Considering A Website Development Company? Here Is What You Need to Know!

June 25, 2020 | By: Scott Lard

For modern businesses there is perhaps no investment more important than website development. Whether you sell services and products online or you are looking to improve your online presence to gain new clients, having an aesthetically pleasing, high performing, well optimized website can make a huge difference in your business.

Although there are many DIY web design options out there, the best choice for businesses both large and small is to partner with an experienced website development company. With the support and knowledge of reputable web development experts on your side, you can capitalize on everything the web has to offer for your business.

Finding A Website Development Company In Houston

As with any investment, you want to do your due diligence when searching for a website development company. In addition to creating your list of unique must-haves, you want to ensure the web developer can meet expectations in the following important factors.

Website Development Experience

The landscape of the web changes every single day. That’s why you want your website development company to have many years of experience. Those who have been in business for decades have much more experience in navigating the everchanging landscape of web design. Whereas a beginner web designer may be able to help your business now, they’ve yet to experience what it’s like to be a long-term web partner who must shift and upgrade as technologies evolve. In addition, web developers with a lot of experience can provide more accurate quotes, answer questions in more depth, and ensure nothing gets overlooked during the creation of your site.

E-Commerce

An online presence is absolutely essential for modern retailers. Whether your business sells products or services, having a website development company with great experience in e-commerce is essential. Experienced e-commerce web developers can offer intuitive product management and inventory tools, quick and easy shopping cart functionality, and online payment processing.

Integrations with 3rd Party Applications

Another important consideration when selecting a website development company is whether or not they have experience integrating third party applications into their web designs. This is important because businesses often have particular software applications that they already use within their business and it makes for a much more streamlined shift when the developer can integrate those technologies. Examples of important integrations include:

  • Integration with top payment platforms – PayPal, Swoosh ePay, Verisign, Authorize.net, etc.
  • Shipping integration – UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, etc.
  • Blog integration – WordPress
  • Google – Login with Google, Google Maps, etc.
  • Social Media integration – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.

There are, of course, many more third-party applications that businesses utilize, so it’s important to discuss what essential business tools you need included in your new site.

Website Development Company

Content Management

An often-overlooked consideration for those looking to create a new website is content management, or how changes to text, images, and content throughout the website are to be made after the site has gone live. For many business owners, after they agree to work with a web development company, they are surprised to find out that they are charged for edits such as these. The best way to mitigate these kind of surprise costs are to ensure the developer offers a CMS, or content management system. This means you can login to the site and make changes as needed without the help of your developer. Not only does this save you time and give you creative control, but it also saves money.

Additional Services

Once you’ve narrowed down the list of potential developers to work with, ask them what additional web and IT services they offer. From web hosting to network support to mobile application design, many website development companies offer a wide range of services. It can often be cost beneficial to bundle multiple services, such as web design and hosting, into one service agreement. In addition, it is always helpful for businesses to have a long-term partner in IT.

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