2008-05-30T13:59:28-07:00 Practical Ecommerce info@practicalecommerce.com http://www.practicalecommerce.com/ Copyright 2007 Confluence Publishing DBA Practical Ecommerce http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment12294 2008-05-30T13:59:28-07:00

Great article! Smooth and clear communication is the most important but often overlooked factor in the hectic search of the lowest price possible. I didn't search for the lowest price for my e-commerce bi-lingual site. As the matter of fact I am paying a lot and getting truly breathtaking and jaw-dropping very high-end design, BUT this project had been dragging for nearly 6 months, communication is almost non-existent, with me begging for updated links, for my comments' implementation, for changes, for EVERYTHING! Number of nervous breakdowns and threats rendered me two blissful days of polite responses and fast-track changes but then the nerve racking process had resumed. My developers from India do have tons of positive feedbacks, years of experience and dozens of beautiful sites to showcase. I've done my research, I am paying top backs but I am very unhappy client. Moreover, I will be looking for web-designer freelancer to work with me after the project had been completed for all...

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment9651 2008-04-30T06:07:40-07:00

I am a freelance web developer from India, here i am glad to say you have show down Great tips, love it very useful information & have scrutinize whole above deployed comments all their are very specific, i am glad & these sort of sounded good to me, to make web sites as user & search engine friendly.

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment5828 2008-02-14T07:46:33-07:00

Indeed a good article. If want to hire a personal web designer so you could save time for promotion of your site. There are web designers who are affordable, professional and extremely talented. Interested? please visit http://www.vk-systems.com/hire-a-web-developer.html

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment4608 2008-01-08T14:23:00-07:00

Yes- I am currently being burned and wish I had read this earlier!! Anyway, does anyone have any recommendations for good web designers? My current designers have been dragging their feet and although have done about 80% of the design already, they are just not consistent and the site lacks the touch of professionalism I desire. If you know anyone who can deliver quickly and reliably, familiar with PHP and XHTML, please email supersizedlife@gmail.com! Thanks for your help

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment4588 2008-01-07T17:01:51-07:00

I completely agree with That Software Guy. You really do get what you pay for. I have been a designer for over a decade and constantly have to (delicately) remind prospective clients about this. Additionally, I think it is a shame that everyone seems to feel the need to go overseas just to save a few dollars. We should be building our own economy by working with people in the U.S. There's a large pool of fantastic designers who are affordable, professional, and extremely talented... why not just spend the extra bit of time finding the right one, and being clear about contracts, timeline, etc.? It's much more worth it in the end.

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment4401 2007-12-18T07:10:27-07:00

Take five minutes to talk on the phone with the designer you're considering hiring. If you can't understand him, walk away. The reason third world software developers charge half as much as US developers is that they're only *worth* half as much. What your "savings" are getting you is communication problems, misunderstandings, rework and expensive "change orders" when your requirements weren't understood the first time around. Don't make your decision on per hour cost alone.

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment4071 2007-11-10T19:39:00-07:00

Very good article. You may also want to hire a personal web designer so you could save more time and concentrate on promoting your site. I have hired web designers from the Philippines and I absolutely love their talent, service and dedication. And most importantly they help me save money because they charge more than half if I hire a local web designer. To all interested, http://devildesignstudios.com

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment3395 2007-07-30T20:54:37-07:00

I bought into ProStores, and I have not done anything with it yet. I'm just working my e-commerce store. But the problem I find is, yes, I want to build a website, but everyone I go to wants $3000.00 and up. Is there anyone out there that charges what we new people in the business can afford? Sometimes I feel excited and then I feel low, because I'm not a computer expert, but people know that and they have their hands in your pocket, depending on your lack of knowledge. Can you help with this problem?

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment3279 2007-07-10T13:26:10-07:00

I own multiple ecommerce sites and have tried both expensive agencies and dirt cheap offshore labour from India and Eastern Europe. My advice would be to use a provider which balances good communication and design / programming skills with reasonable cost. The best I've found so far is ECommerce911.com

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment2586 2007-05-29T14:34:55-07:00

Brian & Ryan, I agree with you both. Years ago, when my IT skills were new and time was limited, I decided to hire a web company actually unaware of all the specifics needed BEFORE contacting the company. But, since they were the experts, BEFORE taking my deposit, maybe the company could have discussed my involvement and gave me a more accurate estimate of how long it would take for me to be up and running. Instead, I was told that it would take two weeks. I believed this because there was a team of them vs. just me developing. Without going further into that nightmare, let me tell this: a year passed before I erupted. Each time I called with my prepared content, I was faced with yet another developer and having to explain my concepts I expected to achieve through MY site. The employee turnaround was killing me since I had to reaquaint each rep each time because the other rep was "no longer with the company." This went on for a year! But, since my deposit was...

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment1186 2007-04-11T13:03:17-07:00

Interesting... A good follow-up article would be helping web developers find the right clients. Take your points and turn them around to the developers point of view when interviewing potential clients. There are times where no amount of money is worth the time/aggravation of dealing with unprepared or over-zealous clients. Communication and managing expectations is 50 percent of our job and honest evaluation of one's skills and motivations should occur with each new client.

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment714 2007-03-08T11:19:11-07:00

I would add this as well: "Expect to do your part." From the developer's side of view, everything said above is right on. However, it's also important to understand that since it is your business, you will have a responsibility to be involved, and to make decisions. Some clients expect to contact a developers days after commiting themselves to starting a business, simply say "I need a website for my company, here is an overview of what we will be doing", and then receive a working site in a few days. It's important to understand that it is a collaborative process, and that the developer acts as a bridge between what you want and what is feasible. All of the points above are great because not only do the help clients to find good developers and get their money's worth, but they also serve to connect motivated, well-prepared clients with developers. In my experience, I have had to require deposits from clients to ensure that they stay involved and that the project moves...

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment712 2007-03-08T09:19:08-07:00

In reference to Rod's comment: >>"One other important point...require the designer to place an Expert Guarantee deposit to ensure they will complete the work succesfully. That way they have "skin in the game"...just like you do."

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment699 2007-03-07T08:05:59-07:00

I'm am very disappointed in my Internet service provider (ISP). After going over budget and missing deadline after deadline, know I'm converting to a new provider. This will be very expensive, and my initial ISP is charging for every call and bit of information that we need to convert. What a mess... but I'm glad to be moving on. My advice... Do your homework and make sure they have worked in your line of business. Make them prove they know your specific needs.

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment656 2007-03-06T10:01:56-07:00

Another option is: http://www.RentACoder.com One other important point...require the designer to place an Expert Guarantee deposit to ensure they will complete the work succesfully. That way they have "skin in the game"...just like you do. Rod

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/431/Tips-To-Hire-The-Right-Website-Designer/#comment631 2007-03-05T19:29:26-07:00

Amen! I have wasted hundreds of dollars on website templates, flash work, logo work... you name it! A lot of these people were very difficult to get to understand what I wanted. I felt like I wasn't speaking English properly. The good ones are expensive, but I wish I had paid for the best first, so I could have a unique web/product identity and a terrific looking site with functionality. I would have ended up spending the same amount in the long run anyway.