Three Tips to a Better Website Building Experience.

Can Someone Build Your Website For $500 (or $5,000)?
Yes it can be done, but will it meet your expectations? Make sure the developer can deliver what you want by checking references and that you know what you are getting for that $500.

When Website Development Goes Bad

Over the past 6 months several small business owners have contacted Zajon to see if we can help rebuild their website. They were not happy with their current developer and wanted to change. I am always happy to get new clients, but I'm also curious as to why they are changing?

The reasons seem to fall in one of two categories.

Over Promise

Some website developers or their sales staff will promise anything to get the project. Sometimes they are so busy that they can not get to your project for several weeks after it was actually suppose to start. In either case the result is a missed deadlines and / or a delayed launch.

Bad Communication

Sometimes there is a communications problem between both parties. The client is expecting or assuming that they will get X, Y and Z for their money, but the developer is assumes that the client only wants X and Y.

Not Communicating

Not returning phone calls was also a common complaint about development companies. By itself this issue was not enough to prompt a client to leave the developer. But, when combined with missed deadlines and unfulfilled promises, it raised the level of frustration. This seemed to be a common thread with many decisions to change developers.

Avoiding a Bad Experience

There are several things you can do to reduce the risk of this happening to you, here are three of them.

1. Check References:
   I know that you are only spending $500 on the website and figure nothing can go wrong with a simple site like this, but it can and I've seen it the results. If you are willing to risk flushing away that amount of money then ignore this advice. Any company that builds websites should be fine providing references on request. Ask that the references be for companies with similar budgets as yours.
2. Get It In Writing:
   Even for small projects, that cost under $1,000 I will give clients a written proposal that includes a sitemap (or list)  of the pages on the site and describe any additional functionality, such as contact pages, that they have asked for. More complex web projects get a more detailed description of the project. Large projects include a complete technical specification outlining the functionality of all parts of the website.
3. Don't Pay In Advance
   Do not pay the for the entire project in advance. It is common practice for developers to ask for an initial payment, ranging from 25% - 50% of the projects total, and it makes sense to pay that costs in advance.

 As a business owner, you need to do a little home work. Ask for samples of work that are comparable to what you would get. It might not come as a surprise, but portfolios usually represent a company's best work. So if you are basing your assumptions on the websites you see there, you probably are looking at projects that cost more than $500.

Advice for Developers (and Other Businesses)

• Communicate honestly with clients. 
• Make sure they understand what they will be getting, before you take their money or begin a project.
• Deliver what you promise.
• Return phone calls, especially if you know you have screwed up.

The above advice seems obvious, but recent experience has led me to believe that it is not always practiced.