Common Frustrations Reviewed

20 November 2008
An effort to explain some best practices for clients and web developers to create a mutually beneficial relationship.

For potential clients the meat grinder of confusing and often times conflicting web developer lingo, opinions and pricing that make up the website development industry can be very frightening.

This may be so for many service-based industries, but the Internet is still a black hole for many people and making an informed decision can be difficult for those with little to no knowledge of how the Internet works. So why does it matter and were does responsibility lie for consumer education and solid development practices? Let's take a look.

The responsibilities of any reputable web developer include keeping abreast of current technologies, avoiding trends and developing towards the highest possible Web Standards available, while those seeking to “grab clients” wherever and whenever possible to make a quick buck should be left to those who choose to purchase a copy of Dream Weaver, Front Page or some other such tool and call themselves a web developer. Whereas pricing should be standardized to accommodate a feature-rich development process that allows flexibility in design and client requested options.

It is inevitable that in any development process there comes a time where additional functionality requires additional fees, but this is typically done in custom programming or development and should not be considered a normal pricing strategy for website development. While would-be web developers charge for “features” such as contact forms, the standardization of application development pricing is among the benefits of working with reputable web developers.

It can be troublesome too when website development is charged based on page count since a website should never really be considered complete; websites should be able to grow based on a clients ever changing needs. Understandably however, giving free reign over server space is a bad idea, but prices and services can be pared down into manageable “packages” that will allow for effective control of available resources and allow both developer and client to make an informed decision regarding needed server space and associated hosting fees.

But what about those hosting fees? Why does a site that houses a database cost more than a site that is static in nature? A database is easier to maintain than a static website and is included in the price of the server fees paid by the development company, while a static site costs more to maintain and is prone to more errors due to code duplication. Unless a company has on-site hosting servers, and with it a full-time database administrator or IT staff, they typically incur no additional fees associated with a website using a database. Co-located server companies make up the vast majority of developers hosting services and any maintenance costs are absorbed by the server company.

In defense of development companies however, there are a few that maintain multiple servers, some with database capabilities and some that host only static sites, in this case additional fees for a dynamic site may be justified.

As for development, with the myriad of programming languages available, dynamic page creation should inevitably remove the need for per-page development fees and should focus more on feature development. Dynamic website development should be readily available to those looking for an easy to maintain system with functionality that supports the dynamic creation of pages and information without the need to contact a developer to maintain content.

That is not to say that good, reputable developers who specialize in the development of static websites are not needed, but care should be taken in which sites should be developed as purely static. Clients should understand the while static sites may initially be less expensive than a dynamic site with a Content Management System (CMS), recurring maintenance fees can add up quickly.

So what does all this mean?

For the Client:

Websites should be an exciting and rewarding experience; you are paying a contractor to develop a system that reflects either you, your business, or both. Make sure they deliver on their promises.

Be wary of would-be web developers and, “the son of your friends uncle” who is currently a junior in high school who offers to develop your online presence. Chances are they lack the experience to guide you in important decisions regarding the architecture and forward momentum of your website.

Interview prospective web developers. You will find commonalities in statements made between different developers but this is to be expected as there are many irrefutable facts associated with web development.

Ask for references, their current clientèle should be willing to testify to their abilities and the experience they had with them.

Inquire about the dynamics of the website they are offering to develop for you.

Does the site come with a content management system of some sort?

What are the hosting fees; is there a difference between hosting a static website, (one without a database) and a dynamic website, (one with a database... typically needed for a CMS)?

If the site comes with a CMS, do they offer free training and support?

If you register a domain with them and then later decide to move your hosting to someone new, is there a charge for releasing the domain? The answer to this should be no, it's your domain, you paid for it.

Do they offer web-based email and is it included in the price of your hosting?

Do they offer web statistics, such as Urchin reporting with their service and is it included in your hosting?

If you have additional questions, will you be charged to speak to them over the phone?

Be very careful of any company that offers Search Engine Optimization services along with web site development, specifically if they promise that you will be rated high in the search engines.

Reputable Full Time SEO companies will typically outline a service that may take months to employ; while they can be difficult to find, a really good company will focus more on site architecture, site content and back-link strategies.

An effective SEO strategy may not be easy, time consuming and in some cases very expensive, please choose wisely.

Don't expect your web developer to be an SEO company, this misconception has forced many web developers into a position where they feel they need to offer these services to be a “Full Featured” development company, this often ends in disappointment.

Above all, please consider your motives before hiring a web developer. Understandably as a consumer you will have questions and be a little leery; consider however that often times web developers also have been “taken” by less than desirable clients.

For the Web Developers:

Remember that your clients have chosen to hire you from the many different companies available to them. Usually this is done by location, local companies will get a larger share of clients from their geographic area because people still feel that a local company will better serve their needs, don't disappoint them.

If you have not already done so, consider the advantages of dynamics in web development.

Consider structuring your prices around features instead of pages. Normalization in the web development industry would benefit everyone, both consumer and developer.

Be careful about educating your clients. If you are their first experience with a web developer, what you say will carry a lot of weight and if your information is based on opinion versus fact it can have a negative impact on both their experience with you and the web development industry as a whole.

In an effort to become a Full Service development company, focus on web development. Offer services as standard features that will assist your clients in understanding their website activity and communication needs.

As a valuable service to your clients, partner with a reputable SEO company and refer your clients to them, let them do what they do best while you focus on what you do best.

Unless completely qualified to do so, don't offer SEO services. The purchase of a software that harvests meta information from like industries and adding common data to your clients website leaves a lot to be desired in the overall development of effective SEO strategies.

Don't hold your clients domains hostage, if you offer domain registration, register the domain in your clients name, not yours, it should be their domain to move if they so choose.

Never charge your clients to speak with you. If you feel the absolute need to do so consider going to law school.

Finally, although competition is healthy and often times fierce, don't operate under the “best gun for hire” mentality. Each of your clients is a valuable asset to your company and your relationship with them should start during the initial interview process. They may be coming to you for your services, but if you are not qualified, or you feel that the client is not right for you, don't be afraid to refer them to another company or tell them that you are unable to work with them.

So, while web development should be conducted by qualified professionals and separated into available services maintained by those best qualified to offer each respectively, clients should understand that a feature-rich website developed by qualified professionals will often times cost more initially, but will save time and money in the long run.