Choosing and working with a developer
Date: 27 May 2008

We have recently seen 3 instances where simple maintenance tasks or partial site redevelopments have turned into frustratng and/or expensive nightmares for the site owners.

In one case, a simple “cut and paste” job that should have taken about half an hour, was quoted at 3.75hrs (and eventually paid for).

In another case, simple text, link and META tag changes that should have taken 3-4 hrs were quoted at 20 hours (and paid for).

Another client had a similar experience making changes to an existing site. They eventually found a new developer and cut their losses. They have a much better site now and are much happier with the relationship.

In both the last cases, changes were made that were not even requested, and fonts, styles and other things on the site ended up being changed and looking bad for no reason.

So we thought it timely to discuss the issue a little further.

Firstly, not all developers are bad! Some are excellent and doing a great job for their clients. But all are different.

Remember, developers are not magicians – they are no different to any other tradesman or professional you deal with. It is not rocket science, though some think it is.

Here are some of the most common complaints or queries we get asked about developers:

Most commonly, why does it take so long, or why can’t I get my developer to make these small changes for me?

Others:

The job cost more than I expected.
They did not do what I asked.
They changed things I didn’t ask them to change
Once they built the site I can’t get them to do any maintenance for me.
They have quoted or charged me $$$$ to do a simple job! That seems too much.
Why haven’t I got a site I can update myself
Why didn’t they tell me it wasn’t 'search engine friendly' and I had to do some web marketing to get it out there?
I want to move my site to another developer now but they have told me that I can’t because I don’t own it. Didn’t I pay for it, so isn’t it mine?
They don’t listen to me, so don’t understand what I need


If you are considering a new site or a revamp of your old one, you may be thinking about changing developer. The 10 tips below may help you in deciding on a new one or to work better with your existing developer.

Because the barriers to entry and calling yourself a developer are very low, there are still some elements of the wild west out there – make sure you are at least getting the right cowboy!

So, our first piece of advice is

1) If you are pretty happy with the developer you have, think very carefully before changing.

Your current person will hopefully know your business and your needs. Because of this they will probably also be able to build you a new site faster, cheaper and maybe better than a new person will. Perhaps a case of “better the devil you know”?. Not always, but think carefully about it. It is still worth checking out your options though.

It is better to delay your redevelopment than to make the wrong decision based just on price or timing.

If you still want to change, then:


2) Ask around with your peers or business associates, and look at other websites to see who built the ones you like.

Start by finding out who is local. Talk to them first. It is easier to sit with someone in front of a computer to discuss your site than doing it by phone and email.

Ask for references of recent clients and check them out.


3) See it you are able to communicate with them.

Gauge if they are “on your wavelength”

A big complaint is about poor communication skills – developers who do not tell clients what is going on, when things will be done, or what they will actually cost and why.

Many are programmers and may be brilliant at it, which is fine. Client relationships may not be a strong part of their particular skill set. But at the end of the day you also have to be able to communicate what you want and have them respond to that. It is your site – you need to get what you want, not them.

Communication is a two way thing – remember that they cannot read your mind either. If you don’t tell them what you want, they will make their own decisions, which may not be the same as yours.


4) Make sure they are “up with the play”

This doesn’t mean that you need a site with all the “latest bells and whistles”. In fact some of these mean your site will not be visible to search engines (eg some flash sites) . See below re Search engines.

While almost any high school student upwards can build you a “flat html” site, as a minimum we would suggest that a new site should now at least be built using some sort of “server side scripting” such as "asp" or "php". They look the same at the front end, but it makes site-wide changes, such as adding something to your menus, much easier and therefore cheaper for you.

Even better for easier maintenance is some sort of content management system (CMS). They range from quite cheap and simple to very versatile, complex, and more expensive. All have merits, depending on your needs – see below re search engines. CMS systems generally mean that you can make changes to text, META tags, photos and some layout yourself without having to involve the developer. Particularly useful if you are wanting to add specials, change prices etc

If your developer is not up with the play, they will be learning at your expense (as was probably the case in one of the stories above).

You don’t need al the bells and whistles, but you could benefit from some of them.


5) Make sure they are going to be responsive in future

When you need or want changes made, what is their commitment to making them in a timely manner? Ask them what their policy is. If you ask for 2 hrs of work to be done, how long will it take before they do it?

We have seen many instances where simple changes have taken many months to get done, and the site owners have been very frustrated.

Aim to make the ongoing relationship work for both of you.


6) Develop a good brief for the job

Before you talk to anyone, be clear in your own mind what you think you want or need. Have list of web sites that you think offer what you want on yours. Know what wasn’t working on your old site, or extras that you think you want added.

Be prepared to think about the developer's ideas, but be prepared to make your own decision. Your site must portray what you want to say about your business, and you know that best.

Get a written quote based on the brief and understand the impact of changing the brief as the job progresses.

Make sure everyone is clear about things.


7) Check who will own what of the code, design etc

A web site is basically built with programming code. Who owns this if you want to take your web site to someone else later? We think you should at least own the design and the HTML code that builds that. If the site has a content management system that allows you to maintain and change the site using some sort of admin area, then this has probably been developed by the developer. We would not expect them to release that to you so you could take it to someone else.

Before you start – make sure you know who owns what and what would happen if you wanted to take the site elsewhere for any reason. It is easier to get this in writing before you start if you want it.

For many reasons, business relationships do not always last forever. Know what the exit strategy is.


8) Will they quote on future changes before they are made?

Usually where there are price surprises it is justified by “you changed your mind or asked for something more”.

Like any tradesman, a developer should be prepared to give you a good quote or at least an indication of price or time to do the work. If the brief changes, they should advise you that the cost may change, and indicate by how much so that you can accept it before it is done.

Plan to avoid nasty surprises


9) Will they stick to the brief?

Do you think they will build or change things they are not asked to do – often happens where you send away things like simple text changes, and your pages have been unnecessarily changed when the work has been done, often negatively. Are they a “loose canon?”

Try not to take chances that you might regret in future.


10) Do they understand the concepts and requirements of Web Site Marketing?

I’m sorry, but we are biased. We think this is critical to the success of your web site.

A web site is like a brochure –

Not promoting your Web site, is like having
glossy brochures sitting in your store room!

To help with search engine success, it needs to be search engine friendly, and you need a developer who understands the basics and importance of that concept.

They also need to be prepared to make changes to the site to enhance the search engine friendliness if need be.

From a web marketing perspective, if you are getting a CMS (content management system) make sure it will allow you to change page text and use individual page title tag, META description and META keywords, and alt tags for every page of your site. A few only let you set one “site wide default” so your site cannot be properly optimised for search engines.

Also make sure that your site will not just be a “scanned image” of your brochure. It needs real words on it for search engines to read. Entry pages with no text are a waste of time and bad for your site visibility in search engines. Not everything that looks good and flashy will help you with search engines.

Some developers understand that there must be good title, META tags, text and alt tags on your pages. Some will add these for you (with mixed success as it usually isn’t their specialist area). Others haven’t even got a clue about it so you need a web marketing company to do that for you.!

If you do have someone doing web marketing for you, make sure you tell them what you are doing as changes can impact on your site’s visibility if you don’t. Ask for their advice during the changeover. Developers often don’t understand that simple things like changing page names on a new site can have a negative impact on search engine visibility.

Make sure your budget extends to web marketing after the site has been built or changed – get that brochure out there for people to see. Don’t leave it in the back room! For more information about web marketing for your site, please contact us.

Make sure your site is going to be seen on the net!

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