How To Maximize Your Web Design Dollar
By Out of Web Site!
Professional Web Design
Seattle Web Design
Boston Web Design
When designing a new web site, there are certain things that you can do to get the biggest bang for your buck.
Hire A Web Designer That Works In Your Budget
As discussed in a our article about web design budgets, web designers can be found in a variety of price levels. Make sure you hire a web designer that works in the price level that meets your budget. Typically web designers build sites in a given price range, and will tell you what that price range is, if you ask them.
Make sure you get a fixed-price contract, which assures that the cost of the contract will be a set price. However, keep in mind that any significant changes or additions that you request will be added to the cost of such a contract.
Know What You Like
You should have a good understanding of what you like and dislike, and be able to give detailed descriptions and feedback to your web designer. The more your web designer understands your preferences, the more likely it is that you will get a web site that is on the mark.
Research your competition, and list what you like and dislike about each of their web sites. Find other web sites that you think are outstanding, and describe what elements make those sites so good. Share all this information with your web designer.
If you are working with other staff members, be sure you are all on the same page, and give your web designer a unified front. Also make sure the boss gets involved early in the process. There is nothing more costly then being well into the web design process, and then having your boss veto everything.
Be Realistic When Requesting Revisions
Especially during the graphical design portion of the web design process, be realistic when you request revisions. Certainly strive to get a design that is professional and makes a strong impact. But don’t keep asking for alternative design concepts, when there is already a good concept or two on the table. Don’t nit pick every detail, or keep asking for revisions upon revisions. Don’t expect to match every detail of that $100K site that you love so much.
Instead, be more realistic. For a given budget, there are only so many revisions that a web designer can make to stay within your budget. Understanding this, will make the revision cycle go much smoother.
Changes Can Be Costly
Take building a house as an analogy – once you create the blueprints for a house, and start building, it becomes much more costly to make changes. If you change your mind about a room, and want it resized or moved, then a lot of work has to be done to accommodate that change. The same is true in web design.
If you make a change late into the web design process, then that change is going to cost you. Instead, it is best to carefully think everything through prior to the web designer building any web pages. You’ll want to have the entire site architecture (organization) completely thought out in detail. Every major section, subsection, and page should be decided upon. You’ll want to have the graphical design finished and approved, before the web designer starts building the pages. You’ll want to have all the features clearly defined as well.
Otherwise, the changes can become costly. Once the web designer starts building the actual web pages, then any work that is already done, would need to be redone to accommodate any changes.
Use Existing Assets
Photographs, artwork, and graphics can be very costly to produce or to purchase. If you have existing assets, then give them to your web designer to use in the web site. If you know of a colleague or client that can provide such assets, then you may want to consider hiring that person in exchange for some in-kind services that you can give to them. You can trade your services for their services, thus saving you some money.
Use A Content Management System (CMS)
If you do not have a Content Management System (CMS), then you will need to pay your web designer every time you need to make a change to the web site. Web maintenance fees can really add up over time. So, instead, make sure your new web site comes with a CMS system that will allow you to update the web site on your own.
Conclusion
Use your web design dollar efficiently by hiring a web design firm that works in your budget range, by clearly explaining what you like and dislike, by being realistic, and by not making any late changes. Add to your value by using your existing assets, and updating your web site on your own with a CMS system.
This article is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without written consent from Out of Web Site!, LLC. Please contact us if you would like permission to republish this article.