Outsourcing Your Website Design and Maintenance
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Thanks to technology available today, you don’t have to be a designer to create a website that gets results for your business. However, if you really want to leverage other people’s time so that you can create a balanced and viable business for yourself, you should consider outsourcing your website design and updates to professionals. Before hiring a professional designer, follow these tips to set yourself up for success:
Evaluate your skills – If you’re thinking of outsourcing website design and updates, you realize that you’re lacking the skills needed to do it right. It may take you months to do what someone else can do in just a few hours. Be honest about your abilities and find someone to fill the holes in what you know versus what you don’t know.
Develop a budget – Before you research which company or individual should create your website, it’s important to know what your budget is. If you have a small budget, consider creating part of your site now and part later. Don’t let a small budget stop you from starting at all.
Leverage your efficiencies – There is a small chance you can create your own site, but it’s probably still worth outsourcing it. You may be really good at website design, but it’s not your bread and butter. Doing your own design is going to take away from your ability to do what it is that makes money in your business. Let other people do what they do best, and you stick with what you’re efficient in.
Know which type of content management system (CMS) you need – You might not know what it’s called, but you know what you want it to do. Be able to describe how you want your content management system to function so that you can describe it to the person or company you’re outsourcing to. If you don’t know what you want, it will be hard for your contractor to deliver and meet your expectations.
Know which technology you need – You should know if you need a shopping cart, an email list, or other online technologies. Even if you don’t know the names, show your contractor examples of functions you want on your own website.
Choose the right professionals – Interview several contractors, ask to see samples, talk to them to figure out if you like the way they work. Do you need someone who simply follows instructions, or do you want someone who takes charge because you’re not sure what you want? Choose the right professional to help you get what you want and need for your website design.
The lowest price isn’t always better – Don’t assume that you can get by with cheap design and have it be successful. Sometimes you will get lucky and find an inexpensive contractor who delivers excellent results. But more than likely if you go for the cheapest price, you’ll get the cheapest results.
Remember that you’ll need ongoing help – Creating a website isn’t a one-and-done deal. The truth is, a website needs ongoing backups, security updates, content updates, and other types of maintenance. And all websites need a redesign at some point. These things might not be done by the original person or even the same person. But just remember that you’ll need more support after your website is live.
Outsourcing your website design is an easy way to get an efficient website up and running in no time. Hiring a professional means you can avoid the stress that a DIY website can create. And even if you have the skills to create your own site, it probably is more beneficial for you to leverage other people’s skill so you can focus on what your business is all about.
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