Website design and development is a relatively new industry and is still growing rapidly in many directions. Unlike professions such as accounting, legal practices, and the medical field, there’s very little professional accreditation available for website designers and developers. Although a degree in computer science covers aspects of website development, its a far cry from the skills needed to effectively design and build an engaging website. This lack of credibility leads to clients getting burnt by less than forthright developers.

Many tools have sprung up to help enthusiasts construct websites with varying success. Working with ‘What You See is What You Get’ (WYSIWYG) tools have empowered the nontechnical to construct relatively robust websites, but lacking a deep understanding of the underlying code can lead to big trouble.

This false sense of confidence as a website builder can lead individuals to offering their services to companies and more often not falling short in the execution. For a business needing an online presence, it’s imperative to have not only a user friendly website, but also one with no errors that can sour potential for new business.

What to Look for

If you’re in search for a website builder, taking some time to research the company’s actual developers and designers will go a long way in assuring the product you pay for matches your expectations. Don’t take a company’s website as any indication of their perceived experience and skills.  Credentials, past client testimonials, samples of their work should all be considered.

Establishing Milestones

When setting out on a new website project, it’s important to set expectations between yourself and the chosen developer. Make sure deadlines are clearly established and maintaining ongoing communication will help in achieving a quality product. If the website design company is hesitant to establish milestones, this is a signal that you should be looking elsewhere. Whenever a company is unable to clearly promise meeting a reasonable deadline, it could be an indication of their inexperience.

Follow Through

The more critical aspect in working with a website design company is their ability to follow through on their promises. Missing deadlines, poor communication, and broken agreements is all too common in this industry. Avoid them by investing time in researching the company and its people. It will go a long way to achieving your next brilliant website.