Are you looking for a website designer?
It’s hard to know if a website developer is reputable or if the cost is reasonable. We suggest these questions as a starting point for your consultation.

Tell me about yourself and your staff.
Some people advertising as web designers are salespeople on commission from off-shore programmers. They are not likely to be available for future updates. Students may temporarily patch friends together to make your site, or not have the experience to complete the work. There is also a trend towards large collaborative groups of people working in different cities presenting themselves as one company online.

But if you’re seeking a reliable developer who will be there for you in the future when you need updates (particularly critical for WordPress sites), we recommend you drop by for a visit or otherwise ensure they have been in business and will continue to be in business for at least three years. It can be very difficult if not impossible for another developer to take over a site and “fix” things.

Can I link to samples of your work?
Samples of work are your biggest source of information about the developer. We think that all samples of work should be recent and active (meaning live online) and not just pictures of sites.

Red flags include “coming soon” sites, pictures of sites without links to the real sites, sample sites with older dates, and broken links to sample sites. Most important, do a web search for the names of any companies they list, to see if the live sites match the samples. You can also email or phone a few of the sites shown as samples and ask for references.

How many sites have you built? Over what period of time?
Every year another 2000 self-employed website developers enter the BC market fresh from schools and colleges. The majority of requests we get for help come from people who had a site built or a WordPress theme installed by someone without sufficient knowledge or qualifications. Be sure the developer has at least 20 samples of work, and preferably 50.

A history of previous HTML or PHP work can be good, but make sure someone claiming to be a WordPress developer knows how to implement the latest technologies for responsive design and works with “custom” or “child themes”. Beginners tend to use free or purchased themes, which lead to issues with malware links, hidden advertising code, and sites that can’t be updated when the next version of WordPress is released.

Do you create your own templates and style sheets?
The answer should be yes. How the site is built is an important aspect of search engine optimization as well as customization. The majority of people coming to us for site updates do so because their site was built with a commercial template, and either the developer isn’t available any more or the template can’t be customized.

There are extensive issues with free or purchased (“premium”) WordPress themes. Don’t use a WordPress developer who doesn’t make “child” or custom themes.

Do you recommend “flash” websites?
The answer in most cases should be no. Flash websites are not search engine friendly so your site won’t rank well. Flash pages can take a long time to load and they can’t be bookmarked. Flash is great when used in areas like banners or slideshows (although these areas will not display on iPhones or iPads) but the whole site should not be Flash unless there is a very good reason.

How much do you charge for a site?
To answer this question, a web designer needs to know more about what you need. It’s like going a car lot full of sedans, SUVs, hatchbacks and convertibles and asking, “How much is a car?” It really depends on the features and performance you need. If you’re given a price before you provide specific information, the developer probably has a very limited range of work in mind. It’s very helpful to tell us your budget. Even a ball park will give us an idea if your goals are reasonable. Also find out how you will pay – in stages, with a deposit, or all at once. It will avoid misunderstandings later.

Do you have an agreement or contract?
Make sure you get one. At the very least it should set out the working terms, hosting information, estimated cost, policies for added costs, and copyright issues.

How long will it take and when can you start?
There are frequent time gaps while clients collect content, take photos, write text, gather testimonials, get domain name transfers, verify passwords, or approve different stages of the site development. An experienced developer will take these factors into consideration so you have a realistic sense of the project timeline.

Read more about why a consultation is important.

What kinds of accreditation do you have?
Ask for accreditation references such as a business license, degrees, internships, memberships in organizations, etc. If you have a reputable business, you deserve a reputable website developer. Be aware there are logical drawbacks to using students or beginners. These may include lengthy timelines to complete your site, lack of experience judging project requirements and budgets, difficulty completing sites before a course or program finishes, building sites that are not coded to industry standards, and the probability that the person won’t be available in the future to do updates.

What is your hourly rate?
The answer may include a combination of quotes by the hour and by the job. An experienced developer will break things down so you know what you’re paying for. For example, most developers do not include marketing in their estimates. Be sure to ask what you can expect to pay for updates – the cost should be hourly or priced according to the type of update. Avoid anyone who requires a “maintenance” fee, unless there is a really good reason. (For example, if you are planning a directory site, you may want someone to monitor the entries on your behalf.)

What kinds of search engine optimization do you offer?
The answer should include information about the site architecture, meta tags, alt tags, verification codes, xml sitemaps, webstats and much more. At a minimum, SEO work should include all the elements listed in Services: Search Engine Optimization. Avoid companies that offer expensive monthly plans for SEO. Generally they are not following Google’s regulations, which can cause you penalties. Read more about link-mining practices.

Who do you recommend for a host?
In addition to a website, you need a host. The host is the company that owns the computer where your website files are stored. It should cost less than $10/month for unlimited bandwidth and file storage. Ideally it should be a major, stable company – there is really no reason to settle for anything less. (For our own clients, we recommend managed hosting on a Vancouver-based server at $6.60/month.)

The following are red flags: anyone who hosts their own site, who charges more than $10 per month for hosting, or who charges according to different “levels” or “plans”.

Your host should provide free web statistics about your visitors and full access to the control panel and FTP uploads. Avoid “virtual hosting”, which means the developer puts all his clients on one server account but charges them as if they have separate accounts. You need to fully own your own domain name, and be sure you have your own username and password for both domain name and hosting.

What kinds of testing do you do?
Sites need to be tested on different platforms (PC and Mac), different browsers (IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari etc) and different devices (ipads, iphone, android phones, tablets like Nexus and Kobo, Blackberry etc) during the development of the site and when the site is finished. An experienced developer will know a lot about the kinds of issues your visitors will have if they don’t test sufficiently.

Graphic designer or web designer?
Many graphic designers today advertise website experience and skills. Read more about using a graphic designer for your website project.