Four points to be considered before choosing a web design firm

[Gordon59]

The main objective of building a website is creating conversions to attract potential customers. A website that can give ample conversions goes beyond the plain HTML designs.

Here are the four major factors that we should note while hiring a professional website design firm. These issues can be addressed only by a professional website design firm.


• The professional website designers should have a clear-cut idea about the latest web standards and technologies and should also have adequate experience in them. They should know about all the dos and don’ts of web development.
• If no one knows to use a website, there is no point in maintaining one. The professional website design firm that you choose should assure you that the content and design are placed in a methodical fashion that benefits the usability of the website.
• Search engine optimization is another important aspect of a website. This improves the quality of traffic that a website gets. The professional website design firm that you choose should be experienced in SEO too, and should guarantee a good amount of website traffic. This helps in getting a high Google ranking.
• Your website needs a nice aesthetic design that’s attractive and professional. This increases the conversion rate. Refer the portfolio of the web design firm to get an idea about their web designs.

[KimmieA]

Gordon these are great tips. I know that there are a lot of eye care professionals that are family owned businesses and this really helps to outline some important things. Hiring your own professional website designer is ideal. Might I add that Landing Page Optimization is one of the most crucial elements in both design and seo. The design keeps the viewers ON your website, getting to know you; while the content helps google's bots crawl your site better (and you rank higher!). This is great information, thanks for sharing Gordon!

[PhotonicGuy]

Yes! Standards, usability, SEO and design concept. May I add: good development process.

[rbaker]

The main objective of building a website is creating conversions to attract potential customers. A website that can give ample conversions goes beyond the plain HTML designs.

Let me add an additional objective. EDITING and PROOFREADING. What is this "conversions" that you speak of?

[QDO1]

As a webdesigner who understands optics backwards... Good management, good understanding of the business, understanding of the customer

Of course we fit that bill: www.placeofdesign.com

[HarryChiling]

Web 1.0 - (Static) This type of site isn't worth paying a design firm for. Any yahoo with the ability to use word, publisher, or any of the other basic text editors can create their own website with a little bit of knowledge. Of course the SEO and other tidbits that will get viewers to your site won't be ideal, but who are we kidding a static site is so '90's that it's not really going to attrack any visitors anyway.

Web 2.0 - (Dynamic) This site incorporates blogs, twitter feeds, RSS, and allows the user to interact with your website like an application. This type of site is going to require a bit of know how and requires the skills of a professional. Make sure to truly integrat these features into a site even if it is only an aesthetic integration.

Web 3.0 - (Semantic) This is tyhe future according to some, basically the web becomes a living database that can be interpreted by machines or search engines. It is very very important to have a web designer that is knowledgeable in his/her craft to implement sites that are ready for this standard in web design. Currently XML & XSLT, XHTML & CSS, and technologies such as AJAX are taking advantage of data that is formated for the 3.0, by sticking to stricter standards in coding search engines will be more readily able to intepret data. The technologies in the web 3.0 are focused on seperateing the data from the aesthetics which means that data should be structured in ways that are easily seperated from their styleing.

Make sure that any web designer understands the future of the web and designs your sites to be current with their technology. For instance a 2 sites designed exactly the same but one having a form will get a higher ranking from google because forms are more interactive therfore more current. Same with XHTML, so if your site has a doctye attribute that is XHTML then it will rank higher than one that is only HTML.

[Petedsm]

While all of these are great points, the key is really a firm that truly understands your business and your customers. It's not about pretty pictures and tips and tricks. It's about a fundamental understanding of the business goals for the site, the target audience, and the experience that needs to be delivered. So many people want to dive into eCommerce without the foggiest idea of the impact to their business processes yet alone what it will take to actually attract the type of customer they want.

The reality is that it takes just as much effort, strategy, and money, to run your business online as it does to run your business offline (#1 lesson from the .com era). Plan for it like you would if your were going to add an additional 1000 sq ft to your floor space. Develop your strategic plan internally first and then find the firm that best understands your vision. They may not be the cheapest but they will deliver.

Final note, be realistic with your budget for your site. There is no magic to developing a website estimate. Its all time & materials. How much are you willing to invest to see your vision through? How much return do you expect? Sites vary in pricing from firm to firm based on time required and skill sets required to accomplish your goals.

[PhotonicGuy]

Petedsm, thanks for your advices. I think you are right on this and yes, indeed, all of these are important.

[HarryChiling]

While all of these are great points, the key is really a firm that truly understands your business and your customers. It's not about pretty pictures and tips and tricks. It's about a fundamental understanding of the business goals for the site, the target audience, and the experience that needs to be delivered. So many people want to dive into eCommerce without the foggiest idea of the impact to their business processes yet alone what it will take to actually attract the type of customer they want.

The reality is that it takes just as much effort, strategy, and money, to run your business online as it does to run your business offline (#1 lesson from the .com era). Plan for it like you would if your were going to add an additional 1000 sq ft to your floor space. Develop your strategic plan internally first and then find the firm that best understands your vision. They may not be the cheapest but they will deliver.

Final note, be realistic with your budget for your site. There is no magic to developing a website estimate. Its all time & materials. How much are you willing to invest to see your vision through? How much return do you expect? Sites vary in pricing from firm to firm based on time required and skill sets required to accomplish your goals.

Those are all great additions to a great design firm, I would add that no firm is going to be an expert in every field they design a site for, therefore it is a great idea to back up the firms research into your industry with additional research on your own. I like the idea of having a firm design for your vision, but sometimes the firm needs to tell you how your vision is going to work within the confines of current technology.

[MikeAurelius]

The single most important thing (in my mind anyway): is using someone CLOSE BY. Someone you can either sit down across the desk or who can swing by and visit with you in person. Context is everything, and while a generic website can be built on most modern platforms available today, it cannot be made to fit unless there is the personal touch.

Having your business in Peoria IL and using a UK-based web designer is the epitome of failure in a large scale.

[casting guru]

This thread is old, old, old.... but there's still something important here worth pointing out for anyone who reads it hoping to find useful advice for their practice...
1. The OP (original poster) registered for OptiBoard and then made ONLY ONE post. This one. That makes him a troll who knows nothing of the optical industry in particular. Maybe a great web design firm though.
2. "What is this conversions you speak of?" The word conversion was used intentionally. It means that someone views your website, and takes the action that you want them to... i.e. they CALL TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, or they purchase something online, or they sign up for a newsletter, or they "Like" you on Facebook. Your site has then "converted" them (into a "customer," so to speak).
3. Mike Aurelius's point is EXCELLENT! As a web developer, I want my clients to succeed.... my reputation is based on it. If I'm a million miles away, that's less likely no matter how awesome of a web designer I am. I want to drop by with a fresh St@rbuck$ for the Doc, and have a chat about his "conversion metrics"... so that he KNOWS his money has been spent well. So that he will refer me! My customers' success and my reputation are equivalent!