Websmiths

Q: What's your name and position in the company?
A: Brian Downey, Owner.

Q: Describe your company in 5 words.
A: Websites that Work.

Q: What's your business philosophy?
A: Customer satisfaction is number one, and in our business this means building websites that give a good return on the initial investment. Quick, easy to use websites with a great visual impact.

Q: Describe your office environment.
A: I have a small office built onto my home, a great place to work with about a 30 second commute!

Q: Describe how your team interact and work together.
A: At the moment I am the team, and I work quite well with myself ;o)

Q: What makes you different from other web design companies?
A: I find that most web design companies these days rely on templates and plug-ins from Wordpress, Joomla or similar template based programs. We offer full customisation - all of our applications are hand written for better flexibility and realisation of client goals.

Q: How do you get the majority of your business?
A: At this stage most of our business comes from referrals, and through our website.

Q: Describe how you manage projects from the initial client contact to completion and handover.
A: First thing is need analysis - we find out exactly what the client wants and we advise the best ways to achieve this goal. Once this is in place, a template is designed and updated until the client is happy, and then the build takes place. Web site deployment is the final stage.

Q: What do you think is the most crucial element of creating a good client relationship?
A: Listening to what the client wants and advising on the best way to achieve this, coupled with effecient after sales sevice.

Q: How do you manage demanding clients?
A: All clients, demanding or not, want the best that they can get from their website. We try to foresee the website as a finished product and once this is agreed then there's usually little or no conflict.

Q: If a client was trying to decide between a shortlist of web design companies, how would you recommend they go about selecting the right one for them?
A: Always, always consider the end user as priority. A website should be quick and easy to use. Appearance is very important but should be third on your checklist.

Q: Where do you see your company in 10 years time?
A: We have several CMS projects on the boil which we hope to market as affordable web solutions, and we can foresee these being a large part of our business in the future.

Q: Where do you see the web design industry in the future?
A: It's difficult to foresee. Perhaps the template based 'designers' will take over, but I like to think that real programmers and those who know how to get the best from the web will push through.

Q: What computers do you have use in your offices, PCs or Macs?
A: PC

Q: How was your company name chosen?
A: Based on craftsmen who build items from raw materials such as blacksmiths or goldsmiths. We craft the web, hence Websmiths.

Q: If you were to give your clients one tip on how to get the most from their website what would it be?
A: Exposure. Once you have a good website that people can use, market the website as much as possible using print media, search engines and social networking sites.