6 Questions to Ask Your Web Design Agency (1)

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6 Q U E S T I O N S T O A S K Y O U R W E B D E
S I G N A G E N C Y

• By Netwave Creative Marketing Agency
  www.netwaveinteractive.com

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If you are considering a new website for your
business, choose carefully.
Your website is the centerpiece of your sales and
marketing efforts. Even if you dont visit your
website often, you can bet prospects, recent
acquaintances and members of your network
certainly do.
I N T R O D U C T I O N
The language of web development can be confusing
for those who arent familiar with terms like
wireframes, hosting and responsive design.
To make things more complicated, you might
receive a wide range of estimates from different
web design agencies. How do you know whos
offering what? Here are a few questions to ask
your prospective first choice before signing on.
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1. WHERE WILL MY WEBSITE LIVE?
Unless you are a large organization requiring a
high level of security, your website will likely
live on a shared server. But, its important to
know how many companies are sharing the server,
as one websites vulnerabilities on the server
could potentially affect your site. If you opt
for one of the many wholesale web hosting
companies (like a GoDaddy or Yahoo) you may have
a hard time getting service or support. We set up
our own private server and we only host our
clients websites. Although we have many clients,
the numbersand therefore the risksare much
smaller than a public server with millions of
users.
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2. WHY SUCH A PRICE VARIANCE?
Website templates are prepackaged designs that
make it easy to build a site with little to no
input, at a low cost. While templates are great
for hobbyists, they do not provide the
flexibility of a custom-coded website. If you
receive a website estimate for 3k and another
estimate for 30k, its safe to assume that the
former will be built off of a template, while the
latter will involve deep strategy and
customization.
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3. WHAT DOES RESPONSIVE REALLY MEAN?

• There was a time when responsive designmeaning
  a website responds to different devices by
  automatically reconfiguring for optimal
  viewingwas a differentiator for advanced
  developers. Today, responsive design is usually
  a given but not all responsive websites are
  created equal. With more than half of all
  websites viewed on mobile devices, you want to
  make sure your images, headers and other website
  features are not just resizing, but resizing
  accurately. A highly customized website will pay
  more mind to responsive design than one that
  relies on the out-of-the-box reconfiguration.

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4. DO I NEED A BRAND WEBSITE OR A MARKETING
WEBSITE?
There is a big difference between a website built
to be used as a point of presence and one
designed to power your ongoing marketing. Search
engine optimization, content strategy and user
experience are essential for businesses that
want to use their new website as a launchpad for
growth. These facets are not typically included
in low-end estimates.
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5. WHAT ABOUT THE MESSAGING?

• Copy is one of the most undervalued aspects of a
  website, but its arguably the most important.
  Very few web design agencies have a copywriter
  on staff, or even on contract. In fact, many will
  leave you to your own devices to find a writer
  or write your web copy yourself. When you see
  that an agency has included interviewing your
  stakeholders and writing copy in their proposal,
  its a clear sign that they are offering more
  than a plug-and-play template website.

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6. HOW DO I MAINTAIN MY WEBSITE AFTER
IT'S BUILT?
A website is just like a car or home in that it
requires constant upkeep in order to remain in
top shape. Consider inquiring about a small
monthly maintenance package to keep your site
from breaking. You can learn more about the
importance of ongoing web maintenance in this
article. Above all, be open and upfront with
your budget, and expect your agency to be the
same with their capabilities and pricing.
Finding the right match, knowing what youre
paying for, and entering a contract with
confidence are all paramount to a successful
outcome.
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WE ARE NETWAVE We are New Jersey's only creative
marketing agency, serving clientele across the
New Jersey, Florida NYC metropolitan area. Have
a look around contact us to start getting more
from your marketing.
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C O N T A C T U S
ADDRESS 600 Bay Avenue Point Pleasant Beach NJ
08742 PHONE [phone] FAX NUMBER 732-701-9798