Now that you've decided to hire your website design services, what is your next step?  Here are a few guidelines for what you should expect to provide and receive from your website designer: What you should provide. A description of your target audience.  This is key information.  Your website designer must know how to target your website.  Both the artistic style and nature of your website's content are highly dependent upon this information. How your business is structured.  Do you have multiple locations?  Who are your staff?  How should potential customers contact you (email, postal mail, online form, phone)?  Information of this type should be provided to your website designer so that the proper scope of your site can be developed. Product information.  A complete description of the product or service your business offers -- including photos and descriptive brochures if available -- is absolutely essential for your site designer.  If your product involves technical specifications, instructions, customer support, or other information useful to your customers, then you should be prepared to make available full descriptive information of this type to your website designer.  If possible, it is always better to provide this information electronically, e.g., word processor documents and bitmapped images. Feedback & Ordering  Be prepared to discuss how you want to gather customer feedback and product order or service inquiry information.  There are a variety of ways to do this from simple e-mail links to complex forms.  Your website designer can help you determine method best suits your needs. Your Site Address  You need to establish a domain name (site address, e.g., "www.yourcompany.com") that is unique.  You will need to register your address with the InterNIC (currently, $35/year, initial registration is for two years -- $70).  Your website designer can help you select a name which is both appropriate and available. Budget guidelines.  What is your website budget?  You need to establish budgetary guidelines with your site developer (much like you would with a builder who is asked to estimate cost of construction).  There are a wide range of solutions that can be tailored to your specific needs - you need to provide appropriate financial guidance so that your designer can select the best website within your budget. Time frame.  When do you need your site completed?  This should be made very clear from the outset.  Depending on the complexity of your site, it can take considerable time to develop your website - be sure you convey your timeframe to the site designer so there are no misunderstandings.  If your timetable is not realistic for the complexity of your site design, then your website designer can prepare an "interim" solution that gets you "online" within your timeframe with a reduced presence.  As your site is developed, new pages and features can be added.  Remember, websites should be dynamic in the sense that they should evolve over time to reflect changes in your business and in the tastes and interests of your potential customers. Site maintenance.  Websites are never finished!  This is a cardinal rule of the internet.  It is important that any changes in your business be reflected on your website with minimum delay.  It is a good idea to include regularly changing items (such as FAQs and Tips) to keep your website dynamic and encourage potential customers to return regularly.  Periodically update the look of your website to maintain an image of progress and change.  Be prepared to discuss site maintenance with your site designer. Website savvy.  If you are to embark on the expense of having your website created, you should first understand what is available at other websites, particularly those of your competitors.  Armed with the knowledge that comes from "surfing" the internet, you can better inform your site designer about what you like and don't like about your competitors' sites.  If you are in the enviable position of not having competitors who already have websites, you should still tell your site designer of features you like at other sites which are applicable to your website. What you should receive. Evidence of experience.  Your site designer should be able to show you other websites designed, much as a builder will refer you to other construction work performed.  It is important for you to have both confidence in and reliance on your website designer's tastes and abilities. A detalied estimate.  Your initial meeting and any subsequent website cost estimate should come at no charge to you.  These are normal costs of doing business and should not entail a separate charge to you.  It is important that you provide detailed information from which a reasonable cost estimate for your site can be prepared.  Following your initial meeting, your website designer should give you a detailed breakdown of: the proposed site outline, a schedule of when your website can be completed, time required for graphics art preparation, time required for special programming (PERL, JAVA, ActiveX, etx.), time required for any forms preparation and form processing programs, and time required to develop the overall website HTML code. These times should be related to cost, either by category or by applying an hourly rate scale to the various categories estimated.  Remember that any estimate is only as good as the information it is based upon.  You must provide complete information upon which the estimate can be based. Prompt service.  Once you have agreed to the terms of the detailed time and cost estimate proposal, you should expect and receive services according to the schedule provided with the proposal.  However, bear in mind that the schedule assumes timely information is provided by you to the site designer. Site promotion.  When your site is completed, do not expect to immediately receive hundreds of visitors to your website.  Like any new venture, your appearance on the internet will take time to be noticed.  There are a number of things that can be done to reduce that time.  First, coordinate your regular business activities so that your site address (domain name) begins to appear in all your advertising and on all your business cards as soon as the site is activated.  Second, you can have company e-mail addresses relate to your new site address (coordinate this with your site designer) and include your website address in all electronic correspondence.  Finally, you can take advantage of internet services that provide website search and promotional services.  Many of these services are "free" (e.g., major search engines will list your site for nothing).  However, it can be a time-consuming process for you to individually list your site on the many search engines.  Speak with your site designer about the various options and services available to you so your site can get "known" as quickly as possible. Don't be impatient! It can take years for your new site to reach your desired visitor activity. Site installation.  Your website designer will develop your site on different hardware (PC or designer's site server) than where your site is to be hosted.  Once your site is completed, your site designer should preview it with you for your final approval and acceptance.  You should be prepared to entrust your site designer with access information so that your completed and approved site can be installed with both a minimum involvement on your part and a minimum delay.  Of course, if your designer provides your hosting service (as a "one-stop" website source), then this is not an issue. One final note.  Once you have approved the completed site, you should be prepared to make full payment for site design and development services agreed upon.  Final payment would normally be made after the work is approved and prior to final installation at your website hosting service.  This should be clearly understood in your initial agreement with your site designer. While not exhaustive, these guidelines should help you understand what is involved in the planning and production of a good website.  If you have any suggestions or tips that should be included here, please use our online comment form. Return to "How do I get my website created?" Return to "Getting Started"