1) Experience Someone with all the techniques, tools and tricks that will help you prepare your web site and accomplish your online goals. We will be working closely together.
2) Customer Service Orientation As important as experience is a mindset and attitude of making customer service a priority.
3) Original copy and Graphics Creating Professional and 100% original web graphics separates the adults from the children every time.
4) Creativity Your designer may need to help you with some of the "big picture" questions, such as marketing, web copy writing (for search engines) and how to generate traffic.
5) Marketing Experience You'll want to ensure that you can find what you're looking for on their site quickly and easily and that you can do the same on some of the sites in their portfolio.
6) Cost Pricing for a professional web site of 5-15 pages with the standard features can run all the way from R2850 to R40 000. Examples of these items are - domain name and hosting(with email), graphic design work, marketing fees and web development matters. You may need to place a deposit if the project is large enough, and all payment terms can be worked out before the project commences. Hourly rates, a flat fee or some combination of the two may be considered.
7) Job Timeline A basic web site may take as little as a week, while more involved and technically challenging sites could take a month or more.
8) Communication Skills Terminology gets explained in a clear, sensible language to avoid confusion.
9) Full Service There may be one or two things that your designer/developer cannot do. If the designer needs help installing a particularly complicated shopping cart, or the site requires some heavy database programming, it is reasonable to understand that the designer/developer might need some assistance from external partners.
10) Availability Will the developer/designer be available to meet during normal business hours? Yes, on appointment only. An email communication link should always be available at least.