All Websites Are Not Created Equal

Suppose you want a simple website, something that looks good and does what you want it to do. If you are new to the world of web design, you’ll probably go with the lowest cost, or perhaps the person who can deliver the fastest. However, before you go and choose a web designer based on these criteria, it is important to know one thing: All websites are not created equal.

If a Website Looks Nice, Who Cares Who Built It?!

Believe it or not, there are more important things to consider than just the look. For example, suppose you were planning to buy a car. Of course, you want something that looks good. But you will likely have other considerations as well, such as how many miles it gets to the gallon, or what the warranty package includes. A website is the same way. In addition to the look of it, you want to make sure that it accomplishes a few key things such as:

1. It must look the same in all browsers. If you hire a novice, it is highly unlikely that your website will look the same in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera, or any other browser your visitors choose to use.
2. It should have search-engine-friendly code. Most websites rely on search engines for their traffic. So if you also want your website to be well-ranked in search engines, it needs to be coded properly. For example, there should be no HTML errors. In addition, unique titles and meta tags should be included on all pages.
3. It should be coded for easy maintenance. At some time or another, you will want to update the look of your website. Perhaps you’ll want to change the font. Or maybe you’ll just want to change the colors. If your original developer has coded your website in a conscientious manner, then your next developer will have an easy time updating your website and will likely charge you a small maintenance fee for updates.

How To Determine If Your Web Designer Is Competent

There are a few ways to determine if you’ve hired a true professional, or just an overambitious dud. This can be done in any of the following ways:

1. View The Portfolio. Take a look at samples of your developers work. View these projects in different browsers to see if anything falls apart. Also, verify that the HTML code is correctly written by typing in the url at the W3C Markup Validation Service. If there are lots of errors, STAY FAR FAR AWAY!!! Other things that you should look for include the speed of the websites, the quality of images, and the ease of use.
2. Talk To Previous Clients. For large projects, it might even be necessary to talk to previous clients. Unfortunately, most developers discourage this because it is often viewed as an inconvenience for past clients.
3. Ask Questions. Another effective way to determine competence is to ask questions. Our favorite is: Do you use tables? If the answer is yes, stay away. Another: Do you take advantage of external CSS files? If the answer is no, stay away.

Choosing a good web developer is crucial to the success of your website, so it is important that you select a developer that can deliver a high quality product that will be able to serve your needs in the present as well as in the future.

For additional information on choosing a web develoepr, see our article Criteria for Finding the Best Web Designer.