| Your website development goals probably look | | | | you give your developer a change, be sure the |
| something like this: | | | | developer knows whether you mean that change to |
| | | | be immediate priority or to be added to the task list. |
| 1. To have a web site that is visually appealing and | | | | 7. Proof your site. Remember that you are very |
| easy to use for your market | | | | acquainted with your information, but your developer |
| 2. To have a web site that is easy to maintain | | | | isn't. There are many types of errors that your |
| 3. To have a web site that has the information your | | | | developer won't catch. Also, in the process of creating |
| viewers want | | | | a visual design, it is very easy to miss textual errors |
| 4. To get all this as reasonably priced and time | | | | and typos. Even in print orders, clients are usually |
| efficiently, as possible! | | | | asked to proof the work. If the error is one where the |
| Your web developer is part of your business team to | | | | developer had the correct information, the developer |
| help you achieve those goals. | | | | should make the change without charging for it. If the |
| While there are many unscrupulous or unqualified web | | | | information the developer had was wrong to start with, |
| designers in the marketplace, most web developers | | | | you should be happy to pay for the changes. |
| are interested in helping you have a successful and | | | | 8. Respect your developer's time. Unless you hire a |
| profitable website. There are many things you, the | | | | web developer or web master as an employee, don't |
| web site owner, can do to help the process go | | | | expect the developer to be at your immediate beck |
| smoothly - or feel like a disaster! The following is a | | | | and call. More than likely, the developer has other |
| partial list of some of the ways you can help your own | | | | clients work to do and other commitments. It is not |
| web development process go smoothly by being a | | | | uncommon for a developer to already have two |
| great client. | | | | weeks of work lined up when you call with a change |
| | | | you need. Ask a prospective developer how much |
| 1. Hire a web designer who will explain the process | | | | time they estimate will be available for your site. Ask |
| and options to you. Your web designer doesn't know | | | | your developer to keep in contact with you if their |
| about your organization or market, he or she should | | | | situation changes. If you have a timing change, talk to |
| also be asking you a lot of questions. If your designer | | | | your designer to see whether your job time can be |
| balks at explaining things to you - get a different | | | | moved up, but it's not the designer's responsibility to |
| designer! | | | | push other clients aside for your job. If you say there is |
| 2. Listen to your designer and ask questions until you | | | | no rush - your developer will assume you mean it! |
| understand both the steps the designer will be taking | | | | 9. Understand the tasks and skills needed to create a |
| and what they mean to your organization. Don't just | | | | website. A website is a complicated piece of software |
| rubber stamp everything, UNDERSTAND IT! The client | | | | that includes visual design, file management, search |
| who just agrees and doesn't understand will probably | | | | engine optimization, copywriting, photography, coding, |
| be the client who is angry when things don't go the | | | | database management, and programming. There may |
| way they want. Remember that you are the site | | | | be some of these skills that your web developer |
| owner. If you don't know understand the basics of | | | | doesn't have, and you may need to coordinate with |
| your web site, ultimately, it's your problem, not the | | | | other contractors. |
| designer's. | | | | 10. Understand that there are website infrastructure |
| 3. Take a web marketing and design course. That will | | | | tasks. There is a great deal of "back-end" work in |
| help you communicate with your web developer. | | | | developing a web site. If your work doesn't seem to |
| 4. Have definable goals. Write down what you hope to | | | | be going anywhere, your developer may be working |
| achieve with your website, and tell your designer which | | | | on the basic file structure, templates, a database, CSS |
| items are most important to you. Your web developer | | | | files, or other pieces your site needs to work. If your |
| may have some great suggestions for you. Work with | | | | developer doesn't seem to be doing anything, ask to |
| your developer to outline the order of steps that will be | | | | see the files in progress and ask how they fit into your |
| taken on your site. | | | | website. Understanding these pieces will be very |
| 5. Don't be angry with your developer for work that | | | | helpful to you later on, as your site needs to be |
| wasn't done when you asked for something else to be | | | | maintained. |
| done first! If you need to change the site priorities, find | | | | 11. Pay up! Some developers charge by the job and |
| out where the developer is in the current task list and | | | | some developers charge by the hour. In either case, |
| explain whether you want the current task completed | | | | remember that your developer has already incurred |
| before the priorities are changed. Remember that | | | | the time expense to do your work. Don't expect your |
| means that the work that was stopped may not | | | | developer to continue working on your site if you wait |
| completed and will need to be revisited later. | | | | more than a month to pay your bill unless you have |
| 6. Put your decisions, corrections or changes in writing | | | | made previous arrangements. |
| - or an email - and then speak to your developer in | | | | This article is part of the materials for the Web |
| person or on the phone to be sure that your writing | | | | Marketing and Design class at Dickinson Lifelong |
| communicated what you really mean. Ask if your | | | | Learning Center in Missoula, Montana. |
| decisions will have side effects on other decisions. If | | | | |