer has to take time to develop for all browsers, which increases the cost of the development time. 12

14 Question #5: Do you develop websites using industry-standard coding languages?

15 This should be a skill that all web developers possess and it should be a service that is included in your website contract. In most cases a client won't even know that this happens behind the scenes, but it is in your best interest to make sure the website development company you hire will ensure your site is cross-browser compatible. Any web development company you hire should be coding websites using industry-standard coding languages HTML5 and CSS3 are two languages you should hear web development companies talk about. What is HTML? HTML is the language used for coding web pages and HTML elements are the basic building blocks for creating websites. HTML has nothing to do with the style (look) of the website; instead it is used to present the website content in a meaningful manner. More specifically, HTML basically tells a browser what should be displayed and what the content is (ie. a paragraph, quote, an image, etc.), but not how it should look; that is left to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). What is HTML5? HTML5 is the latest and the best in terms of a coding language that accomplishes what was described above. HTML5 is implementing great improvements to the mark-up to give more meaning to its content, making the sites much more meaningful to browsers. This improved mark-up also makes websites more accessible to Internet users with disabilities, because it supports screen readers and other tools. 14

16 What is CSS? CSS is an acronym for Cascading Style Sheet. CSS is also the term used for the language/script that is used to give style to a webpage. For instance, if you want your text to be red you would declare that in the CSS. What is CSS3? CSS3 has many new features that help your web developer style your pages in new and interesting ways - including basic animations. HTML5 now? Yes, HTML5 can and should be used now as it will "futurize" your website. With new HTML5 standards come new rules that will help standardize the web for many years to come. This means that the design of your website might get outdated, but the functionality will be strong for a very long time. So, by ensuring you hire a web development company that will code your site in HTML5, you are ensuring the functionality of your website will be strong for a longer period of time (which will keep re-development costs down in the longrun). If a mobile website is part of your online strategy (which it should be), HTML5 should be used to develop your mobile website. All current mobile browsers support HTML5 and CSS3 (with the exception of Windows phones). HTML5 has led to significant functionality improvements that are specific to users of mobile devices. For instance, HTML5 can tell your iphone that you are to enter an address in a form box, and the iphone will add key to your keyboard (which enhances the user experience).

17 Question #6: Do you build mobile websites?

18 What does this mean for a Web client? When you are interviewing website development companies, your developer should automatically develop the site in HTML5 or at least present you with the option. The benefit of using HTML5 is that your site: Will be futurized so you may not have to rebuild it as soon Will be more accessible to disabled users Will have more significant/advanced functionality on your mobile website than achievable when using a previous version of HTML It would be best if your web developer used CSS3 when developing your site, but it is not as important as it is to use HTML5. Using CSS3 will allow users to enjoy the full potential of today s World Wide Web. A mobile website refers to the websites users visit from their mobile devices. The Mobile Web Trend One of the biggest (if not the biggest) trends in web development right now is developing websites for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Currently there are over 5 billion mobile subscribers in the world and this popularity makes it the largest media channel by far. Mobile Internet use has increased by 2000% in the last 2 years and now holds 4% of all retail sales. In a study done by Morgan Stanley, they predict that mobile Internet use will surpass desktop Internet use by the year Mobile Development Considerations When developing for a mobile device, the developer has to consider some of the issues that come along with mobile website development. Some of these issues include: the small size of the screen, the number of devices out there, the slower processor speed, the fact that people use their thumbs or fingers to navigate, and much more. A mobile website can be developed as a separate site or an alteration of a current site. For the best user experience, it is better to have only one site that the user visits, and if on a mobile device, the browser will detect the screen size and automatically modify the site to be a mobile friendly version of that same website.

19 The Boring Stuff Your developer will most likely code your desktop website in HTML5 and CSS3 (as mentioned above) and by using this modern technology your developer can tell the browser if this site is viewed on a smartphone make it look and act like this and if it is viewed on a tablet make it look and act like that. It s a little more complicated than that, but that s about all you really need to know. Do I need my site developed for mobile? You should definitely have your website optimized for mobile users. This will ensure your web marketing is more future-proof. The initial cost and time invested will be more, but it is well worth the investment given current mobile trends. By optimizing for mobile, you are giving yourself an advantage over many of your competitors. The mobile web is here to stay and will be the preferred method of browsing the Internet before we know it by optimizing today you can get ahead of the crowd and prepare better for the future. As you ponder mobile optimization, consider the following quotes: Businesses of all sizes need to prepare for the change in how people will access content by embracing the mobile Web. Small business owners must engage their growing mobile audience as large brands have. Sources: Mashable, 2010, New Study Shows the Mobile Web Will Rule by 2015, Jolie O Dell W3Schools, 2012, Browser Statistics and Trends dotmobi, 2010, 2010 study of mobile Web trends shows continued explosion of mobile-friendly content

20 Let s Recap Hiring a website development company can be a daunting decision when you aren t sure what to look for or what questions to ask. We hope that the 6 questions discussed in this report will help you make the best decision for your business. Here they are one more time Question #1: What relevant experience does your company have? Question #2: What is your process for designing and developing a website? Question #3: Will I be able to edit the content on my website? Question #4: Do you optimize websites so they are cross-browser compatible? Question #5: Do you develop websites using industry-standard coding languages? Question #6: Do you build mobile websites? If you found this E-Book to be helpful, please share it by clicking here.

21 About TAC Marketing Our History: Since its start in July of 2008, TAC Marketing has helped many businesses get online or improve their online presence. We have had the privilege of working with businesses from over twenty different industries, all of which are located in three Canadian provinces and two U.S. states. Although we offer a variety of marketing and design services, our specialty is creating exceptional user experiences online. This includes designing and developing aesthetically pleasing and extremely functional websites for desktop, tablet, and mobile use. In January of 2012 our office moved to the trendy business district of Marda Loop, located just outside downtown Calgary. Our new office has given us the creative space we need to better engage with and service our growing client base. Our Team: The strength of our team lies in the various skill sets we bring together for each and every project. Our team consists of talented designers, technically proficient developers, and business and marketing strategists. Our clients often pinpoint the diverse skill sets and strengths of our team as being one of our most significant points of differentiation, and one of the reasons they feel they get great value for their investment. Our Aim: Our aim is to see your business reach its maximum potential. With this in mind, we strive to help build a better future for our clients, and this common goal is what motivates our team day-in and day-out. Our Values: Our values dictate everything we do, and that is why they are integrated into our company name. TENACIOUS AUTHENTIC CREATIVE highly retentive; always committed to excellence true to our values; undisputed credibility; doing things right consistently generating new ideas or concepts; innovative

22 To learn more about TAC Marketing visit our website at tacmarketingonline.com or give us a call Copyright 2013, TAC Marketing