I can’t tell you how many stories I have heard about people getting burned or ripped off by their web designer. Most business owners don’t know what they don’t know about web marketing and end up handing a crucial part of their company’s marketing campaign over to a potentially harmful third party. How do you navigate the online minefield? Having worked with many companies through this process, here are some insider tips.

Only work with a design firm that understands marketing.

This is the most valuable piece of wisdom I can give you, and will save you months of time and thousands of dollars if you take it to heart. A lady I met with recently dropped $8,000 on a website that had copious marketing flaws; this expensive mistake did nothing of what it needed to for converting web traffic to closed sales. There is no way around it: your website is marketing your company and you should only work with a designer who understands how to give you a crucial part of your marketing campaign - not just a website. Find out going in how much your web designer knows about marketing principals, and if they keep up with the research on the ever evolving online marketplace. Their understanding and skill in this area determines if they can give you the product worth paying for.

Most design firms fall into one of two categories: code monkeys or photoshop gurus. They either know the markup or graphics well; a few even know both. Rarely do they employ marketer’s skills like information architecture or web usability research. These are CRUCIAL for your website even being worth the price of a cup of coffee. These marketer’s skills will influence countless design and layout decisions as well as provide the foundation for the user experience on your site.

Be forewarned, it will cost more to have a marketing savvy site developed, but it should pay for itself over time. You are investing in your marketing infrastructure, not shelling out money on a liability if you choose your designer well. Understanding web development as an investment in your company, and working with a web developer who knows how to build this is crucial and worth every penny.

Don’t go with the cheapest option just because its cheaper.

Going with the bargain-basement designer is like buying the cheapest parachute you can find. Your web marketing is essential to a successful business, and cutting corners on your designer can have disastrous consequences. If you go with the bargan options, dont expect them to work well. If they are cheap, most likely their product and customer care is too.

Beware cheap or free options. Paying for quality is worth it.

Cheap or free alternatives will rarely pan out how you want them to. To get something done right, pay someone well to make it happen. A client of mine specifically wanted to work with me, knowing she had a free alternative, because I would be financially incented to do a good job on time and on budget. She had power in the design process because she was the one writing the checks. Favors are hardly enforceable and quality will suffer unless someone is being compensated fairly. Cheaper alternatives will not focus on client satisfaction and quality because they aren’t being paid enough to care.

Get clear outlines of deliverables and price.

Some designers lowball the project to get you on board and then surprise you with extra costs during the development. These hidden costs often end up making the project cost as much or more than their competition for an inferior product. Truth in advertising should apply to proposals. To protect yourself, get a contract in writing that outlines the deliverables on your end and theirs with clear costs and timeframes for the line items on the project. Clearly defining what you are getting and what it costs up front should be standard practice for your designer if they are worth hiring. Paying more for up front for this clarity will often save you money in the course of the project.

Coming soon…Part 2: 3 crucial questions to ask your designer before hiring them.

It is common knowledge that, to be taken seriously in business, you must have a website. However, the evolution of the online medium now dictates that having a website focused on lead generation or conversion is necessary for staying in business. Research shows that your customers are checking your website, and what they see and experience there influences how they perceive your business and ultimately, whether or not they buy from you. Even your ‘brochure’ website must do more than merely inform; it should be converting online traffic to leads.

Your website is a crucial step in the buying process.

According to an article published by the Online Publisher’s Association:

The Internet plays a vital role in the purchase decision process for virtually all product and service categories, regardless of whether the purchase transaction happens on a website, over the telephone or in a store or other physical location. 

The significance of this research is that it defines your website as a crucial step in the buying process. We can safely assume that no matter what industry you are in, regardless of where the final sale is transacted, your visitors are evaluating your website. Given that, their impression of your company from your website can make or break the sale.

The web is of increasing marketing importance.

The report goes on further to explain their findings regarding consumer impressions and which mediums most influenced consumer’s decisions to buy. Tracking since 2002, the data have consistently shown an increasing influence of a company’s website in the rate of sales conversion.

Asked which touchpoints most influenced their purchase decision, respondents cited websites collectively (official company sites plus third-party retailer and other sites) as more important than TV advertisements in seven out of 10 product/service categories. 

Traditional media such as TV and print have been declining in significance while online and other non-traditional media such as websites and mobile marketing have been increasing in significance with consumers. This is a trend that is not likely to change any time soon. Get used to the web being an essential part of your company’s marketing campaign.

What is your website saying about your business?

Is the information that your visitors are looking for easy to find? Do you even know what information your visitors are looking for? Is your website structure simple and intuitive, while simultaneously being informative and comprehensive? Is the visual appeal of your website attractive to the caliber of clients you are looking to work with?

 As vain as it is, an aesthetically unappealing website denotes low quality service; this is an obvious extension of the ‘dress for success’ philosophy. More importantly than how the site looks, is how it functions. An intuitively structured, well organized website crafted to communicate your company’s unique selling proposition is necessary for closing the sale. A frustrating user experience will scare off customers because it will predict in their minds a similar experience when working with you. 

Conversely, as much as a bad site can hurt you, a well designed and organized website can help your business. A positive online impression that is consistent with your brand will be that essential step in closing the sale. Managing the perceptions of your customers online is no longer inconsequential to your company’s perception as a whole. Given the influence of the internet, make sure that your company’s online presence influences your customers to buy from you rather than your competitors. 

Cited reseach: The Internet’s Role in the ModernPurchase Process