Other than consistent messaging, your website may be the single most important part of your marketing strategy. Ultimately, all assets and messaging should funnel to your website. If you need help structuring or mapping your funnel, here is another blog post to read. Your website is your 24/7 storefront and has (should have) far more sales “conversations” than anyone on your sales or marketing team.
So, is your website closing the deal or leaving customers wondering who you are and whether you’re their best solution? If you’re thinking about upgrading your website, make sure you ask any potential web design team these questions:
Do you deliver custom websites or use templates/themes?
Some web designers use cookie-cutter templates for all their clients. Templates can be built with “themes”: ready-made styles with limited options for customization. Themes restrict overall functionality, don’t offer custom solutions based on your needs, and are available to anyone and everyone – including your competition.
Your organization has specific needs, goals, and client sales paths. Chances are, if your website vendor is pumping out the same templated website, they aren’t asking the right (or any!) questions about your company. Templates and themes are cheap to buy and reproduce for client after client, but cannot address your unique sales and marketing situation.
When you are talking to potential design teams, ask: Will I get a custom website or a template/theme based website?
At Hayman, all of our websites are 100% custom-built based on the individual needs of our clients. We never use templates or repurpose assets. We’re all about you, and your new website should be, too.
*Pro tip – an easy way to identify whether the vendor uses templates is to review their previous work. Do the examples all look the same? Do they have the same menu, layout, and components?
Who will be doing the work?
While the answer seems obvious (the web designer!), it’s important to ask. It’s also important to know if your team will have access to the developer. If you find yourself working with an account- manager-slash-gatekeeper ask yourself: why are the people who are actually doing the work behind a curtain? The designer and developer should be part of the team communicating with you to identify the best solutions for you. If you are not communicating with the designer and developer, this is a red flag. Expect roadblocks and bottlenecks when it comes to communication, ideas, and solutions; proceed with caution.
When you are talking to potential design teams, ask: At what point in the process do I meet the designer and developer of my website?
Here at Hayman, your website is a full team effort. You will meet everyone working on your project at the kickoff meeting. Our designer and developer attend Teams calls, get CC’d on emails, and are fully accessible to you along the way.
Who will edit, update, and maintain the website?
Some website vendors see a website as a “got ya” or “retainer” project. They create your website, and maybe do a great job, but then “they’ve got you.” Want any changes? That will cost you. Want to add or edit a photo? That will cost you. Want to update the text on the about page? That will cost you.
You’re not a web designer or coder; you don’t know how to do these things. So, you either pay up, or let your website slowly go out of date and become a liability instead of a resource.
But this is not the case with the websites we build. We’ve developed a solution using WordPress, a robust content management software. Along with your custom client-facing website “front end,” you also get a customized backend (the part you’ll use to update it). It includes simple navigation, easy-to-identify content blocks via drop-down menus, and consistent style options already in place for you. And we train you to use the backend of your own website. Once the site is live our team will walk you and anyone else from your team through the backend of the website to show you how to easily update and maintain your website moving forward. You bought the website, and now you and your team have complete control with the knowledge and skill to make updates and changes as you like. Of course if you ever need us, we’re always here for you.
When you are talking to potential design teams, ask: Will I be able to update my website myself once it is complete? How will I do this? If I need help updating my website, what is the fee structure?
*Pro tip: Think beyond the website project cost. What will ongoing changes and updates cost you down the road? Consider total cost when meeting website vendors.
“Not only is the client-facing side of the new website completely original and custom-designed for Laserfab, the WordPress backend was also custom designed for us based on our strategic needs. This custom backend and the training received by Hayman will make ongoing updates to the site easy and efficient for the me and my team.”
– Dain Zimmerman – Director of Business Development – Laserfab https://laserfab.net/
What does “done” look like?
I had a crazy conversation with a new client recently. They needed photography for their new website.
I asked, “Wasn’t photography included in the web design?”
“Yes,” they replied. “We were told it would be, but they never did it. And then towards the end of the project, we were told they couldn’t…”
Yikes.
I then noticed their new website was riddled with visible errors. “So, this website technically isn’t finished yet, right?” I asked.
He responded, “No, but apparently we’re out of edits and any additional changes would cost more money…” But these weren’t edits, they were errors. Work was clearly not completed…
Yikes again.
Once your site is live, it should be perfect. Zero errors. The site should pass both pre- and post- launch testing, completed by both your team and the vendor. Every page, every sentence should be reviewed; every button and link should be clicked. At Hayman, we fully test every site before and after launch to make sure everything is working perfectly.
When you are talking to potential design teams, ask: What is your testing process like? What if we discover errors post launch?
Pro tip: Your website vendor should deliver a sandbox site. This live, private test version of your website allows you to share the site with your friends, family, trusted clients, and people in your company. Everyone gets to kick the tires and test the website, then send their feedback before the site is public.
“The Hayman team is fully committed to the success of not only the project, but the organization, and it shows in their focus and attention to every detail. All concerns are reviewed and addressed… project organization is effective with ample communication of timelines and expectations… the experience feels more like a partnership than a client/vendor relationship. Bringing Hayman Studio on board for this project was the best decision I could have made for our needs.”
-Debra Volz, Director of Marketing at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts https://appellcenter.org/
Who owns the work?
Last but not least, make sure you fully own the website once it’s done. All code, all design files, all images and assets, and the domain should be yours. This way, you can make changes or move it to another vendor or host. Get this understanding in writing.
They have gone above and beyond with logo creation, website mapping strategy and development, social media integrations and so much more. I couldn’t recommend Hayman Studio enough if you’re looking for logo/brand redesign, websites, photography, or any of the other wide array of their services they offer. Thank you Hayman Team for giving Saubel Financial Group a wildly successful launch!
– Adam Saubel, Saubel Financial Group https://www.saubelfinancialgroup.com/
As with all professional services, the range of price, experience of the vendor, scope of the project, and client experience will vary greatly. Make sure you do your research. Your website is an extremely important part of your business. Make sure you:
- Ask questions up front
- Ask for examples of previous sites completed
- Ask for references from recent clients
- Ask about ongoing maintenance and update fees
- Read the contract thoroughly.
Ryan, Georgie and John are the best. They helped me discern my vision and articulate it in a professional website that is easy to navigate.
– Cheryl Thompson, NCLEX Rx https://nclexrx.com/
If you want a great website experience, call us. My team and I are passionate about website projects. They’re important and fun to work on. You’ll enjoy the process, I promise. We get under the hood of your company and really find what makes it tick. We provide the strategy, planning, design, development, and post-sale service anyone buying a website should expect.
Call or email me and let’s talk about why believe you need a new website: ryan@haymanstudio.com 717-843-8338
Chat GPT did not write this article, Ryan Hayman did.
Leave a reply