21 November 2011
Customers are often unaware of how best to get quotes from companies, this design brief by phone or post makes the job easier

If you are looking to get a website created for your business but you are unsure how the process is started this short article will help you. First of all select a design company or 2 (or 3,4 or 5 even) to get a comparative quote.
A great deal of customers have little understanding of the development process, what they actually need in terms of what is essential and what are attractive add on’s which although look good and sometimes have purpose, may not be necessary to fit the job into the budget.

We recommend that you prepare a brief for the web design company before you approach them and either use it to ask questions during a call, or send it as an email to them. Use the same brief with each company you contact, noting what does not get answered as well as what does..

Costs will vary ad you may need to discuss why some are more expensive than others, they may be promoting added value, however, just as importantly, ask the cheapest why they are! They might be a very honest business with low overheads and passing on inherent savings rather than charging what the traffic can bare.


What's your business?


· Describe what your business does.
· Is your site going to sell products & services or is it more about telling prospective customers who you are, what you do and where they can find you?


What's your target market?


· Who are you're customers? Try to describe your target market by age group, sex, business, location.
· Is your content technically detailed or easily understandable in general?
· How would you like your customers approach you? Email, Telephone, Post or visit premises?
· Does your product or service require a detailed sales presentation?


Budget


· Have a budget in mind from initial research, knock 25 % off your figure and describe the budget as a guide, ie. between £1000 and £1500 (when in fact it’s £2000)
Design firms will pitch to the budget and you’ll be in the fortunate position of having a little extra in the purse for additional extras you might discover will be a of benefit to you.
· Ask each design firm to detail their on going services and the costs and the frequency of price increases.
· Do the companies require a deposit and how much is it, and is there a service agreement you can read?

Timeframe


· Detail your timeframe. Functionality requirements can often be time consuming, be prepared to compromise on time and/or price to get the type of site you’re after within the time frame or close to it.
· Ask who proof reads the site, if this is in your hands make sure you have a day or two before launch to cross the t’s and dot the i’s.

Content


· If you will be providing your own content, tell each company this, if not ask them how much they charge for copy writing.
· Look at your competitors to get inspiration if you don’t know what you want your site to look like. Give the companies some web addresses as an idea of what you want, highlighting any ‘must haves’.
· Ask for detail on content management and how long it will take for you to learn how to use their system. Ask if they will make amends for you, and if so at what cost?
· Do you need a merchant account, a Payment Service Provider i.e. do you need to take credit card payments online. You might want to talk to your bank on this but ask the web design companies if they have any recommendations, providers they have experience of.
· List all the pages, or as many as you think you’ll need, and what they might do on the site. This will give the web design companies a clear indication of site size and the functionality that you’ll need.
· Do the companies test your site on all different browsers and operating systems, if not why not?


Support


· Do the companies provide support with the project?
· When are they available and how quick can they respond if you have problems?
· Do you have a point of contact or is it a call centre style approach (the more personal the better)?
· Do the companies provide hosting?
· Is a domain name included in the price of the project?



Experience


· How long has the company been in business?
· Do they have a live portfolio of work that you can look at?
· Have they worked with names you recognise?
· Have they created a site similar to what you're looking for?
· Last but by no means least, are they on Which Web Design Company, if not why not? Can they provide testimonials, reviews of references that can be verified as independent?


Once you have this little lot form a number of companies you’ll be able to narrow down your choices and select a company to proceed with.