Questionnaire for Choosing a Web Development Company

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Questionnaire for Choosing a Web Development
Company
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When you contact a web development company, you
may be asked a couple of questions, which can
help the company to understand you and your needs
better. But, isnt it important for you as well,
to obtain more information about the company?
After all, your money as well as your online
presence is at stake. So here are some questions
that you should ask (not necessarily in this
order), before choosing a company for website
development
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Q1 How big is the team? Does it work in-house? How much experience does the team have?
A Start by finding out the size of the team.
Make sure that there are at least 5-6 developers.
If there arent enough developers, the company
may take forever to complete the project.
Furthermore, if the company has an in-house team,
you may not have to deal with the risks
associated with outsourcing. Of course, the
experience of the team is of paramount importance
if you want the best talent to work on your
website. The only source of knowledge is
experience. Albert Einstein
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Q2 What all technologies are to be used?
A Ask the company to provide you with a list of
technologies that it is likely to use for website
development. Match the list against the latest
technologies such as CSS3 and HTML5 to ensure
that the company can develop a contemporary
website for you. It is also important to find
out if the technologies are suitable for your
unique requirements.
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Q3 Which CMS does the company intend to use? How much it would cost you?
A If the company is planning to use an
open-source CMS, instead of some proprietary
software, you may be able to save money in terms
of development costs because you might not have
to pay the licensing fee. Therefore, always
insist on open-source CMS. Another benefit of
open-source CMS is that you need not depend on
the company for post-development support. In
fact, you can hire any other cheap web developer
if he/she is an active member of the relevant
community, has the necessary skills, and more
importantly, knows how to update a site and/or
fix the issues.
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Q4 Can the company develop a responsive website for you?
A With mobile traffic accounting for 16 of all
web traffic, it is now more important than ever
to have a responsive website. So you must ensure
that the company can develop a site that your
visitors can easily browse even when they are
using handheld devices.
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Q5 Can the website development company also maintain your site?
A If you find a one-stop destination for
development and maintenance, then you can focus
on your business and leave the website related
tasks to the company. No matter how good your
site is, it must be updated and maintained at
regular intervals. However, the maintenance costs
can run in thousands of dollars. So it is better
if you ask the company for a package that doesnt
cost you a fortune.
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Q6 How much time does the company need to develop the site?
A Talk to the company and settle for a deadline
thats acceptable to both the parties. But can
the company meet the deadline? If the company
doesnt have too many developers, isnt
well-versed in useful technologies, and
outsources its work, chances are that it wont be
able to meet your deadline. In this case, even if
the deadline is met, you may be handed over a
site thats full of bugs which are yet to be
fixed.
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Q7 How much does the company charge? Is there a pricing policy in place?
A It is a good idea to ask about all the costs
upfront. You may think that you have found a
cheap website developer but then the company
might ask you to pay an additional amount later
on. So when you ask the company about the price
of development, it is important for you to get a
detailed quote. If the company charges on hourly
basis, you must find out how many hours are
needed to finish the work on your website.
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Q8 Can the company help you in understanding the development process?
A If the company tells you about the different
steps that it usually follows, you can actively
participate in the development process. Make
sure that you have this information before the
company starts working on your project.
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Q9 Would you get complete control?
A When the project ends, the company must hand
over all the relevant files to you so that you
can use them as and when you need to. Ideally,
the company should not claim to have any right
over these files.
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Q10 Can the company ensure that your website is a success?
A No company can guarantee the success of your
site, but if enough measures are taken during the
development process to ensure that is easy for
you to attract traffic and convert the visitors
into customers, your chances of succeeding may
increase.
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Q11 Can you get some references?
A If you are investing in a website, you have
the right to know if the company can do justice
to your project. References can help you in
finding out more about the companys capabilities.
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Q12 Would you get a dedicated project manager?
A A dedicated manager can ensure that there are
minimal delays. He/she can also pass on your
feedback to the developers so that they can make
the necessary changes. Also, if you do not want
to handle minor issues on your own, then always
make sure that a dedicated manager is assigned to
your project. The manager must try to resolve the
issues before they are escalated to you.
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Q13 For how long the company has been in business?
A If the company has been there for at least 5-6
years, you can be sure it is not going anywhere.
Startups or relatively new companies may leave
you in the lurch. So it is better to avoid such
companies.
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