When choosing a web development company, should you go with a web company or a single web developer?
Some think that web companies wants to design, launch, and disappear. “That web guy gave me a great deal, created the site, but now he is not returning my calls,” is what I hear a lot. There has been a lot of distrust in the industry, and much of this distrust comes from web developers who are trying to do a one man show. They are sole proprietors with good intentions, are knowledgeable about code, and may even have a decent eye for design. Many times they go at it alone to keep the cost down for small businesses who they truly want to help. Small businesses have small marketing budgets and are attracted to saving a buck where ever possible. The Web Developer has to compete with free web building sites, web companies from other countries charging less, and the business owner’s wife’s cousin who is willing to build it for free. Therefore it is difficult for web designers to hire more employees for maintenance, sales, or programming, and still keep costs down. I am all for giving business to small companies with 1 employee, but web sites need upkeep. What happens when that web guru goes on vacation and your site implodes while you are having a sale? A single web developer has limited time to schedule smaller projects, and may have to hand off some clients to other developers if they have too many current sites in the cue.
Basing your decision on cost alone does not always save you money. When choosing your developer, keep in mind things like:
- years in business
- availability for consultations
- maintenance programs with updates
- a plan for when things go wrong
360 WEB DESIGNS has a team that is dedicated to the success of your website. In business since 2004, we are all about maintaining customer relationships long after the website launch. If you are looking to create a new site, are looking to upgrade features, or just want to add new content, we would love to discuss a plan, and schedule a reasonable timeline for completion. For new websites, since we have multiple Project Managers, launch could be as soon as five weeks from the start date. And since we have a team of creatives, we have graphic design, writing, and social media packages to create and manage the content for your site as well.
