Website/Internet Design - Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX

Website/Internet Design - Dallas/Ft. Worth

Over the past few years the Internet has gone from being the promised land to being a place of confusion and frustration for many. Five years ago, when the Internet was considered new and intriguing, thousands of companies flocked to the Internet and setup web sites. Within six months or so most realized that the Internet was not the promised land but rather another marketing channel with the same requirements of all the others. Solid planning, goals and resources are required to make it work. With this in mind the following outlines a number of things to consider when approaching any online project.

Identifying your goals

Your goals for the site determine the options you should go with, so make sure you've got those nailed down first. Whether you're building a site from scratch or updating your existing site, there are a number of different options to pursue. Ask yourself what you want the site to do. What does it have to achieve in order for you to consider it a success? And in what timeframe? Also, consider what the next steps are after those goals are achieved.

Below are a few key questions to consider:

Will you use the site to dispense information or get information from clients and prospects?

Do you merely want an online brochure so customers can find you online and learn more about you? Do you want to sell online?

What sections do you want in your site? (i.e. about your company, company history, executive bios, product pages, service pages, contact forms)

Will you need to interact with any of your existing software like an accounting or inventory system?

Do you already have a logo, colors and text that your site designer can incorporate in the site?

Do you want your site to be structured to help gather data for marketing purposes?

Your answers to these questions will dictate the type of help you need. Designing your site can be as simple - or as complex - as your imagination and/or budget allows. And before you can decide the approach you want to take to accomplish all of your goals, you should know the difference between Web designers, Web developers, Freelancers and One-Stop Shops.

Design vs. development

You'll probably find the titles "Web designer" and "Web developer" used interchangeably, but this isn't accurate. Designing a Web site is actually very different from developing one.

There are two major components to designing a Web site: the "front end" and the "back end." While there can be quite a bit of crossover, for the most part design refers to the front end, development to the back end.

Front end and Design The first step to building your presence on the Internet is to design a Web site that customers will want to visit - and come back to. Getting customers to stay long enough to explore your Web site is like getting them to stay at a store. Like a store, your Web site should be attractive and professional looking. Statistically the longer someone spends in a store the higher their chances of buying something. Whatever your business offers - whether it's a product, a service, or information - it should be easy to access on your site.

The front end is what your customers see: the "pages" that display the graphics, the images, and the text on your site.

Web designers and design firms concentrate on the front end, choosing appropriate images and fonts and determining how images and text should be arranged. They also have experience with web site usability – they can make a site sticky. In other words, they can design a site that captures a person’s attention and encourages them to stay and explore it. During this journey the experienced designer can also create the site in such a way that specific things (like featured products/services) catch their attention.

A Web designer's strength is his or her appreciation for aesthetics and usefulness. A good designer and design firm also has to have a technical background to understand the back end implications of what they design.

Back end and Development

Web developers work on the back end, making a site work. This side of the process is not visible to visitors, but it is essential to enhancing the visitor's experience.

Back end functions include allowing visitors to view different pages based on their preferences or enter data about themselves, or performing sales transactions. For example, you may have noticed that if you are a fan of non-fiction paperbacks and buy them on Amazon.com, each time you go back you are presented with product selections that include other non-fiction paperbacks. This is made possible by applications written by web developers.

There are many sources out there that will tell you to learn the difference between ASP and JSP and DHTML and so on. If you would like to do this there are several good books out there that can help. However, if you have to invest the time to do this you also have to ask yourself why? A good web developer, designer or firm should be able to speak English and therefore understand your needs, goals, budgets and timeframes.

Whom to use?

Can an individual be both a Web designer and a Web developer? Yes, however, finding people who are more than average in both is not easy. If you can find them you may prefer to work with these hybrids for the sake of your budget.

If your heart is set on cutting edge design that puts your competitors to visual shame, your best bet is to work with a separate designer with strong graphic experience.

Or if you would like to include complex e-commerce transactions that require special programming skills. In this case, you will need to work with a top-notch Web developer - even if they have no interest or experience in graphic design.

However, one must also consider the difference between working with individuals and companies that specialize in web design and development. Although the cost can be higher there are several advantages. The level of customer service is traditionally higher and the turnaround time can be dramatically faster. On top of that many companies also provide hosting, marketing and maintenance services which in essence gives you a one stop shop reducing the time you spend researching, interviewing and talking to multiple people or companies.

What Are Your Options?

If you've never designed a Web site, could you be capable of handling both ends of Web design? It is possible depending on your background. However, attempting such a big undertaking could be foolhardy. It all depends on your goals. If you are considering a very simple site and have a great deal of time and no hard deadlines then this may be a viable alternative.

Keep it all in-house. Many organizations build sites in house. If your needs are simple – i.e. your site will be purely informational – there are some software packages that can guide you through the whole process.

But take caution if your staff is already spread very thin. Even if you have some capable people in-house, it may still make sense to use outside sources and save your full-timers for what they're there for: growing the company.

Utilize contractors. If you have time to do project management internally and have knowledge of what goes into building a web site then contractors may be an option.

Go with an expert. There are many Internet Design and Development companies that can provide a turnkey solution for you based on your needs, budgets and timelines.

Finally, don't forget ongoing maintenance. No matter who designs and develops your site, you can't just put it up and leave it there. A good site creation plan should incorporate the long term.

Pricing

The cost of designing a Web site is tricky business. Web designing is a relatively new profession and even Web designers themselves are uncertain as to how much they should be charging since experience and abilities tend to range dramatically from person to person. A good independent contractor, or a member of a Web design firm, will ask you questions about your specific needs and your expectations to determine the amount of time and work it will take to complete the project. Then they'll submit a bid or proposal. For best results, make certain that you explain your needs clearly and furnish an RFP (request for proposal) that outlines you needs and goals in writing. If you're using an independent contractor, the full cost of the project will probably be determined by the designer's hourly rate and the number of hours per day the designer plans to work on it over a specific time period. Some contractors will be willing to negotiate a flat fee for the entire project.

The hourly rate for contractors tends to be between $50 and $100. You may find someone who charges less than $50 per hour, but that will likely be someone who is still fairly inexperienced. In the end it may not be worth investing in someone who may or may not have the experience necessary to complete the job.

For a high-end designer, one with several successful Web designs in their portfolio and/or one who is capable of developing back-end functions of the site, expect their fee to be at least $100/hour.

In some cases using a professional web design and development company may be a bit more expensive than using an individual ($100 - $150/hour); however, the value that an experienced firm can bring to the table can end up creating more value than cost. Often well managed web development companies are more efficient than independent contractors since they utilize different specialists for each need as apposed to generalists.

This educational content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, home improvement or health advice. Content on this page is provided by Ask The Experts and not the featured advertiser.

Back to the top