The first and foremost issue is getting control of the domain name (the name that appears in the address bar) and the web hosting (the place where your website physically resides). Because some people are not comfortable setting these two things up themselves the web company will do it for them. Because of this legally the two things are owned by the web company and not you. So if they don’t comply when you ask them to hand it over you have a big problem on your hands.

One of the other problems is the web design contract—or often the lack of it. If you have a contract in place it no doubt states who owns what. Hopefully, if you do have a contract you checked it to make sure you have full ownership to the website and can transfer it to another designer at your will. Don’t assume this is the case; by default the UK copyright laws are weighted in favour of the designer, not the client. Also, in the contract some designers reserve the right to charge an indeterminate amount of money to hand over the site files. That might seem like Dick Turpin in dot–com form but you signed it thereby making it legally binding. If you have no contract at all then by default the copyright for the site belongs to the creator of it, not you. What you’re paying for is the right to use it in the context of your particular site. It’s actually not yours to do with it what you will; you’re also paying for the finished design, not the process. What this means is they don’t need to surrender the source files for the design but you do have the right to get what you paid for: a copy of the website itself. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons why a web company will prevent you from having a copy of the site. If for example, the site runs on an in–house platform that they’ve developed over years they could never give you the source code to all that as it’d be worth a lot of money. If they have any kind of morals at all they would export a ‘static’ copy of the site for you though.

One thing to remember throughout the whole process is be polite and calm. In most cases the web people have the upper hand so as much as you may not like it, it’s best to try and keep in their good books. Losing your temper and being abusive will only make them even more reluctant to cooperate.

So what if it’s clear the web company are trying to hold you hostage? That is, they are deliberately not handing anything over—or are trying to charge you an exorbitant amount for what you think is yours anyway. If you have no contract but have proof of payment you can threaten legal action. If you do have a contract take it to a solicitor to find out what your rights are. Sadly, some companies are so unscrupulous they will hold you hostage to make some easy money but luckily there are very few of these companies.

So for any future projects to prevent problems:

1. Get the domain name and hosting in your own name
2. Insist on a contract—they are there for the benefit of you and the designer
3. Always maintain a good relationship with your web company/freelancer

My standard terms sign over full ownership of the site and its imagery to you, the client, once full payment has been received. The only limitations are that you cannot resell it or claim it as your own—but there’s no reason why you’d want to anyway. I also happily sign over hosting and domains names to the client.

If you’re unhappy with your web designer and want to move to someone reliable give me a call on 07843 483 078 or get a free quote online.

In this post I intend to explain why cheap websites are actually more expensive. So, why is that?

‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’

We’ve all heard the phrase before; something that seems like a bargain often comes with a catch. Websites are no different and if you’re paying someone peanuts what will the monkey behind the computer be doing for you? Design–wise you’ll probably get someone lacking in creativity or someone who will rehash a template they’ve used for a thousand other clients. The site will be hosted on a budget server that is sluggish and falls over every five minutes. And if you get a cheap quote from an agency be sure to check the small print in the contract to make sure they’re not going to sting you with inflated monthly retainers. And as I’ve discussed before, beware of getting your website built overseas.

Credibility damage

A cheap website could cost your company its credibility. If people complain that a quote is too expensive I always recommend no website over a cheap one. It now goes without saying that whenever you have a meeting, call a potential lead, conduct a seminar or hand out a business card the first thing your potential new customer or client will do is look at your website and the quality of the site will shape their perception of your company. As much as a good website can bag you that new client, a poor one can make them go elsewhere.

It’s done on price, not value

A cheap website will make little or no consideration of marketing or return on investment (ROI). When everything is geared towards doing things as quickly and cheaply as possible they really don’t have the time or the inclination to think about how this site is going to make your business money.

Potential loss of sales/enquiries

A poorly built website will ultimately lose you sales and enquiries and therefore money. Your website visitors are a highly impatient bunch. If they can’t find what they’re looking for in seconds (literally) or get the wrong vibe from your website, they’ll leave. It’s as simple as that.

The longer road to getting it done properly

I’ve ‘fixed’ so many websites over the years. Most people who get a cheap website done soon realise that you get what you pay for and for a combination of the reasons above will end up getting it rebuilt. Simple mathematics tells you that ‘cheap website’ + ‘proper website’ costs more than ‘proper website’ on its own.

To get a website that’s right the first time call me on 07843 483 078 or get a free quote online.

The economic downturn has been quite kind to the web design industry; I guess lots of people have been smart and seen the importance of a website in a recession.

Version three of my website was launched in January 2009 and one of the new features was this blog. A year on, I’ve had some excellent feedback and it’s helped me present information that has been useful as a reference point to me and my clients. It has helped me explain the things you need consider before getting a website commissioned and also that oft–asked question: Why do web design quotes differ so much?

You can get lots more free advice from the blog too such as answers to the questions: Should you get your website built overseas?, What is the difference between web design and print design? and Should you use an open source CMS to build your website?

If there’s a specific web design question or issue you’d like addressing on the blog then I’d love to hear from you.

I was lucky enough to be involved in some varied and interesting projects in 2009. I built a CMS–driven website—including an agents’ portal—for a property company in the Cayman Islands, I created a bespoke eCommerce solution for a seller of rare and antique books and developed a new corporate site for a local infection control company. There are lots more; you can take a look in the portfolio.

2009 saw a big rise in the work I do for agencies (about a third of my workload). Although agencies are very different to freelancers, a lot of them use freelancers like me as it’s not viable for them to employ web people full–time. Are you an agency that is in need of a reliable web designer/developer? If so, call me on 07843 483 078 or get a free quote online.

What’s going to be new for me in 2010? More of the same, I guess. Building more great looking websites, growing my client list and generally spending my time finding more interesting things to do with websites.

So that is what’s new for me in 2010. How about you? Are you going to use your online presence to catapult you out of the global recession?

Make sure your website is a part of a prosperous 2010 for you. Call me on 07843 483 078 or get a free quote online.

Is it a good idea to get your website built by an overseas company? The UK has one of the highest costs of living in the world so going over seas and getting it done at a fraction of the cost on face value seems like a very good idea. The cost advantage is great but there are several barriers that get in the way of you and a good website when you use an overseas company.

Time barrier

The development company won’t be working in the same time zone as yourself. This is not so bad when working with European companies but when you go further afield your working hours seldom cross. This may not be a problem most of the time but what happens when you need an urgent, critical bug fixing and all the developers are out of the office?

Language barrier

There’s arguably nothing that can damage your online credibility more than a website full of typos and grammatical errors. The company may appoint an English–speaking account manager but that doesn’t mean all the developers can read and write English too.

Legal barrier

Some countries have less stringent laws on copyright than we do. They may use an image, video or piece of software that they don’t have the rights to. If they use it on your site and a court case arises, you may be responsible, not them, especially if the site is hosted in the UK.

Distance barrier

What if you want to meet face–to–face? Some projects require that personal touch. A local company is usually never more than an hour or so away. If they’re the other side of the world it can cause problems.

Cultural barrier

A good website is always about thinking what life is like in your (potential) customers’ shoes. This is a difficult job at the best of times; it’s infinitely more so when you’re from a completely different culture.

If you do use an overseas company…

These barriers can be overcome to a limited degree. If you do use an overseas company:

1. Get them to work to your time zone
2. Use a proof reader who speaks English fluently and ensure all source code is annotated in English
3. Consult your solicitor to make sure you’re not liable for them breaking the law (via a written agreement)
4. Keep in touch via Skype or phone and don’t be afraid to visit them personally
5. Use a local designer that is culturally on the same wavelength as yourself

I was lucky enough to be involved in a large project recently; I was the lead designer but all the development work was outsourced to China. We learnt that the above five points are critical if you do decide to use an overseas company.

You clearly need to exercise caution when using a development team from another country. Getting your website built at a fraction of the cost it would to get it built in the UK is an attractive prospect but be careful—it’s easy to waste your money. For more advice call me on 07843 483 078 or get a free quote online.

Lower overheads

Most freelancers work from home giving them very little overheads and thereby making them competitive on a price front. They just have the running costs of a small home office and their computer software and equipment. Also, many freelancers are not VAT registered.

Dealing direct

With agencies, you usually get assigned a customer–facing account manager. This person will be your sole contact at the agency; you’ll never get to speak to any of the people who actually do the work. This can be an advantage as the account manager can talk to you in a language you understand, as opposed to technical jargon. However, your ideas and requirements can get lost in translation.

Some freelancers work like agencies

Some freelancers have the ability to function as an agency. How? Any work they can’t do—because they don’t have the time or the skills—they can outsource to other freelancers. A good freelancer will have a pool of other individuals who possess skills they don’t. By using outside resources in this way you can get the best of both worlds.

There’s almost no such thing as a ‘full–service’ agency

Lots of agencies sell themselves as ‘full–service’. Generally speaking, there’s no such thing. I work for lots of agencies in a freelance capacity so I know firsthand lots of agencies outsource in the same way mentioned in the previous paragraph. It’s no bad thing: it’s just not viable for agencies—even the big ones—to employ someone for every single job full–time. For example, if you only need a copywriter for five hours per month, it’s clearly better to pay a freelancer an hourly rate that it is to have someone on the payroll.

So, as you can see it’s not a simple answer that one is better than the other. Rather, it’s about an agency or freelancer that can meet your requirements. In one situation a well–connected freelancer might beat a high profile agency and in another situation it might be the complete opposite. Generally speaking though, you have nothing to lose by contacting a freelancer who has ties with other agencies and freelancer. Here’s where I plug my own services: I am a designer and developer but I know all sorts of talented local individuals and companies that allow me to offer you lots of their services such as logo design, icon design, copywriting, PR, large scale eCommerce websites, marketing, corporate identity and much more!

For more help, call me on 07843 483 078 or get a free quote online

Agencies versus freelancers

Freelancers tend to be much cheaper than agencies (though not always). Freelancers typically work from home and have very few overheads. Agencies, on the other hand, have the cost of running a studio and its staff. You can read  about this in more detail in my other post, Agencies versus freelancers.

Location

The location of the web company has a strong influence on the price. In the UK, the prices steadily rise the further south you go. And companies that operate in around any of the major cities—particularly London—tend to come out more pricey. Of course, you can save money by using an overseas company that works from somewhere like India, China or Russia. Some companies increase their margin by outsourcing the work to such places, but they don’t always tell you, the client.

Are you getting a truly bespoke project?

Are the cheaper web companies really tailoring this project to your unique requirements? I’ve found myself competing with rock bottom quotes only to find out the company has done a similar site before for a client and they are planning to pass off a re–hash of that project but charge the client as though it’s been built from scratch. And of course, no two projects are the same so this is never going to be a good idea (for the client anyway).

Some cut costs by using open–source content management systems. While such systems do have their place—as I have discussed before—they by–and–large aren’t really suitable for high–end professional websites.

Inflated and/or hidden retainers

Some companies initially quote a very low price to ‘reel you in’, only then to claw back their costs through inflated retainers. Sadly, this is common practice. For example you might get the initial website design and build for a very low price but then get a large invoice every month thereafter for hosting and email newsletter activities that have been heavily inflated. Such retainers are usually omitted or hidden in website proposals.

Designers —good and bad

Finally, how good is the designer? Design is the most subjective element of a website. It not only requires creativity but also a sound knowledge of how websites work. Good looks need to support the website’s functionality, not come at the expense of it. Such designers are hard to come by and therefore you pay a premium for using them. Look at designers’ previous work first to check their quality. If they’re good, they’ll be more expensive; but as the adage goes: you get what you pay for.

If you need help getting a reliable and good value quote for your website, call me on 07843 483 078 or get a free quote online.

So, how do you build a good CMS? As with many things, there is no right or wrong answer. Here I present a few bits of advice to help you build a good CMS.

If at any time you need advice or help with your CMS, call me on 07843 483 078 or get a free quote online.

Put in online

Where possible a CMS should be fully online. A 100% web–based CMS means that users can access it from any computer with an Internet connection, regardless of what platform it runs on (Windows, Linux or Mac OS X). It also means it doesn’t rely on having to install third party software on any machine the user wishes to use for updates.

Give it to as few users as possible

The adage that ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ applies to managing content on a website too. Don’t let everyone add and change the content on your site just because you can. Let as few users as possible do this and clearly identify his or her responsibilities to prevent any unnecessary conflicts.

Don’t give a human job to a computer (or vice versa)

Don’t automate every function for the sake of it; if a job is better done by a human, let a human do it. For example, I’ve worked a lot with photographers and other creatives and have built them CMSs that allow them to manage their portfolios online. In some cases, it has proven much better to allow their artistic mind to crop and re–size the images rather then getting a computer to do it automatically. Of course, the same is true the other way round: don’t give a human a job a computer can do better.

Don’t add too many features

A good CMS should only do what it needs to do and nothing more. Some web design companies have a ‘core CMS’ that has the features most CMSs need. Sometimes when they offer you their ‘tried and tested CMS’ they’re actually euphemistically telling you you’re paying for a bespoke CMS—but in reality you’re getting a rehash of something they’ve used in a hundred and one other projects.

Keep it simple

Above all, keep it simple! As was mentioned in the outset, a CMS is a means to update a site without requiring the knowledge of a web developer. Some CMSs can be so convoluted the user may as well have gone and bought a book on programming.

There are other good bits of advice I’ve covered before such as the dangers of going down the open–source route but I feel the above provides a good summary as to the main points that need to be considered.

So if you need a good CMS building call me on 07843 483 078 or get a free quote online.

However, with the proliferation of open–source content management systems (or CMSs) such as WordPress (a blogging platform),  Joomla (a content publishing platform) and osCommerce (an eCommerce platform) it is possible to use one of these free platforms to power your website—as opposed to paying a web designer/developer to create a bespoke one from scratch. And contrary to the above beliefs, some people regard these free options as suitable platforms to power their websites. I’m not convinced this is a good idea.

While I am not against the use of such programs (this very blog post is powered by WordPress) I do think you should consider these points before deciding whether to use them or not:

It’s not actually free is it?

Even if you do use a ‘free’ option, you still need to pay a web professional to customise the look and functionality for you. Generally speaking, this would be much quicker—and cheaper—than doing it from scratch. But what if you ask the web person to add a feature that turns out to be very difficult (or even impossible) to implement? If you’re paying by the hour, it could prove costly.

Does one size really fit all?

Open–source CMSs try to be all things to all people; the result is that they please most of the people most of the time. If you’re serious about having a successful website, wouldn’t it be better to go the extra mile from square one and get a website uniquely tailored to your business’s needs? If your chosen CMS doesn’t fit your business model you’re going to have to compromise somewhere down the line.

Scalability

In the future, your website will grow with your business. What if you need a brand new feature in a couple of years’ time and your CMS doesn’t support it? You wouldn’t want to cap the growth of your business so why do the same with your website?

Lack of support

Every open–source software license I can think of comes without warranty. So, if something goes wrong no one is accountable. It’s easy for your web designer to say, ‘well, I never programmed it that way!’ Conversely, with a bespoke project, you developer is on hand should you need him or her.

Once again I’ll say, I’m not against open–source CMSs. They are useful for the some individuals and smaller businesses. Also, some of them can be used in moderation to enhance the rest of your site (like this blog for example). But for a truly successful website I recommend you go down the bespoke route every time. Yes, you do ‘get what you pay for’.

For further help deciding how to power your website, get a free quote online of call me now on 07843 483 078 and ask for Tim.

This blog identifies the nine fundamental reasons why most websites ‘don’t work’; this will help you to choose a web design company that will make your site a success.

1. Breaking convention

Some companies, particularly those in more creative industries, want their site to be original. Sometimes this comes at the cost of breaking convention, which will cause instant failure for your website. There are certain conventions that any good web designer should know about. For example, everyone knows that if they click on an Add To Basket button it will place an item in their shopping basket, which will appear in the top right of their screen. If you call your button Place Item in Retail Receptacle and place the shopping basket in the bottom left you’ll have usability problems. It may be original, but it won’t work.

2. Building the website you want, not what your customers want

A websites specification will no doubt start off with visions of grandeur. If these take control of the project your website will ultimately be built for you and not your customers. It will contain all the things you want to see; the core aim of the site – to get your more customers – will be lost. When specifying your website ask yourself: what will urge potential customers to take action?

3. Getting the foundations wrong

Some web companies don’t have the experience to build websites correctly. They may look okay but an incorrectly built website is like incorrectly laying the foundations to a building. Superficially it may look okay and even perform fine in the short term but a badly built website will take longer to load and more time to update. More importantly it will be harder for users with special requirements – such as dyslexics and the partially sighted – to access.

4. Believing the search engine rumours

There is so much hot air surrounding websites and Internet marketing. Everyone has their own opinion as to how you appear at the top of a search engine’s results. You need to exercise caution as believing rumours can result in website failure. If you are told a particular piece of information, have it verified. Seeing as search engines update their criteria regularly check that the ‘fact’ was stated recently. Despite what some people may think, Google and the other search engines are far from human. They’re just another computer program and that means that they follow – robotically and without emotion – a set of rules (an algorithm). Since these rules are not made available to the public, only listen to search engine marketeers that have tried and tested their claims. It’s the only way to separate the truth from the lies.

5. Making the website yourself

A lot of people make their own website. It’s certainly possible but it’s not a good idea. It takes years and years to know how to make a website work. If you give the site to someone inexperienced you risk seriously damaging your online credibility.

6. Working with a traditional print or graphic design agency

The web is a medium in itself. People using a website access the information very differently to if they are reading a magazine or newspaper. Website users are usually looking for something – a product or service – whereas magazine and newspaper readers are casually digesting information. The former scan the content looking to take action whereas the latter take in most of the information. Traditional agencies will directly port print literature and put it online; it simply doesn’t work.

7. Over specifying

Some developers add features to your website simply because they can, or because it’s a way of bloating the project – and their invoice. But over-specifying doesn’t just needlessly cost you more money, it delays the website completion date.

8. Paying for traffic

Unless you’re in a highly, highly competitive industry, a good web design company should be able to get you free search engine traffic by getting your website to appear in the major search engine results for given search terms. While it can take time to see these results they are relatively easy to attain and maintain. Inexperienced web companies will be unaware of how to do this and will get you to spend money on traditional marketing methods and paid web advertisements. Even in competative industries it’s possible to localise your search phrases to limit the competition.

9. No calls-to-action

Calls-to-action are links, buttons, et cetera that incite the user to take action, whether it is to fill out an enquiry form or buy a product. It’s amazing how many web designers forget this critical element. If you don’t ask them to take action on your site, how will it be a success?

Conclusion

Despite what most people think, getting a website to work properly is a huge balancing act of many different factors. The more people that get involved and the more angles people approach the project from – design, development, marketing and so on – the more difficult it can be to get the balance right. When considering which company to use for your web project be sure to use an experienced company / individual that have / has the balance right. Avoid companies that offer lots of other services alongside web design or that are historically known for their print and graphic design work. Ensure the customer-facing person assigned to you understands how websites work and isn’t part of a team so large that they can’t balance these factors correctly.

If you’re interested in getting a website that does work, get a free, no obligation quote now. I’m always happy to help.

Users’ settings

One of the fundamental differences between web and print is that with print you know exactly how people will see your finished work. Everyone gets the same design on the same printed medium. On the web, however, there are many subjective factors that mean people may see your website slightly differently. A good example of this is screen resolution; one user might have a small 4:3 monitor displaying at 800 x 600 and then another might use a large widescreen monitor and 1980 x 1200. There are many other subjective factors to consider too: how much ‘real estate’ the browser’s toolbar takes up, how big they have the browser on their desktop, what size they have the text set. The list goes on and a good web designer knows that you must consider these factors and that you cannot guarantee everyone will see your website in the same way.

Colour

Print designers are very pedantic about colour matching—and quite rightly so. When working with print you can—and want—everyone to see what you have designed as it should be. Print uses the CMYK colour mode to represent how ink is matched and colour profiles are used to ensure that the colour is represented in the same way across different computers. Again, web designers do not have this luxury. First of all, computers actually use a different colour mode, RGB, to render colour on–screen. RGB—which stands for Red, Green, Blue—uses three values to represent the three colours used for each pixel on–screen. When print designers work in CYMK, they are actually working with RGB values the computer has converted to CMYK. Plus not all browsers support colour profiles, so it is unwise to use them. The upshot of all this for the web designer is, again, you cannot be sure your colour will be seen in exactly the same way by all your users. Furthermore, PCs and Linux use a colour gamma of 2.2 whereas Apple Macs use 1.8 resulting in a noticeable colour difference (the same image would look more vibrant on a Mac). Finally, it is worth noting that you do not know if the user has altered their monitor’s brightness and contrast settings.

How visitors scan information

When people read printed literature they scan it very differently to how they scan a website. Tests show printed literature is digested more casually (see the next point—Attention span) and is read in a different order. Websites on the other hand are scanned very quickly so all information must be concise and must draw the eye to it.

Attention span

Unlike print, website visitors tend to have a very short attention span. Most of them want something—and they want it quickly. Whether your goal is to generate a lead, capture an email address, make them pick up the phone or make them buy a product from your online shop a website should be designed to achieve this goal, rather than just to look pretty. This is arguably where most print designers (and even a lot of web designers) fail.

Typography

The World Wide Web was designed to serve information over a network and was not really designed with advanced typesetting in mind. While the technology that controls how a website looks (CSS) is quite sophisticated it does not come with the same set of typography options available in a professional desktop publishing application such as InDesign. And as was mentioned earlier a user can use their browser to override many of the text settings anyway.

Conclusion

So it is evident that these two branches of design might seem similar on face value but actually there are differences all print and web designers should be aware of. If you are considering using a print designer to design your website check that they have sufficient experiences with websites, which is more than just good design. Some print designers get hung up on looks only whereas a good web designer will use design and layout to make your website perform as effectively as possible.

If you are unsure or just want to work with someone who knows how websites work call me on 07843 483 078 or get a free quote online.