Blog

Can I see your portfolio?

You will want to take a look at their portfolio. A lot of companies provide a portfolio on their website, including us at Plan A Link. You will need to identify the type of clients they have done work for and any designs that you like, so they already know the style of website that you are looking for. Doing this will speed up the process of building your website. Also ask a few friends to review the web designer’s portfolio, as two different people can see graphics design or websites in a different way. You need a web designer who is good with project management, website development and graphics design. Usually, these types of people are sources by the company or already have them in-house.

At Plan A Link we are collective so we are all specialists at what we do, this is the ideal scenario rather than just hiring a single man band.

How easy will updates be?

This is where you want to ask the web designer what platform they plan to build the website on. They could be using a content management system such as WordPress or be building the website bespoke which you may not be able to edit. Editing bespoke websites usually comes at a cost. Using a CMS reduces these costs and only the larger changes require input from the web developers.

What is your hourly rate?

If you need website updates, fixes or management then what is the hourly rate so I know upfront. This information could be crucial, as you may want to get the website built bespoke to cut down on costs. This may end up costing you more money as the more complicated changes you require, the longer it will take and therefore more money to the web developers.

Will you provide the source files & design files?

The reason you want to do this is so you have access to all the files and means you are not required to return back to that web design company if you do not wish too. This means you are not tied in with them.

Will you be creating a development site?

This is so you can see what the website looks like before it goes live. This is the best time to discover any errors or problems. This should be a part of any software development cycle, to see if the client is happy with the product you have created and to ensure all requirements have been captured.

What SEO Techniques will you implement?

This is an important factor for your website to be found online. You need to ensure that your web designer is strong on all areas of SEO so that they know exactly what needs to be found on the page. If when asked this question the web designer sounds like he knows what he’s doing but goes into a lot of detail don’t worry you do not need to know everything but you need to see the passion.

How long will this take?

Always make sure you get a time and day to have the project finished or at least milestones achieved, this way you can hold them accountable. Although a timeframe is good, try not to be completely set on a date. Web developers have experience in certain aspects of a project. If they say it cannot be done in a certain timeframe, believe them. If you get them to rush a project, it will either be completed to a poor standard, or the worst case scenario it will not be completed at all.

At Plan A Link, we pride ourselves on being extremely efficient and produce work to a high standard of quality.

Are you open weekends/ Available outside of work hours?

If the website was to go down or an emergency will you be able to contact someone to report the problem and hopefully have it fixed before the next day of operations.