You've decided to create a website for your business or organization. You have your list of questions but keep wondering about what else you should be asking. We all know that is important to ask your potential web developer detailed questions about technical abilities but what should you ask beyond that?
Put all aspects of a web developer under a magnifying glass and find the right one for you. Here are 4 questions to ask a potential web developer that don't deal with the technology aspect of your project:
How many employees do you have? Whether you are dealing with a 1 man company or one with hundreds you likely have an idea going into initial meetings but it is wise to get a better idea. You want to make sure they have enough time/personnel to handle your project but not too many that contact with those you are working with becomes difficult. Likewise, too many people involved means a higher chance of miscommunication.
Is all the work and customer support done in your local office? We know the horror stories of dealing with overseas help. Even if all the people who would be working on your site are located in the same country if they are in different offices that can create additional roadblocks and miscommunication during and after website creation. Make no mistake, if a web developer reaches for outside help it can make your site better but beware of the pitfalls.
Do we have access to what we need if you go out of business? In all the excitement of creating a new site one could easily forget about contingency plans. It is important to confirm with a potential web developer who actually owns the site, logo, graphics, and so on. There have been plenty of occasions where a seemingly good and honest web developer suddenly goes out of business. A developer with a high end office can just as easily disappear as a guy working out of his parents basement. Do you have access to all the files and records you need to keep going?
How is business? Of course, you can expect to hear that things are going well and have them put a good spin on their business situation even if things aren't going well. However, use this to inquire about some recent business and perhaps some references. Once you dig a little deeper it will work to your advantage to ask how their business is doing and it can save you a headache later on if it turns out things aren't doing so well.
Of course, there are countless other questions you could ask. What are some other ones? What is the most important non-technical question you would ask your web developer? Comment and help us grow our list of questions.
Put all aspects of a web developer under a magnifying glass and find the right one for you. Here are 4 questions to ask a potential web developer that don't deal with the technology aspect of your project:
How many employees do you have? Whether you are dealing with a 1 man company or one with hundreds you likely have an idea going into initial meetings but it is wise to get a better idea. You want to make sure they have enough time/personnel to handle your project but not too many that contact with those you are working with becomes difficult. Likewise, too many people involved means a higher chance of miscommunication.
Is all the work and customer support done in your local office? We know the horror stories of dealing with overseas help. Even if all the people who would be working on your site are located in the same country if they are in different offices that can create additional roadblocks and miscommunication during and after website creation. Make no mistake, if a web developer reaches for outside help it can make your site better but beware of the pitfalls.
Do we have access to what we need if you go out of business? In all the excitement of creating a new site one could easily forget about contingency plans. It is important to confirm with a potential web developer who actually owns the site, logo, graphics, and so on. There have been plenty of occasions where a seemingly good and honest web developer suddenly goes out of business. A developer with a high end office can just as easily disappear as a guy working out of his parents basement. Do you have access to all the files and records you need to keep going?
How is business? Of course, you can expect to hear that things are going well and have them put a good spin on their business situation even if things aren't going well. However, use this to inquire about some recent business and perhaps some references. Once you dig a little deeper it will work to your advantage to ask how their business is doing and it can save you a headache later on if it turns out things aren't doing so well.
Of course, there are countless other questions you could ask. What are some other ones? What is the most important non-technical question you would ask your web developer? Comment and help us grow our list of questions.
