Questions You Should Always Ask Your Web Designer

Firstly, be sure from the outset that the web design company has a genuine want to design your site. There's a lot of ideas that go into a website design, and if your designer isn't passionate about producing an impressive end result, then you should definitely choose someone else. It's better to take longer to choose your web designer than choosing quickly and them not understanding exactly what you want achieved.

Secondly, ask to see the web designer's portfolio. Anyone can talk a good talk, so it's best to be certain that they can produce the result you're looking for, and what better way to be sure of this than to look through their past website designs? By looking through a web designer's portfolio, you'll instantly know whether or not you like their designs.

Thirdly, you need to be clear about exactly what the web designer will want from you, and how much of your time this will take up. They're the designer after all, so you don't want the design and build process to take up the same amount of your time as it will theirs, as you may as well then be producing the site yourself. Whilst planning a website is undoubtedly time consuming, once this has been completed it shouldn't take up much of your time.

Fourthly, double check that once the site has been designed and built, it then belongs to the company that's paid for it. More often than not, web designers are paid by companies to create a website for them, which the web designer then owns. Whilst this may seem crazy, there are many web designers who work in this way, so be sure to check.

Next, you need to ask your web designer what the payment terms are. This is because website designs can be a major investment and the last thing you'd want is to have to pay for every penny of the design upfront. With most companies asking for a deposit upfront, ensure all details of payment terms are in writing, so that nothing can be disputed once the design has been completed.

It's also a good idea to ask your web designer how the site will be maintained. As with all websites, fresh content is needed in order to keep it updated, so you need to find out what's included in the maintenance contract, if very much at all. Normally, web designers agree to work on an hourly basis for businesses after the design has been completed, being on hand to help them with anything from site errors to the set up of email addresses, for example.

There should also be something included that helps you to monitor visitors to the site, as feedback is of course vital. Your web pages should get the visitors they deserve, especially if you've invested a lot of money in the build of it. Being able to access a daily traffic analysis is a good idea, as you can then monitor any unusual traffic patterns.

Finally, you need to get a complete quote for the website design and ensure that this fits within your budget. Of course, you should be realistic with this and should have carried out your own research before you decided on it, in order to understand exactly what the amount of money will get you. If you're happy with the quote and happy with the design plan, then go ahead!

Sam Beavan writes for the One Vision TV team - a highly successful healthcare marketing company and GP practice management service consultancy based in London and Manchester.

Sam Beavan is the MD of One Vision Health in London. One Vision Health offers health marketing services and practice management support to clinics throughout the UK. The company specializes in medical web design, health PR, dental marketing and medical video production services.

- http://onevisionhealth.co.uk

What To Expect From A Web Design Quotation

If you are looking to make a simple CMS website that sells a product or service, your web design quote should encompass these features:

Navigation and access to information

Navigation must be quick and simple, giving user quick access to the information relevant to them, dependant on the type of product they are looking for. As such we propose there is a primary level of navigation, used to direct users to the product area that is most relevant to them, be it a corporate video, and wedding video or other product variation. When a primary area has been selected, users will then be able to navigate the section using additional secondary navigation.

Customer Profile Section

The site will include a password protected consumer profile area where user will be able to log in and view and edit their customer details, including the ability to

Update contact information
Manage and add to their package
Make Payments

Customer Profiles will then be accessible via the customer management section of the CMS.

Content Management System (CMS)

Layouts of headings, main body text and the like will remain constant throughout the site using an agreed framework to maintain the design integrity and brand consistency of the website.

The CMS will be developed in a web-based format with a "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG) editor at its core. Initially, we will incorporate up to four different page layout templates such as home page, news page, standard content page and one additional as preferred. The CMS will be accessed via a password protected administration link for security of the site.

Customer Profile Section (within CMS)

This area will provide a searchable database of all profiles on the site. you will be able to view and amend:

Customer Contact Details
Customer Purchases
Order Details
Order Progress
Individual Customer

Additional functionality

Mobile web (optional - by additional quotation)
Each website created within the CMS will also include a mobile version, specifically designed for the latest range of touch-screen mobiles including iOS and Android.

Social networking
Integration of social networking, allowing articles and news to be posted to Twitter, Facebook, del.ici.ous, Stumble Upon, Digg etc.

Visitor statistics
Implementation of Google Analytics will allow us to track customer behaviour linked to KPIs.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) friendly URLs
As each page is created, a search engine friendly URL is created containing the title of the article which allows search engines to quickly and effectively index new content.

Onsite SEO
Overlaying the system will be a single super-administration that will have access to the content on each site. If you are confused by any of this information, it is advisable to take to a reputable web design agency.

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Can A Good Website Benefit Your Business?

Website design is a funny old thing. As with many older digital profession, it's something that many people claim they can do. However, doing it well is an entirely different thing. So, is it worth spending money on quality? Keep reading, and maybe we can answer that.

First of all, it's worth considering the increase in visual representation that a good website can bring. Through tools such as search engine optimisation and pay per click advertising, it is possible for any modern site to attract visitors purely by being there. However, a website that isn't designed by an expert can be far more problematic to index into the Google rankings, meaning that your traffic could be adversely affected as a result. Whether or not you consider this worth the risk is of course entirely your decision, and largely down to whether or not your business depends on online sales.

Secondly, it is worth considering the purely aesthetic problems that can arise from having a website that is created on the cheap. As an image, your website is a pure representation of your business, which is why it's important to observe the fact that if you cut corners, it might well show. Of course, you could get lucky, but with the business world being as cut throat as it is, do you think you can get away with a website that looks anything less than professional? It means that you might end up looking unprofessional yourself, which isn't really the image you want to promote! It might well be worth paying for the best this time.

It can be customizable. One of the benefits of modern web design is that it's very variable, and most aspects of a business can be promoted. If you're a graphic design firm, for instance, you can have a slide show of your work available. If you're an online store, then you can easily set up a variety of different products and delivery options. A less capable web development Nottingham company will likely not be able to provide as many options, or you may find that the site itself is less effective and has certain problems. None of these things are something that you need to be worrying about!

Finally, it is always worth considering whether a website that is poorly designed will actually end up costing more money in the long run. With a high quality build, you will usually find that the site works in a very efficient way, and that there aren't many bugs that occur - usually any small teething troubles will end up being fixed by the developer anyway. If you order a website at a lower price, the smaller amount of time spent on the creation is usually something that results in potential problems. After all, when it comes to coding everything has to be checked and re-checked! If you have to spend further cash on solving problems, then it might be worth just paying for the quality website initially.

So many people are of the belief that because they can use a computer and know their way around a website, they can design their own site too. What these people don't realise is just how difficult it is to create a high quality website. Experts in Web Development Nottingham spend hours working on sites, so how do you do it? Read on to find out.

Why Web Design Service Are So Important

Web design services have become extremely important for every type of business. This is because it allows you to reach every nook and corner of the world. Due to this innumerable design companies are sprouting up in the market every other day with unique and innovative designing techniques. It becomes difficult to choose a suitable web firm for your business. One should be well aware of all aspects before hiring any company.

Have you ever thought what actually these companies do which make them so important. Let us take a look at some of the important tasks performed by them. This will help you to know what you should look for when you want such a service for your business.

1. A good web design service will provide an easy and simple navigation system that will help users to find out answers to their queries quickly. This friendly interface creates an impression in the minds of users and thus gradually traffic towards your pages increases.

2. Websites having informative and clear content always influence customers. Such easy to read text help users to understand your business policies and services at a quick scan. Web-design services place text in a way that no important information is missed from the viewer's eye. For example, they never place any useful text at the place of ad as users never notice them there.

3. Any experienced and quality design service will never suggest for fixed font size. They know viewer's eyes rotate along with the size of the text. Keeping this in mind they present text in different sizes so that informative text is easily readable. At the same time, a truly professional designer will take care of the functionality of the website.

4. Web design services provide search engine optimization services. This helps in improving visibility of pages in search engines. When particular relevant keywords are entered in the search window, your website appears in the top results. This service is of utmost importance as attractively designed website serves no good to anyone until it easily approachable by customers.

5. A successful web-design service will design a website easy to read font, contrasting colors, suitable images and has clear navigation. Link building is another important thing which helps in building quality network that drives potential customers to your website through other popular websites.

From the above diverse services by designing firms, one could easily understand why they are very important. Some people just prefer to make their pages great looking as they think user will be fascinated by it. Such pages may fascinate them once, but they will not provide them required information easily for which they actually opened it. Soon visitors will leave the pages and would never wish to deal with such website, which is difficult to navigate and not user-friendly.

Web designing firms understands the needs and then develop websites, they adopt different strategies to divert traffic on the website.

You can get more information about Web Design Services by visiting Web Design Solutions Company.

Why Choose a Minimalist Web Design?

Most advice on web design will tell the reader that less is more when it comes to the web, some simply saying that minimalism is the current fashion while others describe it as an essential aesthetic principle. But choosing a minimalist web design can often seem like an unfair trade-off between all the content and features you want to include and adherence to a particular look. So what are the advantages of a minimalist web design and how should you create a look that is clean and simple but still expresses personality?

• One good idea is better than ten: Letting one visual or textual feature dominate your web design can create a much greater impact on your viewer than a site cluttered with different images and messages. Deciding what to put on the all important home page in your website design can be difficult as the space is generally limited even if you don't choose to stick to minimalist aesthetics.

Practising restraint, however, can be the best way to produce a successful website design. The website designs users find most enticing usually have one large attractive feature on the home page, in the form of a highly defined image, a carefully worded banner or an easily identifiable call to action. Minimalist web designs that use this technique have a well defined focus and communicate their message to the viewer quickly and effectively.

• Minimalism doesn't have to be boring:The strict definition of minimalism is design stripped of extraneous aesthetic qualities to focus on the function of an object rather than a decorative form. However, minimalism can be interpreted in a number of different ways, and there is no need to ignore aesthetic concerns altogether. The function of most website designs is in fact to connect with a human being through an online interface, and this is best done through attractive visual features.

Minimalist web design places emphasis on the aspects of the site that appeal to the viewer the most, whether these are emotive images or beautiful typography. Many successful websites combine striking visual features with a generous use of white space to make interesting, engaging and easily understandable minimalist designs.

• Simple web designs send complex messages:Web designs are created to communicate something, or sometimes quite a lot of related things, to the viewer. If you have many different messages to communicate to your audience, it could seem to make sense to use a variety of different elements to do it.

In fact, complex web designs are just about as successful as complex billboards that cannot be read from a distance or while driving at a high speed. Minimalist designs, on the other hand can make a significant impact on the reader and are more capable of conveying complex messages for the viewer to consider later.

You can review the advantages of Minimalist web design through this article. Infinite IT Solutions is a Web Design Company in Melbourne. Infinite IT Solutions provides the website design, web development, SEO and online marketing services in Melbourne.

What To Look For In A Web Designer

First things first when looking for a web designer: You need to ensure you get along with one another and both have similar ideas. This sounds simple, but building a website is a very personal process if you are just a one-person business.

Of course this is very different if you are a larger company whereby twenty or more people might want input into your website development.

You just have to bear in mind that the more people that are involved in your website design then the longer the process will be. Often a team of around six to seven people is ideal.

Okay so when it comes down to picking a website designer what are you really looking for?

Well the first thing is to pick someone that understands "Speed to market", as if you come up with next Twitter or Face book idea, then development speed is essential. That is not to say a small company will not do the job fast, its just a bigger website design company has more resources to call upon, and as a result they can act faster.

The largest web portal in Europe built for a mobile phone company was done in around 2 weeks at a cost of £12 million, with many staff virtually living in the office during the development phase. So if you need speed to market then you need to factor this in to your choice of supplier.

You also need to look at the level of support provided. In general your website once built should run smoothly, however you need to look at break fix times in the event of your website going down. However you also need to realize that sometimes something can fail and pull your website down that is totally out of the hands of your website designer.

As an example a lot of European website design companies can have servers that are hosted in the USA, and due to the time difference if a server goes down in the USA then you will have to fight against the time difference, and there is very little you can do about this. So some things you will just have to live with, annoying as they are.

Always take up references, in fact it is all the better to take up ones from companies competing in your marketplace. Often they will actually appreciate the competition and you could even find yourself doing business together. If they are out of stock of something maybe you can help and vice versa.

Hopefully this article will see you well on your way to finding a good web designer.

An ever growing web design and development company, Web Design Kent from TME is perfect for those looking for beautiful website designs and innovative navigation. Ecommerce software is provided as a standard feature, and we thrive on allowing your online business to perform to the highest of potentials.

Web Design Essentials - How To Avoid Throwing Off Your Visitors

Most web designers spend too much time trying to figure out what to do to keep visitors on their websites that they forget what not to do to keep them from running off to another website.

What NOT to do is just as important, maybe an even more significant aspect of web designer, than what to do. The moment a visitor views your website, it's up to you, the web designer, to make sure you designed your website in such a way as to hook his or her attention as long as possible.

Here are some tips on what not to do when designing a website:

1. Sound and animation overload
It's so easy to fall into the trap of, "Hey, I'm a badass web designer, I can design my website with sounds and flying animations!"

Many amateur designers think flashy graphics is all it takes to attract a huge following. NO! In fact, too much sounds and animation tend to distract visitors from viewing what they came to your site for - the content. So please, easy on the background music and flying colors, please?

2. Annoying pop up windows
If there is a list of 10 commandments on what not to do when designing a website, this should be put up as the first commandment of all time. Pop ups has got to be one of the most annoying inventions this side of the internet. Have you ever clicked on a link in a website and suddenly 50 different windows bombard your screen?

As a designer, forget pop up windows as a way of generating income on your website. They are unethical, and eventually you'll lose more visitors than you gain from them.

3. Image backgrounds
Image backgrounds speak of one thing - amateur. But having an image for a background also does something else other than distract the visitor from viewing the site's content: they also slow down the page's loading times, which is a big blow to your credibility as a web designer.

Successful websites have extremely fast loading times, like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, etc. So take a lesson from these big guys, don't use image backgrounds and make sure your pages load fast.

Follow these simple tips and you should have a decent, fairly successful website in no time. Sometimes it isn't about what you do, it's what you don't do that keeps visitors glued to your website and that they keep coming back.

Professional web design Calgary is the future of the internet and online marketing. For Calgary web design -related tips and services, visit us at Commerx.com.