Many of our clients aren’t savvy when it comes to web development and web design, but that’s why they come to us. Many times, clients don’t know the right questions to ask, so we thought we would make it easier for non-techie clients to know what to ask their web developers. All of these questions are useful when meeting with a developer/designer and we’ve included the kind of answer you should expect to hear.
- When do you conduct in-depth keyword and competitor research.
(At Design Web, we do this first. Good SEO practice should be baked in from the start.) - Will the site be mobile responsive? Do you develop for mobile first?
(Yes! Mobile, tablet and desktop.) - Will you give each URL a meaningful name? Do you know what stop language is and how to avoid using it?
(Each URL needs a meaningful and unique name for SEO reasons. Stop language is avoided on all meta tags to prevent issues with search engine robots.) - Do you know how to use relevant meta tags and schema?
(Meta tags and schema are used to enhance SEO and social media sharing and to ensure that the site is semantic for search engines.) - What site speed is optimal and what do you estimate my site speed will be?
(We try to achieve a Google Page Speed score of “green” on both desktop and mobile) - Will you use a CMS? Which will you use?
(We can use multiple CMS platforms, depending on client needs, but we tend to lean towards WordPress for its ease of use and low cost.) - Will you set up and provide hosting and domain or will I be responsible? What will my hosting fees be and do you have a guaranteed up time?
(Hosting and domain are provided if the client does not already have them. We have a guaranteed 99% uptime. Hosting Fees are free the first year and $100 a year after that.) - What type of security will you be using on the site to ensure that it is not hacked?
(We have several systems in place to ensure that security is primary concern, including 24/7 security alerts on the site, so we can address issues at any time of day or night.) - Will the site be up to current web standards? Which languages will you be using?
(At Design Web, we prefer open source languages, such as PHP. We are able to use HTML, AJAX, CSS, Javascript, several JS libraries, MYSQL, PHP, .NET, ASP, and several others. We also have several trusted contract developers we work with to ensure we can cover any client programming need as it arises.) - Will I be able to see the progress on the site during development with a staging site?
(We provide a staging site during development so you can see the progress being done on your site. You will also have several opportunities to revise content and design during the development process.) - Will you be using any sort of Flash on my site?
(We never use any type of Flash or Java (which is different than Javascript) on our sites, since these are being phased out and will be an obsolete web technology in the near future.) - How will you incorporate SEO into my site? What types of SEO work will be done both on and off site? Will you set up both Analytics and Webmaster Tools/Search Console?
(We work from day one with on-site SEO, including keyword optimization, meta tags, and schema. We optimize our code to ensure it is up to standards. We set up Yahoo, Bing and Google webmaster tools, as well as Google Analytics.) - Are you familiar with current UI and UX standards? How will you use UI and UX to ensure my goals are being met?
(We make sure that current UI and UX standards are being met in order to turn a site visitor into a goal conversion. We are up to date on the latest UI and UX design techniques to ensure we direct the user to the proper goal.) - Will you be developing a custom backend for me to use to make updates to the site? How easy or difficult will it be for me to make updates to content on the site?
(At Design Web, we can provide a custom backend that will allow you to make changes to most of the content on the website. We also provide maintenance at 1 hour per month for 1 year after site launch for minor updates or changes. We provide a tutorial manual on how to use your new site, as well as training on how to use the site via GoToMeeting.)
If you aren’t satisfied with the answers that your current web developer is providing you, then feel free to contact us at Design Web and we can help make you the perfect website that is up to current SEO, UI/UX, and coding standards. In the meantime, stay up-to-date on all web development news and information on our Facebook page.
