things to Look for When Hiring a Web Development Company

If you have ever shopped around for a web design company, you know it can be extremely difficult to narrow down the selection. There are so many design companies out there, and it can be difficult to understand what all the options are, or why some are better for you than others.

We have compiled a list of 10 things that we think make a web development company excel. In the interest of full disclosure, Amadeus Consulting does custom web development, and we do it pretty well. This is the process we take our customers through to ensure their needs are met. Nevertheless, we want people to know what they should look for in choosing a development company and a few simple things that you can look for that will nearly always ensure that you get what you want.

Feel free to contact us right now, and we can walk you through the process below.

Determine your needs

The first step is determining what you need. Now this is not anything technical and can be as generic as “a website.” But you should also be able to determine what you need your website to do. Is it selling something like an ecommerce site, is it a marketing tool, a user engagement tool, or does it help your improve or upgrade internal processes?

Determining your needs helps you determine which type of developer to hire, and lets you ask specific questions when talking to them. Some developers specialize in one area, such as database development or ecommerce, whereas other developers do not have the internal expertise to handle certain requests.

Also, try to determine what you want your website to help your company do. “Make money” is a fine answer, but narrowing it down to real results: increasing sales, providing information on clients, providing tools to engage customers, increasing efficiency, stability or usability will help you find a developer that can meet your exact need. The more specific you can be the better you will be able to narrow down your search.

Get References and Testimonials

When looking at a potential company, look at its portfolio. This can highlight some of its design skills and help you determine if it is the right kind of company for you. Has the company done something in your particular industry before?

Also, look for success stories. If you judge a website only by how it looks, you are only getting a very small part of the story. Find out if the websites were able to help increase sales, or efficiency, or customer service, or accomplish the business goal for which they were designed.

Take a peek at some of our client successes.

Communication

Without a degree in computer science, it can be hard to distinguish what the different acronyms mean and what they mean to you. Its like talking to a car mechanic, where all you can do mimic the noises and hope the mechanic can tie that to an actual mechanical problem.

With a website, maybe all you can say is, “I want it to go whoosh and pooom,” and thats okay. A business development consultant and software developer should take the time to listen and understand what you want, and be able to translate your needs into a proposal and eventually into a final product.

Communication also means that they should be able to give you an update during each phase of the project, from conceptual design and wire framing to launching final site. You should know exactly what is happening and be able to provide feedback during each phase of the project.

We have extensive experience in the custom software development process, and communicate every step to our clients.

Software Skills
Many application developers tend to create a long list of skills (and skills that almost everyone offers) hoping that if their list is longer then they will be more appealing. However, most developers neglect to explain the actual benefits of each service, and they dont always provide any evidence of actual proficiency only capability.

Look for companies that can focus on the benefits of using certain technologies to solve your business problems. You will notice a difference as you talk to different companies as some will be focused only on what you want to create, whereas better developers will ask more questions about what the site is trying to accomplish. Focus on companies that are focused on using the right technology to solve your need, rather than one that just provides a list of potential services.

One of the benefits to hiring a design firm, rather than a small team or an individual, is that they will have experts in different areas of web design. Development teams are able to provide the best perspective on what you need because they are not biased by their own personal preferences or skill specialties.

Full Service

One of the benefits to full service shops is that they tend to naturally integrate each specialty into the overall design. Whereas some shops focus on one aspect of web design (usually the programming), larger design companies are able to divide the work into different specialties. For example, the interface designer will have more training on usability best practices, which leaves the programmers more time to focus on security and stability.

One of the most interesting things about working at Amadeus Consulting is it is a full service custom software development company. This means our specialties extend well outside of web development, which allows us to bring in people for special projects such as database integration or broader IT services.

Full service firms also are more likely use and integrate new technology. For example, many people can do Flash development because it is an older technology, but few firms can develop in Silverlight which has distinct advantages over Flash in certain applications.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Many development companies offer search engine optimization (SEO) as a service as well. This is almost always an optional service; however you should always look for a company that is well versed in SEO best practices.

Part of the challenge of the Internet is making yourself visible among the crowds and above your competitors. Search engine optimization works with search engines, such as Yahoo and Google, to help your site rank as best as it can for particular searches.

Even though optimization is an ongoing process, not a onetime event, it needs to be integrated from the very beginning in order to have the greatest possible success. Otherwise you will have a site that is not performing as you hoped which costs you money and lost opportunities.

In addition to SEO, many larger firms also have marketing experts that can help launch your site and draw people in. This can even include help with advertising, managing pay-per-click campaigns, or social media marketing. It may not be a service you need initially, but having a good relationship with a web-savvy company can benefit you down the road, especially if they are already familiar with your business.

Content and Writing

Most small development firms focus on what they are best at: programming, because each employee is a trained (or self-trained) programmer and they are legitimately good at what they do. However, you might also consider looking at a firm that can provide copy writing and content for your site.

Copy writing is a technical skill that can be difficult to get right, especially as it varies between industries and audiences not too much like a sales pitch, but still interesting and compelling. Like having an expert in SEO, the benefits to having a skilled copy writer can be tremendous, since they assist with all the text on your site.

Copy writers can also help you quickly develop content for your sites. Whether you want to start a blog or just create some informational pages about your company or industry, copy writers can save you time and help enhance the content on your site before it launches.

Graphics and the User Experience

Most users dont know and dont care how a site was built (sorry programmers), they just want it to work and be easy to use. A sad part of programming is that the better you do, the less people will notice it.

When shopping around for a developer, make sure that they have graphic design and user interface skills. In some cases developers can bring in contract designers, however having the ability in-house helps them work together and integrate a lot of the efforts. Usability affects page design and the flow from one page to another and ultimately to the “action page” where you close a sale, or gain a lead. It is important that the developer and designer can work together to make the site as efficient as possible.

Its okay to bring examples of other sites that you like, or even areas of your current site that you still like. Some sites are very flashy and are fun to look at, like MountainDew.com, and other sites like Amazon.com, are very simple but extremely easy to use.

The difference depends on the purpose of your website. An experienced web development company can help you design a site that fits your business.

Support

One of the difficulties in hiring a web designer is that you want to know if they will be able to help you a few months or years down the road.

If there is one thing that is certain on the Internet, it is that things are always changing. As web standards evolve, compatibility issues arise, and smart phones invade the web, how will your site survive? Finding a trusted development company can be important for your sites long term success and will help you adapt as the Internet changes.

Gut Feeling
Even if you send out an RFP (Request for Proposal) which helps you judge developers on a set list of questions, you still have to go on your gut feeling.

Meet with each of your favorite companies at least once, and get to know them and their culture. Your top few choices are probably all capable of doing what you need. Website projects are more likely to succeed if you get along with the team members.

So there you have it 10 points to keep in mind when shopping for a web design company. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us.

Grow Your Business with Comprehensive E-commerce Web Development

It is futile to expect your business to start getting new customers through the internet just by floating a website. You need to have what can be termed a good web presence. The service of a good ecommerce web development company is an imperative to bring about interest in the online visitor traffic for your website. Your ecommerce website design can do with an overhaul. This is the case with many business ventures that have no clue about how to go about tapping into the market that internet makes available to them. The ecommerce website design is also important in terms of suitable aesthetics and end user navigation for the kind of business for which the website is meant. Hiring a company which has good layout designers can never be ignored as inessential. The important thing is that they should be aware or their other team members should make them aware about the concept of the specific business and the kind of clients that are expected. A Web Development Company with expertise in ecommerce development is just what a business hoping to grab the market share offered by the internet users needs.

AKS Interactive, an ecommerce web development company, based in Delhi is a comprehensive online solution provider with ecommerce development and internet marketing as their specialization. Companies like them have a team of designers, developers, SEO professionals, etc. who can provide the most comprehensive solutions for any business ventures. They draw on their experience of the successful completion of several projects and also use their insight on how to use it for creating the best possible impact on the target customers. Ecommerce website design and development needs different work compared to others. SEO integration into such specialized task can work wonders for any business, whether well established or budding new venture. All they need is creation of a web presence that convinces the target visitors that the company is the goods. They need to have a customized shopping cart with ease in navigation to product description, online transactions and the FAQ section. After getting in touch with an ecommerce website design company that knows how to implement projects for companies like yours, they will make you more informed about how it can serve you best.

If you are looking to grow your business online, it is advisable to choose a web development company for getting developed an ecommerce application or get SEO service for your company website that serves to attract more visitor traffic to your website. An implementation of online campaign which integrates effective ecommerce web development and internet marketing with SEO can go a long way in enhancing revenues and creating brand image for any business.

AKS Interactive is a Web Development Company provides Ecommerce Website Design, Ecommerce Web Development, and SEO Services at very affordable price. For more information visit: www.aksinteractive.com.

What Makes E-Commerce Website Development Crucial for Online Business

The burgeoning popularity of online trading has completely changed the business scenario of the era. With millions of service providers vying for prospects across the web, catching the attention of online visitors and holding them for long and turning them into buyers have become a challenging task for every e-business owner. Thanks to the e-commerce website development that has simplified the problem to a large extent. A website needs to be highly functional and professionally developed to hold a successful business promotion and visitor satisfaction. E-commerce development has made it easier for the webmasters to keep balance between their online business and target audience.

Two websites meant for the same online business may not achieve the same success. If you analyze the reasons, you can feel that website design has a major role in the success of an e-business. An ordinarily designed website can never solve the demands of modern marketing needs. It needs a professionally and strategically designed website to penetrate the world of online business and create a strong platform for the company to enlarge its customer base. The online shoppers have millions of options to choose from across the web, but it is the design of the website that can hold their attention and influence their buying decision. E-commerce website development plans serve the basic purpose of the e-business and make a lot of difference in the success of the business.

Strategic Design for Target Audience

Relevant visitors are crucial for any online business. However, it is the design on a website that attracts or diverts online traffic to it. If a website or e-business has right kind of e-commerce website development, it can get faster user attention than its competitors. Different types of online businesses have different requirements considering their audience. If a site is designed in a user-friendly way, it will provide a hassle-free shopping experience for the online buyers. Detail information regarding services and shopping, easy navigation structure, handy payment modes, etc helps a lot in the shopping decision of the customers. These factors are considered carefully in the e-commerce website development to give a boost to the number of visitors to a site.

Design to Fit the SEO Plans for the Business

Unless a website is properly promoted across the web, its difficult to get visibility as well as visitors to the site. However, it needs a carefully designed site so that it can fit into the SEO plans to market the online business. These days, the search engines have changed their algorithms and giving preference to sites that are useful in all respect for the visitors. In short, a website designed in a well-planned and SEO-friendly way can receive better attention.

It is difficult to meet the demands of online marketing without having all round approach for the e-business. Thats why E-commerce website development has increased with it popularity as well as functionality. There are various aspects of e-commerce development and webmasters can select the site design based on the kind of business they have or their requirements from the site.

Offshore Web Development And The Challenges Faced

With increasing software demands, the competition in the IT industry is on the rise. High quality results are expected as well as demanded by most customers at a cost that can be as low as possible. However, most often there are shortages of highly skilled and good quality programmers. To handle such issues one way that has been discovered is combining the work of remotely located as well as locally based project developers. Project developers are hired who can focus on the tasks that need direct interactions with people on site. The rest of development team members located remotely can handle the other tasks.

The trend of offshore web development is booming since the last decade. Majority of the businesses around the globe are outsourcing the section of web development to various offshore centres located at Brazil, China, India, etc. Both big as well as small companies have benefitted a lot from this by leveraging themselves. While planning to outsource software projects to such centres there are a few things that must be kept in mind- some of the challenges that the model has. These must be overcome otherwise they might prove to be a hamper for your success.

Quality of communication- The amount as well as quality needed for management of offshore projects along with relationships is underestimated by most companies. Resource availability and timing are major issues; the relationship can work only by proper commitment as well as their ability of being available when the need arises. Sometimes there are language barriers as well. Plenty of communication as well as coordination skills are required otherwise it might lead to wastage of money as well as valuable time.

Project details- Some of the companies simply want to complete the job without going into the depth of the matter; sometimes the projects details are not even grasped. This results in them underestimating the time that will take for completion of the projects; it will lead to simply increased costs. The deadlines are not met as well.

Lacking advanced programming skills- Often at some particular centres the focus is on mass production. As a consequence there are very few truly advanced programmers. Thus advanced coding often becomes heavy, sloppy and not really functioning in the manner it should be. For example codes which should ideally be implemented within 20 lines, are done in 100.

No or limited legal recourse- Since the location of both the parties are in different countries there is limited control over the data or information that you have given to the offshore company; it may be repurposed or resold without your knowledge. Since the legal system is completely different, the understanding is lacking. There is no sense in doing anything legally due to the associated costs and distance.

More difficult testing- In a general case, the testing phase of outsourced projects is really more difficult when compared to an in-house project. If a problem is found during in-house testing of a software piece developed offshore, then communication needs to be done with offshore vendors. There might be problems with that since the problem may not be reproduced with the offshore vendor. The problem may be fixed easily by looking at the machine where it happened. Or perhaps the problem has not been communicated properly.

Time difference- Generally, there is quite a time difference between offshore vendors and clients, making communication difficult. A question asked on a day gets answered on the next day only. However, this may be solved through scheduling of weekly meetings. Extra meetings may be scheduled to discuss more difficult problems.

Hiring efficient offshore development companies which know what they are doing is a really critical business decision to be undertaken. If the correct partner can be found then some of the problems mentioned here can actually be avoided. The correct partner allows you to capitalize on the multiple benefits that come when you work with offshore companies. To get maximum benefits of web development, you may consider hiring services of a certified software development company India.

Kandk Infotech Offers Best Solutions Of Web Development

The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. With a web browser, one can view Web pages that may contain text, images, videos, and other multimedia and navigate between them using hyperlinks. Using concepts from earlier hypertext systems, English physicist Tim Berners-Lee, now the Director of the World Wide Web Consortium, wrote a proposal in March 1989 for what would eventually become the World Wide Web.
KANDK INFOTECH is Technical Staffing, Web Development, IT Services and BPO service provider company firm started in the year 2002 and headquartered in the charlotte NC with branch offices all over the US, UK, Canada and offshore development facilities in India.
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