Careful who you hire: Getting what you truly need from a web developer

Your company’s website is one of the most important marketing tools you have. You know potential customers are checking you out online before they even step foot in your door. If they don’t like what they see, you may never see them. Keeping your website up to date and customer friendly is essential in this digital age, so when it’s time to create your website or upgrade it you need the right website partner for your small business.

You need a web developer who understands your unique needs and what will work for your business; not just what works for their pocketbook.

What we’re talking about when we talk about web developers

First, let’s talk about what a web developer does. A web developer designs and writes code that determines the layout, graphics and text on your site.

When you approach a web developer, you should already know what the purpose of your website is, have the content created and know what design you want.

Hiring a web developer

When choosing a web developer, there are a couple things you’re going to want to look for. First, meet with the developer and make sure she’s someone you’ll enjoy working with; your trusting her with an important piece of your business. Check work she’s done and ask if she’s worked with companies like yours before.

Your web developer should come with technical skills like hand coding HTML, ability to use CSS, Javascript and other coding languages, but she doesn’t necessarily know how to use it to effectively communicate who you are, how to reach you or why anyone should care. Someone with all the programming skills in the world might not know the best website practices for your industry. That takes a team.

Hiring the team

If a team is what you want, then you’re looking for a full service marketing firm that can develop your website and work with you on everything that comes before, during and after your website goes live. Hiring someone who can not only design and program your website but also help you with strategy, website copy and keeping your content up-to-date can save you a lot of time and hassle….and dollars.

Your website is where you showcase your brand. When you work with a company that provides branding and content services and website auditing on top of web development, you’re able to get a complete website package for your small business.

We’ve worked with a lot of clients to provide a brand package that includes tactical and strategic pieces. When you work with us on your website, we understand your brand, consider your industry and make the best recommendations for the unique situation your company is in, plus we can handle the technical development of your website.

Whether you’re hiring a web developer or working with a whole team, choose the right one for your small business. If you’re going to invest in your website, make sure you’re getting what you need for a truly effective marketing tool.