When you are building a website, you are investing several thousands of your hard earned dollars on something that you likely don’t even understand. And you are trusting the web developer to guide you through the process. The web developer is there to make a buck, and not everyone has the long term view of the game. Some web developers are more concerned about making the next 5K than building a long term business. Awesome Co. has been around for nearly a decade, so we are playing the long game. And a number of our early clients are still with us. We believe that lasting relationships with clients say something and are entering every new client relationship with that expectation and mentality.
So picking a wrong web developer may not only cost you money, but also set you down a path of building a working relationship with the wrong person or company. We have compiled twelve risks that you take by hiring a wrong company to work with. We call it ‘The Dirty Dozen’. But because there are a dozen risks of hiring a wrong web developer, the list is broken down into 4 parts. Today, Part 1.
Risk #1: You pay too much for what you get
Web development is not something everyone is comfortable with, or can do. Frankly, that’s why companies like Awesome Co. exist – to provide that service and web expertise. Some companies take advantage of that asymmetry of skill and knowledge by charging exorbitantly high rates for fairly average work. To them it’s the numbers game; if enough clients don’t do their homework, the clients that they get will pay for the ones they lose. We believe in giving each of our clients great product at a fair price. Yes, we make money, but working with us will not leave you with a sour taste in your mouth.
Risk #2: You are sold something you don’t need
This is related to Risk #1 and lack of knowledge clients typically have when it comes to web design. Internet is a fast changing environment with new tools released every day. If you are not clear about what you need, you may get sold some features or functionality that will cost you money without really helping your business grow. And even if you are clear about what you need, if you trust your web developer, they may talk you into buying certain products or tools that aren’t all that good or useful to your situation. We are after long term relationships with clients, so selling you something that you don’t need would be like shooting ourselves in the foot.
Risk #3: You are sold a proprietary platform
Staying with a topic of being talking into a certain path that isn’t all that good, a wrong web developer may build you a website using a proprietary platform or an obscure programming language. Some website developers work with proprietary platforms or software. Sometimes it’s because that’s what they learned, other times it’s due to lack of knowledge and the software helps them overcome certain training deficiencies, and sometimes it’s simply on purpose. When your website is on a proprietary platform, you will have to stick with the company to do maintenance and updates because other web developers may not have the software or the knowledge of the fringe programming language to do it for you. We don’t use any proprietary platforms or software and write code using the most popular programming language, so that even if you chose to work with someone else, there will be little to no learning curve.
This blog post series continues with Risks Of Hiring A Wrong Web Developer – Part 2.