7 Questions You Must Ask in Order to Get a Great Website

10 Sep 7 Questions You Must Ask in Order to Get a Great Website

In the Internet Age, web marketing is one of the most important aspects of growing your business, and good web visibility starts with a great website. But how can you get that great website? It’s all about working with the right web development team. Here are seven questions that can help you separate the best from the rest when you’re vetting web developers:

1. How Much Advance Research Do You Do?
   The best website designs involve a healthy amount of research prior to anything actually being designed. That means finding out what your target demographic wants and then doing some competitive intelligence so you can out-perform other businesses offering those same services or products.
2. Will My Site Be Mobile Friendly?
   Having a mobile-friendly site is simply no longer optional. ComScore reports that mobile Internet usage actually surpassed desktop usage all the way back in June of 2014, and that trend is highly unlikely to reverse. So if any developer answers “no” to this question, it’s time to do an about-face.
3. Do You Design With SEO in Mind?
   Consumers conduct 12 billion web searches each and every month, and that’s just the figure for the United States. Some of those searches, of course, are directed at general information — 86% of consumers say they’ve learned something new or important by using a search engine — but many are looking for commercial services just like yours. You want to make sure those consumers can find you.
4. When Will I Get to See a Mockup or Draft?
   Some web designers will create mockups called “wireframes” so you can see roughly where things will go on your website. Other times, the designer will just build a draft of the website for you to review. You’ll want to be clear on the timeline for either.
5. What If I Don’t Like a Design Element?
   Before you sign a contract, you need to know how many edits you’re allowed to request and for how long after the site has been delivered.
6. How Will the Site Get Updated?
   Most websites these days have content management systems that allow you to update a website through a dashboard — no coding knowledge required. Still, you may find it’s better for your business to retain your developer (typically for a modest monthly fee) to make regular updates. You’ll probably be able to get a better price on those updates if you negotiate them into your original web development contract, so it’s worth thinking about in advance.
7. Do You Offer Conversion Testing?
   Even the best web designers learn by trial and error. If you’re not sure what, exactly, your prospective customers will like best, then your best option is split (also called A/B) testing. Essentially, you can ask your developer to build two versions of something — typically a landing page — and then closely monitor the analytics for both to determine which is advancing your business goals better.

Do you have any tips to share on getting a great website? Jump into the discussion in the comments.