Web Design

Choosing the right web development firm depends largely on the goals you want to reach. While price plays a role in this decision, other factors should weigh when assessing the fit between your company and the development firm. Primordium has experience with a variety of different industries, but don't talk to us first - talk to us after you've evaluated our competition. Here are some things to consider, and some questions you should be asking them:

Unlike most development firms, Primordium actually builds and maintains a number of our own online businesses - and we treat every web development project as if it were one of our own.

If you're looking for something you can manage yourself after the initial design, we can build your site in a content management system like Wordpress or Drupal, or build it from scratch using traditional HTML.

From the first consultation we'll be viewing your project from the perspective of owner, developer, and consumer before any code is ever written. This method of project management allows us to work with your staff to "think ahead" and work out as many unforseen issues as possible and learn about your future plans that you may not wish to implement on day one, but want to consider eventually. The sum of this information lets us develop your project in a way that will be consistent with its intended growth, making those future add-ons faster and less expensive.

1. Despite being told not to judge books by their covers, we do judge businesses based on the aesthetics of their website design. Make sure you ask your potential developer to show you their portfolio to gauge creative and technical ability.
2. One method used by developers to create websites quickly is to use pre-fabricated website templates. While there is nothing wrong with this strategy for layouts, nothing is more upsetting than seeing another company with the same graphics and color scheme you're using. Make sure your developer employs an in-house artist capable of creating unique designs.
3. Good websites are regularly maintained, yet hiring your web developer to make frequent edits can add significantly to annual costs. Ask your developer if websites are created with easy-to-use and built-in software to allow self-editing.
4. Continuous website development is a must to compete in today's business world, and taking advantage of new techniques, customer-friendly enhancements, and functional data processing on the web means you need a company capable of handling the web programming needed to take you to the next level. In order to not "outgrow" your developer, make sure you ask your potential web development firm if in-house--not outsourced--programmers are on staff.
5. Optional items can affect website pricing, and a developer's portfolio will usually consist of their more high-end designs than their basic ones. Make sure you understand what's included in the base price vs. what comes with an extra charge, and if you see something in their portfolio you like find out what the final price was for that specific site.
6. Successful websites utilize functional elements that get your visitors to do something. For example, a way of capturing an e-mail address or an invitation to join a social media page gives visitors an opportunity to be updated on any new material added to your site. When reviewing other developers portfolios, pay attention to how they've taken advantage of different ways to engage their audience.
7. Make a note of the use of Flash. Although Flash can make a site "look cool", sites built in Flash don't rank very well in the search engines and aren't visible in all browsers. With the increase in mobile devices like the iPad accessing the web, you want to make sure your visitors can see all your site has to offer - not just part of it.
8. In order for a website to be available on the Internet, it must be "hosted" on a server or computer that is connected to the Internet. Most website developers offer hosting, yet even hosting services vary. For most, losing access to email hammers home the importance of a good hosting service. Yet while email outages might be viewed as inconvenient, losing your website's data could bring your company to its knees. Absolutely vital to your company's long term health--especially for those businesses that have invested heavily into building an extensive website--is a managed backup plan to keep website contents safe in the case of a server crash. Learn about your developer's hosting service, and get their backup plan in writing.
9. "Website traffic" refers to the statistics behind the who, what, and why on visitors to your website. For example, it is important to know if your website is being "indexed" or tracked by search engines such as Google or Yahoo. Total visitor counts give a real measure of success, and you'll want to watch for a general upward trend in the numbers. Knowing if your page is book marked or saved as a favorite measures the success of your content. Ask your website developer what kind of statistics tracking tools they offer with the completed site.

Once you've evaluated our competition, Contact Us to request a consultation by phone or at our Tampa office.