Checklist for evaluation of website companies
These are the most important questions that you need to ask when talking to website design and marketing companies about making and promoting a website for you:
# Do they offer genuine advice on what is best for you?
Everybody has different requirements. Make sure that you are not just going to be slotted into a fixed package that may not do just what you need. You may want something very simple, and if you do, you should be able to get it.
# Who will own your domain name?
Make sure that it is registered in your name, or you risk losing it if you change hosting companies.
# Is the cost of domain registration included in what you are quoted?
# Will renewal of the domain registration be done automatically?
Be careful you don’t lose it once you’ve got it.
# Is the hosting fee included in what you are quoted?
It may or may not be. Check how much you are being charged for hosting – it should not be very much.
# Do you have a complete hosting package and access to your own webspace?
You may or may not want this, but you need to know.
# Is website design included in the quote? How much choice do you have in the design?
This needs to be clear. You will pay more for an individually designed site, but you may decide that it is worth it.
# Who will write the copy?
Some companies will do it for you from your briefing. Some will expect you to write it yourself. If you write it, will they edit and optimise it? You need good copy that both visitors and search engines will like.
# Who owns the copyright of the site and of the content?
Be careful – you may find that you don’t own the copyright to your own material.
# Who will edit and update the content of the site?
What you have on the site will need changing from time to time. Will they do this for you? If so, how much is included in the price? Can you do it yourself if you want? If so, how?
# How many email addresses do you get?
You may well want more than one. You may also want email forwarding facilities so that you can receive mail to a number of addresses all in the same place. Be careful that you don’t get charged extra for more addresses or forwarding. This should be included.
# What are the ongoing costs?
You need to define at the beginning how your ongoing costs are structured and exactly what you will be getting in return.
# What sort of support do they offer?
If you run into difficulties, will they sort things out quickly, efficiently and free of charge for you? Ask for specific details about how this is organised.
# Are promotional costs included?
Make sure you know exactly how any promotion of your site will be done. Don’t accept any vague phrases that you don’t fully understand.
# Is Search Engine Optimisation included, and what do they mean by this?
Some companies say they do SEO optimisation when in fact all they do is put the obvious keywords on the home page of your site. This is not enough to get you a good position in the search engines.
# Do they provide you with (or do you have access to) site statistics?
This is vital. You need to know how many visitors your site is getting, and how they found it.
# Do they offer reviews of how things are going, so that you are sure that your site is doing something useful for you?
Lower cost packages will not include this, but it may well be worth the extra to make sure that you understand how well your site is working for you, and that you adapt quickly to changes in the market.
What extras are they charging for?
Some companies offer what looks like good value until you find that all sorts of things that are included in a fuller package will cost you extra.