by Rick Lucas
At some point, every new business has to consider the need for a website. A website adds legitimacy and gives a platform to publish your goods or services. Many times, a website is the first impression a new customer may get so it is important that it reflects the message your business is trying to convey. You have no idea how much business you may be missing by not having a website and finding the right website design company to build one for you can be a daunting but necessary task.
First and foremost, make sure you retain ownership of the domain name and website. If you take nothing else from reading this article, please remember this one thing. It may not seem like a big deal at first but sometime in the future it could cost you thousands of dollars. It may even seem convenient and inexpensive to have a “professional” own it for you, but you are giving up all control over a property that could be a major source of income for your company. If you have a dispute with the current owner of one of the important means of communications, you have with your customers then you will have to start over. The cache you have built up over the years on the internet is gone. That is how they get you. It becomes too costly to switch so someone with no vested interest in your company is now in control of one of your biggest assets.
Be wary of any company located overseas and is ridiculously cheap. First, you get what you pay for and second, there is a good possibility that they will take your money and run. They face no repercussions if they do not deliver what you paid for. I have heard many a sad tale of companies getting ripped off. I am not saying all overseas companies are scam artist but be sure that it is a reputable company with a long track record.
I am always skeptical of any business that is hard to get in touch with and does not return calls in a timely manner. If they are hard to get in touch with when I am trying to give them money how hard will they be to talk to when I have a complaint?
In may seem obvious but going with the first website design company you meet with does not give you enough information to make a rational decision. The cost for building a similar website varies widely from company to company. If you are not in the business, there is no way to know what it takes to build a website so getting a few quotes is always wise. The first company you talk to may have a stellar reputation but is a large well-established company which means they may cost more. I am not saying they do not deserve what they are charging, and you may need a company with those kinds of resources but if this is your first website for your growing business then I bet a small to medium sized outfit may be a better fit.
If you can keep the above in mind coupled with a little common sense you are on the way to finding a reasonably priced and reputable website design company.