Selecting the Right Web Developer
In the process of selecting a web developer, a site owner may create a request for proposal and will likely analyze the proposals of several companies. Here are a few questions that may help you decide the best issues to address in the request for proposal and the responses:
The Proposal
Does the solution fit your marketing strategies?
Are your goals adequately represented in their proposal?
What measures are they taking to ensure your site will work well on search engines?
Does the code meet W3C standards?
What usability standards do they consider in the design?
What measures do they take to ensure the site is accessible for the impaired?
What browsers and browser versions will the site work with?
What size and resolution monitors will the site work with?
Is key information on the site printer friendly?
What will the load time of the homepage be?
What is the timeline for the project?
What are the terms of the contract?
Are copyrights and intellectual rights defined?
What are the liability and indemnification clauses?
What follow-up maintenance is required?
What is the cost of maintenance? Are there any other ongoing costs?
How long will it take to have changes or updates implemented?
What web site traffic statistics are provided?
How many rounds of editing do I get on the design?
Who will be testing the site?
Is copy editing part of the work?
Are there any web-centric considerations in the copy editing?
What are the costs involved with changing the requirements after development has begun?
What are the total costs for initial development?
The Technology
Will the technology allow you to expand easily?
How common is the technology?
What other sites are running this technology?
The Host
Are appropriate physical security measures in place for the servers?
What software is in place to protect against malicious attacks?
What data backup and recovery procedures are in place? Has this been tested?
Are email accounts provided? How many? Webmail? Features?
What power and backbone redundancies are used?
Ask for the hosting uptime rates for the past several months.
Will I have to purchase a security certificate and/or unique IP address?
What bandwidth usage am I allowed? What is the cost of more bandwidth?
What other sites are on this host? Check with the owners of the sites to ensure reliability.
The Company
Are the developers certified?
What is the experience of the people who will be designing/developing the site?
Is the company insured?
List the professional organizations that associate with the company?
Get contact information.
What other services are available?
How long has the company been doing business?
Are there any outstanding judgments on the company?
Ensure availability of the developer before, during, and after the project.
Ask for portfolio and check their references.
Please contact Journey for further information - 719-638-9925.