What You NEED To Know When Choosing A Web Developer! Part 1
In any industry it is important to choose carefully when picking a web designer. There are so many items you need to decide in the process. Your project could be an absolute joy to work on, or could be an absolute nightmare, that just won't go away. Most people think that the only decisions they need to make are: Choosing a Template or Custom Site, Picking out a developer or template company, IDX provider, and price/budget. The fact of the matter is that there are so many other factors that need to be decided.
What Experience & Background Does The Developer Have?
Probably one of the most important questions to ask! I've included a few questions to ask in this subject.
•· What is their experience in real estate web development?
•· How well are you familiar with the buying, selling & contract processes in real estate? - You may wonder why this is important, and fact of the matter is that you need to choose someone who lives & breathes real estate, as to ensure that everything on your website is done properly - as to refer to real estate. The developer is going to need to know what type of content to place on your site, they will need to know what potential real estate clients are going to want from a real estate website, and the developer needs to know how to properly build the site for SEO as it relates to real estate!
•· Are you familiar with the content that is required by law (for example: Equal Housing Logos, Realtor Logos, Broker contact information, MLS Requirements, and more).
•· Do you have a programmer & a marketing person or are you a one man show? In order to get the best creativity and design aspect, you will need someone or a team of marketing experts, as well as having the programmer to actually build & develop the website. Having a team of people building your website is important to find any flaws and discuss idea that will help in the ease of use, the design of the site, & other important items of the site including SEO.
•· What other value added services does your web development company offer? Do you offer branding services? Logos, brochures, flyers, postcards, ad development, and other marketing services?
How Easy Are Your Sites To Modify Myself?
Your web designer should have an easy to use backend system that allows you to add/edit content on all your pages, add, edit & delete listings, add & delete photos, add/delete users, polls, etc. The key to this is it NEEDS to be easy, if it is difficult, you will be less inclined to regularly modify your website. You should be able to a listing within minutes, and the content should be as easy as writing a Word Document. The backend system should be secure, and also should not broadcast - meaning that when search engines index your website, they should ignore that the admin page even exists (having it visible on the internet is just an invitation for someone to attempt to login.
Who Do You Use or Recommend For An IDX Solution? Can We Use Our Own Provider?
There are many options available for IDX - MLS Search options now-a-days. Those options also differ from MLS to MLS. A provider may recommend or use a IDX provider for the majority of their clients, but it may not offer everything that you want, or you may be in a different MLS area, and the features available with the provider, may not be compatible with your MLS. It's important to view several IDX providers, use their features and put yourself in your buyers shoes...Is the site easy to navigate? Can you save searches? Is the data laid out in a easy to use manner? Can you search via a map search? Price should also be a factor. There are several providers out there that provide the same service and the prices can really vary. I always recommend contacting several other clients of the IDX provider to see how happy they are with the service.
What Format Do You Use To Develop Your Sites?
You need to make sure that your web developer codes the websites themselves. You don't want a developer (or wanna be developer) to use all images on the website to create your pretty site and you also don't want them to use a lot of flash on the website (a little bit here and there is fine, but definitely any content that is of any value) Your website needs to be coded correctly by a programmer/developer that optimizes the site for quick loading, that it works properly on many web browsers including: IE 4/5, IE 6, IE 7, Mozilla, Netscape, Safari, and others. It also needs to work properly on platforms other than windows (such as linux and apple) Good coding will also mean that the site is optimized for SEO. You also need to make sure that they verify that the HTML & CSS CODE is verified with no errors or warnings (or an extreme minimum of warnings - sometimes these are almost inevitable. You wouldn't believe how many sites we run across with hundreds of errors, or don't load properly.
What Is Expected Of Me As A Client? What Am I Going To Need To Provide To The Project?
You'll need to find out what is expected of you as a client. Remember the developer is CUSTOM BUILDING the website to MEET YOUR NEEDS, you need to voice your wants & needs at the beginning of the project, as well as throughout the project...if you don't like something while building the site-say something before it is complete, if you have needs that come along later during the project, make sure that you can add items to the "to do list" You will always find items that need changed during the project. You will also need to provide content to the website, to truly make it yours. The developer may request that you get several professional photos taken or at the minimum an updated head shot. Trust the developer...we work in web & marketing day in and day out. They know that having updated photos and information are important.
What Is It Going To Cost?
Make sure your develop knows your budget ahead of time, to avoid a surprise later. Its often true that you get what you pay for. Hire someone with experience, and that you know does quality work. Hiring someone just because the site "looks" nice & its cheap, will probably lead to a disaster. A Developer should provide you with samples of their work, and samples of "disaster" projects.... Set aside a budget, remember that a website is supposed to make you money! Your website is often your potential clients first impression of you....do it right the first time!
Expandability...
You need to make sure that your website can GROW with your ever changing needs. Content, design, and more should be able to be easily updated. You don't want to have a site developed only to realize a year or so down the road, that the entire site needs to be rebuilt in order to give it a "fresh" look.
SEO
I'll keep this quick, even though it is a big item...but it is covered extensively in other blogs that I have posted, and that others have posted.
Make sure that the developer has a good understanding of SEO, how to implement it, and how to make sure your site is built with SEO in mind.
Now that you have a good understanding of what to look for in a developer, CLICK HERE FOR PART 2. In Part 2, We will answer this interview about ourselves!
Best of luck out there!
David Fox
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