ever been disappointed by a web developer/designer?

if you knew very little about the web, but needed a website, what could you do to avoid being ripped off? what could you do to make sure you got something valuable?

daniel

As Ashley says, word of mouth is probably the best way.

If this is not available, sourcing a few agencies to look at will be the first challenge. Looking at e-consultancy's supplier directory would be a good start. Once you've found three or so that you like the look of (based on their portfolio/location and so on), contact them and see what kind of response you get. If they seem eager to discuss your project with you, send them your brief so they can provide you with a proper quote.

Having at least 3 quotes should give you a good idea of where they position themselves (although if there is massive deviation, be worth asking them why). At this stage you would hopefully have a preferred choice. If you do, ask them for at least 3 client references. Contact these references and ask them as many probing questions as they let you get away with, such as 'did they deliver'; 'what is their support like once the site goes live'  etc.

Finally, ensure that you get a formal contract with the supplier, with a pre-agreed payment schedule.

p.s Ashley - as to plumbers, I know a great one in the North West London area!

Benno

On 09:44:06 24 October 2007 Ashley wrote:

 

It is tricky - even for people who do know a lot about the web. But then I still struggle to find a good plumber and you'd think we'd have figured out a way to solve that by now.

I guess the simplest answer (true for plumbers too) is to go on a recommendation of someone you trust.

Ashley Friedlein
CEO
E-consultancy.com

 

I agree with Garry's advice.

In our experience, it is often a good idea for clients to invest in an initial requirements gathering & specification phase, to give the two parties some experience of working together before committing to a full implementation project.

A good developer/agency should lead client through this phase, so they are prompted to think about implication of future requirements etc, and should also document it in plain English. If, at the end of this phase, the relationship is really not working, either side can opt out in a civil manner (and client has a spec in hand that they can shop around other developers).

Investing in this initial work leaves both parties clear on expectations & deliverables - and if the relationship is going well, they are much more likely to be able to work together to an 'agile' approach (which can be preferable to a fixed-price agreement).

The output also allows the agency to provide a realistic quote for the build/implementation phases - generally gives client much better cost transparency.

Depending on project size, this can usually be done in 2-6 weeks - so cost should not be enormous and is worth it in the longer term.

Paul

www.cloudstreet.co.uk

0845 643 0851