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You may have heard stories about people who have hired web firms to design and develop their websites and either got a less than standard site design or the developer ran off with the money. There are also stories about people who recruited their nephew’s best friend’s boyfriend to design a site for free and the results were terrible, but the small business own didn’t feel comfortable criticising a job done for free. When hiring a web firm, it is your job to ask questions and make sure this web firm hast he right components and the experience before you give them your money. Here are some things to look for, both good and bad, when hiring a web firm. Look for a web firm that is actually a real business. This means you should avoid hiring family members, friends, or that one guy from the gym to design your site for you. A real web firm does not necessarily need a big office and overhead. You need to build a business relationship with the team that you hire so that you can feel comfortable negotiating price, providing honest feedback, and be straightforward if there is something you do not like about your website. Ask for references from your web firm. One with a real business will have real, substantial references to give you with real phone numbers that allow you to speak with real people who have used this web firm before. You should also look for a web firm that has their own website, and it should be a spectacular website. While you do not necessarily have to like their website, you do have to like their portfolio. If this web firm has never designed anything you like, you should not hire them. It does not matter how busy a web firm is working on other clients’ websites. If they do not have their own website, you should not hire them. A strong portfolio is the calling card for a design business. Most of the samples they have should still be live sites in the Internet. However, do not hold it against them if you come across a few that are not still live. Companies are going out of busy left and right these days, and some cannot afford to keep their websites online. Companies also often redesign their websites and may not use the same firm to redesign it. A successful design firm will give you a custom web design. They will not send you a site design that they bought from a template website, nor will they design you a site that looks like it came from a template website. All of their designs will be completely original. Templates are bad because you want your website to stand out distinctly from your competitor’s website. A template design cannot represent your brand if other companies around the world have the exact same template. Look for how much web firms are charging for a custom web design. Some companies out there will overcharge and those who try to undercut the competition. You need to find the pricing balance. Remember, you get what you pay for. Do not go too cheap, because you will get a terrible website in return. One of the most important things you should do is hire a web firm that speaks the same language you do. In other words, do not go looking overseas for a design firm just because they are cheaper over there. You need someone who can easily explain their processes to you in a way that you can understand. Customer service is very important in the web industry. You need someone who will return your phone calls and emails promptly to answer your questions.
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