When looking for a small business website developer, all of the steps involved can quickly feel overwhelming for busy small business owners like you. There are a lot of decisions to be made to get the new website that your business needs and the one that best fits your business goals and budget.
Considering the wide range of options, providers, and their different design styles, just to get a project started is often enough to drive some small business owners to push a new website design project to the bottom of their to-do lists.
But getting the website you want doesn’t have to be a stressful or long drawn out process. It starts with being prepared for the project and knowing how to find the right small business website development services that meet your needs.
Use this guide to ensure you have thought out the most important and essential requirements for your new website as well as plan ahead on items that might be on your wish list.
Marketing Website Development Prep List
Before you even start looking for small business website development firms, set yourself up for success by preparing a list ahead of time that includes your:
- Business goals for the new website.
- How you envision the website will fit within your current marketing strategy.
- What steps you want your leads and prospects to take on their path to purchase from your company?
- What type of user experience do you want to offer your potential customers, and how does it set your business apart from your competitors?
- How your team will use your website to engage and communicate with your customers.
- Who on your team or within the small business website development company will write the content for your website?
- Whether or not you need the ability to capture sales on your website, offer a scheduling app, or lead form, or any other vital actions that need to be planned in advance before page content is developed.
Top Questions: Website Development for Small Businesses
To find the best small business website developers, asking the right questions in the beginning is crucial.
Here are 12 key questions to consider when you assess website development agencies:
- Do you have a portfolio of websites you’ve designed and developed for other small businesses like mine that you can show me? Their past small business website development examples will give you great insights into their style of work and capabilities. This will also give you a visual understanding of their aesthetic, technical expertise, and development and marketing experience with small businesses similar to yours. Look for variety, a well thought out website strategy, and the level of quality in their work.
- What is your typical process for a small business website design and development project? Be sure to understand their workflow as well as what they will expect from you and your team during each of the design mockups and website development phases. If they cannot explain their process and lay out a clear timeline for the project, they may not be able to deliver the kind of organized and forward thinking approach that your website deserves.
- How will project deliverables be communicated? How will you get in contact with me? If you and your team have a preferred communication method, such as email, a live demo, or a task management platform such as Monday or Slack, it is important that your preferred small business website development agency is able to meet your needs. Ask how they will share information, communicate project progress, show deliverables, and ask for key decisions. It is vital that you understand what will be needed from you and when so that you can also support the success and timeliness of the project.
- What experience do you have with responsive design and ensuring websites look good on all devices (desktops, tablets, and smartphones)? A responsive design that delivers a consistent and exceptional user experience on all devices is essential no matter what your industry or customer type. Don’t settle for a small business website development firm who cannot design and build a responsive website for your business.
- How do you approach website speed and performance optimization for small business websites? A slow loading website will negatively impact both user experience and your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) scores–both of which will result in fewer leads and sales for your business and new opportunities for your competitors. Ask how they build a website that balances speed, technical SEO, beautiful design, and an excellent user experience.
What is your experience with the kinds of plugins I need for my business goals? Which ones do you commonly recommend for small businesses, such as for stronger SEO management, lead or contact forms, security plugins, accessibility, and others? The developer should be familiar with a wide range of plugins for small business objectives and have experience with some of the most common ones. The right website plugins can save you time and ensure your website has the necessary functionality to meet your business goals. If they don’t have a plugin in mind for your objectives, they should be able to provide you with well researched ideas that will make the decision easy for you and good for the future of your bottom line.- How do you handle website security for the small business websites that you develop and maintain? Ask about their methods to protect against malware, hacking attempts, and data breaches as well as their regular website maintenance processes that will ensure your website stays up-to-date.
- What are your website maintenance and support packages? What do they include, not include, and what are the costs? Will you need part of your team to coordinate with the small business website development company you hire for ongoing content updates? What type of post-launch support do they offer? How do they address any issues or implement version updates when needed? How much will your team need to be involved? Understand their website maintenance plans so that you are prepared for the next steps once your new website is ready to launch.
Can you provide client references that I can contact? Speaking with past clients will give you valuable insights into the experience of working with their website development agency. How did they handle unexpected challenges with past projects? How well did the finished project achieve the desired results?- What is your pricing structure and what is the estimated cost for a project with the requirements I need? Be sure to understand where their proposal stops and other charges might apply, such as hourly rates for additional work, which services are fixed fee, and if there are any costs for templates, app licenses, or new accounts. Not only will this help you budget effectively, you won’t be surprised when it’s time to pay for a new hosting account, upgrade to a higher tier of service for an app, or a similar decision that will eventually come up in the course of a new small business website development project.
- What are your typical project timelines and what factors might affect them? Understanding their estimated timelines will help you plan your business activities accordingly, and ensure that their design and development team has the decisions and information they need to keep the project moving forward.
- What types of information or content do we need from our business in order to get started? Knowing their needs to kick off a project is a smart way to ensure your project is positioned for success from the very beginning. They may need access to your existing website admin, your Google Analytics account, or your associated website accounts, such as your hosting or domain accounts. Understand where that information is stored and have it ready to hand over once the project is ready to get underway.
Small Business Website Development Westchester NY
Looking for a Westchester-based small business website development company?
Get a winning website for your small business that achieves your goals and drives revenue growth.
Schedule a call today for a free consult on your website.
In Summary: Website Development for Small Businesses
Asking the right questions is the most effective way to find a developer who understands your business needs and can deliver a website that aligns with your goals.
By preparing a list of your requirements and using these questions as a guide, you can confidently, efficiently navigate the process and choose a marketing agency partner who will help you build a powerful website.
