Our interview today come to us from the “Sin City” of Las Vegas, Nevada. John Melwak is the CEO of Web Coast Concepts, a web design and internet marketing firm. We cover the advantages custom web design over template-based web design, and much more.

1. What types of services does your website design firm offer?

John: We offer complete web design and development solutions. From simple static websites to elaborate custom developed database dynamic sites. We offer complete 100% custom designs and never use any templates, making sure that our clients get a unique look for their business.

2. What are three things a person needs to consider when hiring a website design company?

John: Make sure to look at the design firms portfolio. This speaks volumes of the type of work they create for their clients.

3. What are your thoughts on choosing a template-based website versus a custom website?

John: We do not recommend templated websites. Templates float around all over the internet and if you are serious about your business then you should stay away from templates. You cannot get a unique look with a template and there could be some other company using the exact design you have. By doing this you are not showing your potential clients that your business is serious about what it does.

4. I’ve decided to use your design firm to build my website, what happens next?

John: After choosing your web design firm we like to discuss with the client the layout, colors and schematics of the design. This helps get a better understanding of what exactly your business design needs are. We can then submit mock up designs to the client and make any necessary revisions from there.

5. How has web design changed in the last five years?

John: We believe that the designs are getting better from the professionals that know what they are doing. The monitors are getting bigger and the criteria for designing websites are becoming more unique. Table-less designing is the way to go and CSS has helped achieve things that were never possible back in the day.

6. What is search engine optimization and why should clients care about it?

John: SEO is very important from the beginning of your project. If your website is not designed and coded properly you can hurt yourself with SEO in the long run. SEO can help you target traffic that your website desperately needs. In order to survive in your target market you need a SEO plan that not only covers keywords and competition but also social media marketing and link building as well.

7. What is a content management system and why is it needed?

John: CMS is a way for clients to easily manage and maintain there website without the knowledge of html or php programming. This has become a huge hit with our clients as its easier for them or a team member to login to there website and upload images, text, videos and even create news blogs and extra pages. Content Management Systems are the way to go if your business website is ever changing and content must be updated periodically.

Our interview today is with Jeff Weissberg, a partner at SoCal WebWorx. As you might guess, SoCal WebWorx is a Southern California-based website design and eMarketing shop. Our interview with Jeff touched on a number of critical topics including how to prepare for the website designing process and how often your website should be updated.

1. What types of services does your website design firm offer?

Jeff: SoCal WebWorx offers a full range of website design and development services and in-house search engine optimization.

Our services include:

• Custom website design from simple landing pages to content management systems & ecommerce websites.
• Expertise in multiple platforms including: Drupal, joomla, ZenCart, Wordpress, HTML/CSS as well as jQuery and Flash animations.
• Template customization and branding, e-commerce websites and add-on shopping carts.
• On-Site and Off-Site Search Engine Optimization, hosting and on-going maintenance plans.
• Additional creative support services include: marketing copywriting, photography and logo design.

2. What work needs to be done BEFORE hiring a web design firm?

Jeff: Before actually signing a contract and hiring a specific web design firm you are well advised to do some homework.

Most importantly, you should make decisions regarding the functionality and features you desire.  Are there specific dynamic requirements that the site must have?  For example, secure on-line shopping e-commerce, on-line testing, blog or forum, etc. It’s helpful to research related sites. Find examples of your likes and dislikes. This will help you make decisions regarding your website needs and will assist in defining a realistic budget. It will enable web design firms to give you accurate quotes and proposals and for the chosen firm to move your site development in the right direction from the start.

In addition, you should give serious consideration to the Search Engine Optimization and marketing expertise of the company you choose. Many aspects of on-site SEO are more economical and efficient to do in tandem with your website design and development. When handled in synch decisions regarding site content and formatting will result in a site that is visually enticing to people as well as search engine friendly for maximum organic search engine traffic.

Lastly, if your website is going to be a marketing vehicle for your company or organization hire a firm that understands marketing communications to maximize your brand identity, develop a benefits-oriented website and create a positive experience for visitors.

3. What factors determine the price of a custom website?

Jeff: At SoCal WebWorx we like to gather significant information on a prospective website before providing a final price.  Ideally we can speak with the client on the phone, via Skype or in-person to gather sufficient information on the site requirements and functionality. This also gives the client a chance to ask questions about specific features and their pricing.

Following our conversation(s) we will draft a preliminary sales agreement with pricing determined by the following client determined factors:

• The platform the site will be built with. For example, is it static or will it utilize a content management system; does it require easy client access for frequent revisions and additions; etc.
• Design time estimated for project. Based on client expectations and provided reference websites.
• Number of pages to be designed.
• Animation desired if appropriate.  Simple or complex, Flash animation, animated giff files or jQuery?
• Form processing requirements. Standard e-mail information gathering forms for simple user contact or extensive form development?
• Search Engine Optimization services desired.
• Schedule – standard or rush?

4. What is the process like for designing a website and what can a client do to make it go smoother?

Jeff: At SoCal WebWorx we approach the website development process as a collaborative process with our clients. It is especially important to have an initial discussion with the client of their preferences and expectations.

Our process follows these steps, although the sequence is not cast in stone.

• Client provides input and assets. Assets include logo, photos and graphic files as well as verbiage. The page count and site scope are reviewed from the sales agreement and finalized. An in-person brain-storming meeting with the client is often a good way to kick-off the project. Having clients provide the needed assets in a timely manner is extremely helpful to the process.
• If we are incorporating search engine optimization services we request the client provides a list of keywords and a short company description of services. Knowing what terms and phrases are important for the client site to rank high is crucial to the effort.
• Following brain-storming we develop mock-ups of the site home page and sample sub pages for client review and feedback.
• Mock-ups are revised and refined for a second client review / revision cycle.
• At this point the design is firmed up and decisions are finalized regarding common website features including the banner and navigation.
• Once the common graphic elements are finalized our site programmers begin converting the graphic files to web pages.
• Individual sub-pages are propagated as content is provided by the client.
• The site is posted to a test location for client review, testing and debugging. We test the site on both Mac and PC platforms using all of the major browser platforms.
• Upon final client approval the website is switched to the appropriate hosting location and is posted to the Internet.

5. Are clients asking more questions about social media and seo? What should they know?

Jeff: Yes, we have definitely seen a steady increase in concern for social media and search engine optimization over the past several years. As marketing preferences continue to shift away from printing and print-based advertising the competition for traffic on the Internet continues to grow.

Clients need to understand that organic seo (as opposed to paid Internet advertising) is an ongoing process. Simply adding a blog to a new site will not in and of itself help your rankings and traffic unless you are posting original content on a frequent basis.

The same hold true with putting up a Facebook fan page or Twitter account.

Other seo efforts also need to be ongoing for maximum effectiveness. This includes building ‘back links’ to your website, contributing to blogs and forums and getting listed in all important directories.

Even as your site reaches top positions for specific keyword terms you should continue expanding your seo efforts to reinforce your rankings and stay a step ahead of your competition.

6. What can clients do to make sure their website is found by search engines like Google?

Jeff: Having Google “find” your site is actually a very simple process of submitting your URL to Google upon completion after posting live to the Internet. At SoCal WebWorx we submit all completed sites to Google, Yahoo, and MSN.  If we are providing SEO services we also install Google Analytics so that Google search traffic to your site can be recorded and easily monitored. We have been asked to work on many websites that were never properly submitted to major search engines and even more sites that lack Google Analytics or any other traffic reporting.

Of course, just getting “found” by search engines is only the beginning of the seo process. With proper seo assistance your site will steadily move up in its Google page ranking and appear closer to the top for specific keyword terms potential visitors use in searching for your services.  For many businesses and organizations the Internet competition is fierce. Just being “found” buy Google is insufficient for viability. Ranking in the top five websites for specific keyword terms is what most website owners are asking of us, and that usually requires an ongoing seo campaign.

7. What type of ongoing maintenance is required with a website? How does your firm help with this?

Jeff: Despite the claims of some web design firms, the only maintenance required of your website is to pay your hosting and domain name registration bills on time. You can often save money by registering your URL for an extended time period up to ten years. The same holds true of hosting services.

At SoCal WebWorx we do provide on-going seo programs if desired, but this is certainly not required and can be easily customized to fit your monthly budget.

We also provide ongoing maintenance if desired by clients seeking to have us make frequent changes and update to their sites, such as monthly specials, newsletter posting, etc. Again, there is not a requirement for such fees if the services are not needed or you the client has the know-how to make edits by themselves or on a site developed for them to easily make changes from their side.

8. How often should you update your website design?

Jeff: Just as with brochures, catalogs and other traditional print-based marketing materials, your website will most likely eventually need some updating and revisions.

From time to time most websites need to be refreshed as information and images on your site become outdated. At some point you may even consider a total re-work of your website to reflect a timely image.  You may also have features you want to add to your website which require major rework.  It may turn out to be less expensive to simply start again than adding patches on an old website. Your website may be built for older browsers and some functionality may not be working properly on new hand-held Internet browsing devices.

The right time to rework your website is an individual business or organizational decision. Some companies redo their websites every year to reflect changes in products and services. Many companies rework their sites within three years of going live and within five years most companies are re-visiting their website designs. Many large companies have in-house web designers and developers for making on-going site changes. Of course most smaller companies cannot afford such a staff and will turn to a professional web design firm for assistance.

We live in a time of rapid social and technological change that demands a concerted effort to “keep up with the times”. Sometimes a “Marketing Makeover” is all it takes to revitalize sales, reach new customers and increase profitability.

Alter Imaging is a Charlotte, NC web design firm with a wide range of web design, development, and internet marketing capabilities. In our interview, the President Susanne Mulligan discusses everything from how to tell if a web designer understands your needs to conversion rate optimization.

1. What types of services does your website design firm offer?

Susanne: We break our services down into three main categories: Advertising, Web Development, and Internet Marketing.

Our Advertising services range from naming and tagline development to planning, creating, and implementing full-scale, multi-channel campaigns. They also include copywriting, media & press relations, and competitive analysis.

Our Web Development services include web design, ecommerce solutions, mobile website design, content management, hosting, and application development.

Our Internet Marketing department provides search engine optimization, paid placement, social media, analytics, and conversion optimization.

2. As a potential client, how can you tell if a web designer understands your needs?

Susanne: A good sign that a web designer understands your needs is that they let you speak. The initial meetings should not be about the designer’s accomplishments but rather about what the client wants to accomplish. A web designer gains understanding by asking key questions like:

• Who is the target audience?
• What is the brand requirements?
• What is your service or product?
• What is your competitive advantage?
• What are your long term goals? What do you want your website to do?

A potential client needs to thoroughly address these questions to eliminate any misunderstandings. The next point in which a client can be assured their designer has a full understanding is when the initial comps are presented.

3. What factors determine the price of a custom website?

Susanne: Website design is not one-size fits all. Factors that influence the price include:

• Overall size of your website – larger sites will cost more.
• Complexity of the design – more complex designs require additional editing time.
• Features and functionality – do you need a content management system? Custom forms? A shopping cart?
• Custom graphics and photography – do you require stock or custom photography? Do you require animations or flash.
• Internet marketing – do you require search engine optimization or marketing services?

Some requirements cannot be predicted. If there are certain items needed, that are not part of a normal, quoted web site design process (e.g. custom applications or database backups/dumps), your should inform your web firm of these so they can be properly quoted.

4. What is the process like for designing a website and what can a client do to make it go smoother?

Susanne: Our unique 6D project methodology ensures projects are on-time and remains within the defined budget. Our process is:

• Discover: Learn about your business, customers and competitors.
• Define:  Outline the marketing strategy, features and functionality for your website.
• Design:  Put the mouse to pad to create a masterful design for the website.
• Develop:  Build the website based on the site architecture and web design.
• Debug: Final testing to ensures its ready to be viewed by the general public.
• Deploy: Launch the website and begin the internet marketing campaign.

A client can make the process smoother by adhering to the delivery schedule. They can also make it easier by thoroughly understanding and answering the discovery questions listed above. It is also extremely important that one person be assigned by the client as the primary contact to the designer. It also helps when the client has a vision of what the final product will look like.

5. How has web design changed in the last five years?

Susanne: Five years ago, web design was focused exclusively on the medium in which the website was viewed. Back then, that meant the computer screen. Now we must design for mobile devices, tv screens, large projections, and the visually impaired.

Another big change is the rise of social media. Web visitors expect to be able to interact with your website and connect to your organization through various other channels like Facebook and Twitter.

Websites are also doing more. A brochure-style website doesn’t cut it anymore. Five years ago websites were informational driven – here’s our services, here’s our team, here’s how to reach us. Today websites more visually impactful , visitor-centric, and interactive.

6. How do you approach search engine marketing like seo and ppc with your clients?

Susanne: We take an extremely wide-view when it comes to internet marketing. To us, SEO and PPC do not exist inside a bubble. It is extremely short-sighted to solely pursue a high rank or increased traffic if your site doesn’t provide a great user experience.

It doesn’t matter how much traffic comes across your site if that traffic doesn’t convert into a lead or a sale. At Alter Imaging, we practice CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) alongside SEO and PPC. CRO entails testing multiple version of a web page to see which version is most likely to complete a sale. To accomplish this we run A/B and multi-variate tests utilizing Google’s Website Optimizer.

For PPC, we strongly believe in customized landing pages for each ad instead of sending the traffic to the front page. Landing pages allow for a better match between the searcher’s query, the ad displayed, and the offer presented on the page the ad links to. Utilizing landing pages also increases your ad’s quality score and can drive down the cost per click and cost per conversion.

7. What is a content management system and why is it needed?

Susanne: Content management systems allow the client to make changes to their website in real-time easily and without requiring technical expertise. Typically sites with built-in content management systems cost more up front to develop and deploy. In the long run, this saves the client billable hours.

Erick Beckwitt is a principal at Centauria Design, a Vancouver custom web design and development company. In our interview, Eric discusses some of the latest trends in social media, like Facebook’s Open Graph, as well as the future of web design for small screens.

1. What makes your web design firm unique?

Eric: We are a client-centered web design and development company and we are trying to differentiate ourselves this way. Everyone says this, but we believe it and live it. As a small boutique company, we take on just a few projects at a time. We look for the right fit and aim for long-term relationships with our clients, mutually beneficial partnerships.

We look at our web projects holistically – how they fit in the business model of the organization and over-all marketing strategy. We explain the importance of website optimization, offer free online business consultations, and spend a lot of time consulting our clients. We have a lot of experience working with NGOs and see all good business as a service.

Another advantage of our firm is that we offer custom web programming. Not all firms will touch complex custom programming. They don’t have this capability. There are some good reasons for not undertaking custom programming, one of them is that most simple content-based sites don’t need it, but for clients that need to develop a one of a kind web application, custom programming is essential. They can’t integrate their front-end with WordPress and call it done.

2. As a potential client, how can you tell if a web designer understands your needs?

Eric: Make sure you are being listened to. If they can’t listen to you in the beginning, you are having a communication problem, and it can only get worse. We always look at the needs of our clients, not at what we could sell them. If they don’t need to redesign their site, we tell them. At the end of the day, it’s all about creating value for our clients, it’s what they need and what they appreciate.

3. If a potential client chooses a website based on the lowest price, what types of features/benefits might they be missing out on?

Eric: Basically you always get what you pay for. You would most likely be missing out on custom design and quality of the overall product. Make certain you are getting custom design, not a template that could be used on many other websites. You want to make sure that the company is going to be there to support you, that they actually have a business model that would keep them in business. Because if they are not making enough money, they wouldn’t necessarily be around when you need help. You want to make sure they are not cutting important corners in terms of security, marketing strategy, etc. You have to ask exactly what’s included and see it in writing.

4. What are the different steps in website development?

Eric: It depends on the scope and complexity of the project. Some of the projects require ten people full time for a year, yet another could be done by one person in a week. Obviously the steps involved are different. It’s like building a house. You can build a very small house or a 10,000 square foot mansion. Larger corporate sites have different process than personal sites, but in general for all websites, you will need to decide on the domain name and reserve it, find capable and reliable web hosting for it, decide on the look and feel for the site, get it designed, convert designs from original image format to HTML. You need to decide if you are going to have a content management system, it’s pretty much a requirement today. You need to choose your content management system and integrate it. You need to do any custom programming in the site front-end, and test the site on different browsers. You need to decide what type of relationship you establish!

5. How has web design changed in the last five years?

Eric: Web design became more utilitarian. It went from being an art form more towards pure usability. Successful web design is now all about creating elegantly simple systems that put design in the background and focus on functionality. It’s become more like designing quality software rather than differentiating yourself with color and graphics.

Clients are starting to perceive SEO as essential. They understand that websites that don’t budget for SEO work or other advertising that would bring them traffic fail.

6. How has social media changed the way you design a website?

Eric: Integration with Facebook is increasingly becoming essential. Clients are starting to ask about integration of Open Graph and Like buttons. If you are not familiar with the term Open Graph, it’s a protocol for embedding basic Facebook commands into a website. It’s now widely used on large media sites. If you go to New York Times site, for example, you’ll see your Facebook profile embedded in their site with your own newsfeed. But what we most commonly integrate are the Like buttons. If you like something, you can click on it and it would get published real-time on your Facebook page. Your friends then can see that you like something and may want to check it out too.

It makes sense for marketers to take advantage of social media, but that said, the most important feature of the website is still the quality of your offering. The product or service you are selling has to be valuable and relevant. You got to have good clean copy so people understand what you offer. You must have user-friendly site design and navigation so users can successfully find what they looking for. And if you have limited budget and have to choose carefully, I think that SEO is still more important than social media. You should be able to be found on search engines in your category for your relevant keywords.

7. What type of ongoing maintenance is required with a website? How does your firm help with this?

Eric: If websites correctly programmed from beginning, they are remarkably stable and need very little maintenance. Of course, over time people’s expectations for what needs to be on a site change. Businesses outgrow their websites, customers requests new features, or the design just starts to look dated. Frequently what we call maintenance is in fact changes to the site. Either changes to functionality clients want to make over time, or new functionality. Most of our support contacts are for serious  online businesses that constantly look for ways to improve their websites to make them more effective; this requires a continuous round of development and testing.

8. How do you see the future of web design for small-screen devices? Will mobile phones adapt to website design or websites would have to adapt the mobile standards?

Eric: We are seeing both. Increasingly web designers are using W3C standards, essentially table-less XHTML/CSS programming, to make sites that would work well through all platforms and browsers. On the other hand, the device makers are making browsers that are capable of correctly resizing and formatting most websites. Most sites at this point work well for browsing information, but not necessarily for purchasing products. Most large ecommerce websites have specifically designed versions for popular mobile devices like iPhone. Those sites will detect the device you’re using and reroute you to the appropriate version of the site.

Sagar Babber is the CEO of Snyxius Technologies, a web development firm which also specializes in mobile development. Our interview covered the importance of mobile platforms extensively, including the best approach when designing for a mobile experience.

1. What makes your web design firm unique?

Sagar: Snyxius is unique in its approach and attitude to each project. We are not just “any other” Web Design or Development company. We offer very specific and custom tailored digital business services & solutions that involve – Web Design, Web Development, Mobile Application Development & Internet marketing. We work with start-ups & small to very large corporations across various industries and our solutions to each are very specific to their requirements.

We strongly believe that no two projects are alike; each project and client is unique and we pay special attention to listen and understand all our clients. Our 3 step approach – Listen, Strategize and Deliver helps us hit the mark every single time with all our projects.

2. What advice would you give to someone trying to hire a web design firm?

Sagar: My advice would be to ensure the company has a good track record and understands you and your requirements clearly.  Its very important that you and the company are comfortable with each other to be able to deliver the project successfully.

Speak over phone as much as possible than just communicating over emails & chat. It always helps to be on the same page and be clear about your vision and ideas.

Ask for the project plan and approach upfront.

Ensure there are no hidden fees.

3. What are your thoughts on choosing a template-based website versus a custom website?

Sagar: It is essential that your website truly represents your business and is professionally tailored to attract your target audience and convert your visitors to prospects and customers. A template-based website would not only be very general and common but it will also risk presenting your business as “just another” company. It may give an unprofessional image and may not convert at all for you.

A website that does not convert is of no use. You’d rather not have a website than risk your business with a template-based website.

A good & wise investment in a custom website would definitely give you the maximum return.

4. I’ve decided to use your design firm to build my website, what happens next?

Sagar: The first thing would be for you to get in touch with us and communicate your requirements. You can phone, email, fax or meet us in person. We would need to analyze and understand your requirements in detail. Once we are clear with your ideas and are on the same page, we will put together a proposal for you with the complete scope of work and deliverables along with pricing and other terms.

As we kick off, we would start with the prototyping of the website which may include wireframes, mock-ups and HTML/CSS. This would then be followed by database design, code development, QA/Testing and final deployment.

5. What trends are you currently seeing in the projects you’re being asked to do?

Sagar: We are seeing an increasing number of requests for mobile app development and mobile websites. With the massive increase in the number of smartphone users and with the advent of 3g and 4g technologies, businesses are trying to reach out and cater to a larger population by going mobile. iPhone/iPad and Android are the popular technologies for mobile app development, whereas HTML5 is getting increasingly popular for mobile websites.

We are also often being asked for social media integration and search engine optimization. Snyxius has already helped many organizations reach out to a large base of their target audience through these medium. We have a dedicated team of experts working on organic seo and social media platform.

6. What is search engine optimization and why should clients care about it?

Sagar: Search engine optimization is a process of optimizing and popularizing your website to get noticed by users through search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN. There are a whole lot of online and offline ways of seo which also includes making your website user friendly and seo friendly. Even though you have an awesome website it may just not be enough; if people do not know about your website or do not visit your website, you might be missing out on a lot of prospects and revenue.

Millions of people use search engines everyday to look for a service, product or some information and if you are listed on top for your target niche then you are likely to drive so much good traffic to your website. In the web world, traffic is money.

Through years of effort and research we now have a proven track record of helping many businesses succeed by getting them on the top ranks for their target niche.

7. Do you see more clients concerned about how their websites will look on the iPhone or other mobile devices?

Sagar: Yes. With the increasing mobile population, it is natural for clients to be concerned about how their website would look on a mobile phone. Lot of our clients have specially asked us to make their website compatible with mobile phones. One important thing that they need to know is that mobile phones support a different kind of browser and markup language. To have their website compatible with mobile phones, they should consider doing a mobile website which is custom tailored to a smartphone browser.

Smartphones have smaller screens and are usually touch enabled. Having a custom tailored website for mobiles would give an awesome user experience.

Eric Griffiths is the CEO of Ohio Web Pro Design a custom design and web applications company. One of the most interesting points to come out of our interview is how HTML5 will really end up creating value for clients. It’s probably not what you were expecting.

1. What would you say your company does?

Eric: Our goal is to make our Client’s transition to the internet as painless as possible. Every business is unique and handles data in their own way. Our job is to integrate their systems with the website project using custom or existing web applications, which truly allows their website to be a powerful tool. We do this by having the option to pick between and  leverage many different technologies and systems.

2. What work needs to be done BEFORE hiring a web design firm?

Eric: It is important to have a plan. You should have a clear definition of what your project consists of, even if this requires you to hire a Web Developer or Developers to consult with. The following types of questions need answered: What is the purpose of this project? Who is the intended audience? What will we be providing that is valuable?  How will we be generating website traffic? After these questions are answered, then the basis for the content can be created.

The next step would be selecting technologies that will best fit your project requirements. Now this is not always an easy task, but you need an idea before selecting a design firm. Make sure you research the company before going forward. The best way to do this is to talk with past clients. A firm that has nothing to hide will gladly give many recent referrals.

3. What are your thoughts on choosing a template-based website versus a custom website?

Eric: If that is all your budget allows, template based websites are great. They have served their purpose for many small businesses and start-ups. For the most part, these are websites that otherwise would not exist. Getting on the web then gives you the potential to grow online. More than likely, eventually, businesses will find that their template based site is not providing what they need it to do. Then, I hope when a company has the budget for a custom site, they will come to us.

4. What are the different steps in website development?

Eric: Once you have a plan and have selected us for your project, our first step is to research your company, and get to know what it is your company does and who your intended audience will be. Next, we like to see what content the company has for the website. This seems to be the hard part. Many companies do not like to develop or provide content before the website design stage, but I feel that it is important to have at least a rough outline of the content that is going to be included on the site.

After we have some content and direction, the Graphic Designer starts the concept design. The concept design is a Photoshop file, usually saved as a PDF for easy viewing. This is usually a 2 or 4 step process back and forth between the company’s project manager and the designer before the concept design is approved.

The third step after the graphics are done is to cut the Photoshop file up into appropriate images, XHTML and CSS coding. This is then made into a custom template to be used with whatever content management system or ecommerce software that the client requires.

Then the site is uploaded, installed and tested, usually in a development location. If needed, the client usually receives training on using any software that is used to maintain the site. Once the site is tweaked, working properly and the client is 100% satisfied, the site is switched live.

The final step, which actually is usually started around the third or fourth step, is to plan and implement a marketing strategy that fulfills the goals for the new site. If this includes search engine optimization, there are many off-site steps that follow. Usually this can be handled without much input from the client though.

5. How do you think the future of website design will be different?

Eric: Technology and design is always changing, so it is sure to be different. It is important for a website development company to keep up on these changes. One of the biggest change that is on the horizon is HTML5. There is a lot of misconception in the design community on what HTML5 is and what it will do.

Simply put, HTML5 will standardize many of the tasks and routines that designers repeat over and over. a couple of the things I like is that forms will be easier to create and manage and JavaScript will no longer be considered a standalone platform from the HTML. I don’t feel that the end user or clients will notice a change at first, because I don’t believe that it will do anything that we can’t already at least create the same effect for in some other technology.  But what will happen is that designers will be able to do more within a given budget, and that creates value for our clients.

6. What can clients do to make sure their website is found by search engines like Google?

Eric: If you have a website and are promoting it, Google will find you. The important thing here is to harness the power of Google, and to be found on Google. Here is where search engine optimization comes into play. I feel the term “search engine optimization” is kind of out of date, I consider it to be more “search engine promoting” now days. While on-site SEO is important, the focus now, and the tedious part of the work is the offsite promoting that is done. I like this because it delivers two fold benefits, higher page rank and exposure in areas other than just on search engines.

7. What is a content management system and why is it needed?

Eric: A CMS, or Content Management System is software on your server that allows your website to be flexible. This is what keeps you from racking up big bills to your Designer if you plan on making changes to your site regularly! I have found that a lot of small businesses are adamant about which CMS to use in their project. Usually this is because going to a new platform has a learning curve. With larger businesses, they tend to not care as much. They tend to have the resources to work on any platform, and often, opt for a custom CMS that fits their business better.  Whether it is a custom, open source or a commercial CMS, they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

8. What are some of the disadvantages and advantages of the three types of CMS?

Eric: A custom CMS can be made to fit your business exactly. Every business is different, especially larger more complex businesses. For this reason it is hard to find a existing CMS platform that delivers everything that is needed. Even with all the open source projects, and all the modules that are out there, I still run into projects where no solution exists. Also, a custom CMS is usually more secure.  The down side to a custom CMS would mainly be the price  to implement. Sometimes a custom module can be built for an existing CMS to save some money.

An open source CMS is often a good solution. The top CMS projects are usually well supported and are regularly updated… and it’s hard to beat the price! The downside is the vulnerability.  While the code is usually good, because it is open source, anyone can access the code to find weaknesses and exploit it. And since most open source projects have many users, the attacker will feel they have a lot to gain by creating one exploit. Anyone who has had a WordPress site or a phpBB forum knows this. You have to dedicate time to keeping up to date on versions and installing plug-ins to combat this weakness.

A commercial CMS is often the best choice. For a little bit of money up front, you get added security and usually support to go along with it. There is also the added comfort knowing that the software is backed by an actual company, and not a project that may fall apart a month from now. The disadvantage here would be the that the added price can break smaller budgets, and commercial software does not have the flexibility of a custom solution.

Ruth Moore from KCA Internet is today’s interviewee and web design expert. If you didn’t guess by their initials, KCA is a Kansas City area web development and design firm. In the interview below, Ruth gives sage advice on the website design process, including the potentially unforeseen challenges of working with offshore providers.

1. What makes your web design firm unique?

Ruth: We work with all sizes of businesses – from mom and pop shops to Fortune 100 companies.  No job is too large, no job is too small. We customize our design and work to fit out clients’ needs – we do not offer templates or packages.  We establish very long term relationships with our clients.  Our very first customer, from 16 years ago, is still a customer today.

2. What work needs to be done BEFORE hiring a web design firm?

Ruth: If the client wants us to handle everything from A-Z, then not a lot.  We will let our client know what we need.  If the client wants to be more involved in the design and development process, then it is very helpful to know their vision for the website – what’s its primary purpose is, what features they want it to have and where they see the site 3 years from now.

3. If a potential client choose a website based on the lowest price, what types of features/benefits might they be missing out on?

Ruth: It’s been my experience that the lowest prices on website development come from offshore providers.  While many of them have remarkable talents, you run the risk of communication barriers – not just a language barrier, but the vast time zone difference.  You are working during your day, which is their night.  That just makes getting questions answered and general turnaround times much longer.  You also have no legal recourse if the offshore provider abandons the job and leaves you in the lurch.  We have a number of clients who came to us after having had a bad experience with an offshore provider and were quite relieved to work with a company that is available during their normal working hours and is just a phone call away.

4. What is the process like for designing a website and what can a client do to make it go smoother?

Ruth: Our process is to first have an in-depth discussion with the client about their thoughts for the site, if they have a color scheme in mind, if they have given thought to a site map, etc.  We also ask them to show us a few websites they really like and tell us specifically what it is they like about them.  From there we create a couple of mock up designs for our client to review and we work to make modifications to arrive at a final design.

As much as I hate to say this “out loud”, the best possible thing a client can do to make the whole design process go smoother is to stay out of it!  The client hired a professional design company for a reason, now please stand back and let us do our job.  We don’t mind moving a few things around, but when it comes right down to it, this is what we do for a living and honestly we know what works and what doesn’t better than the average Joe.

I can honestly say that the very best sites we have done, our award winners, are the ones that have had the least client involvement in the design.

We love to have a lot of input when it comes to functionality of the site, but just like “too many chefs spoil the soup”, too many designers spoil the website look.

5. Is there anything that surprises you about web design today, compared to five years ago?

Ruth: I am always astonished by the number of just terrible looking websites out there, created by so-called web design firms.  These sites look outdated, are using ancient technology, and don’t function properly.  What astonishes me even more is that people are still hiring these designers to create their own websites!

6. What can clients do to make sure their website is found by search engines like Google?

Ruth: Play fair.  Don’t use hidden text, don’t do keyword stuffing, don’t buy links back to your site, simply play by the rules.  Optimize your site, use relevant page titles (”Home” is NOT one of those), keep your keywords to a minimum and keep them relevant to the content of that page.  Use keyword rich content and link keywords within the text to specific pages of your site where relevant.  Exchange links carefully – make sure your link swaps are with relevant websites, not link farms.  Create an XML sitemap of your website and submit it to Google, Bing and Yahoo.  Verify your site with all 3 of those search engines as well.

7. What type of ongoing maintenance is required with a website? How does your firm help with this?

Ruth: Successful websites get updated with fresh content on a regular basis – this brings visitors back to your website.  We help with this by either installing a CMS (Content Management System) for our client so they can do their own text updates, or we handle updates for them.  We bill in 5 minute increments, with no minimums.

Jeff Foster is the Marketing Director of WebBizIdeas, a Minneapolis website design company. According to Jeff, one thing that sets their firm apart is their client dialogue-centric design process. Read on, to learn more about this unique approach to web design.

1. What makes your web design firm unique?

Jeff: WebBizIdeas stands out because of our level of knowledge, our years of experience, and our attention to detailed client considerations. We don’t just understand your website needs – we go beyond, taking the time to understand a client’s business goals and plans. Other companies ask what a client wants out of a website; Web Biz asks what your business needs, and how a website design can best fulfill those needs.

2. What advice would you give to someone trying to hire a web design firm?

Jeff: Always prototype / architect your website before building it.  If your web designer does not provide you a full working HTML blue print of your website before you build it, don’t work with them.  Always ask to see samples of the firm’s work. Look for a company that proudly features its designs, and has a good web page itself! In addition, seek out a company that is always eager to respond to feedback or questions. A hesitant company is either too busy to have enough time for a new client, or they’re hiding something with their lack of response.

3. What are your thoughts on choosing a template-based website versus a custom website?

Jeff: The main determining factor between a template website and a custom design is price. Template designs are less expensive, but they lack the uniqueness that you get with a truly customized creation. A custom website is the opposite: we can make it everything you’ve hoped for; a complete package that represents your company perfectly. Templates just can’t match a custom design, and customers who visit lots of websites are increasingly likely to notice if a site doesn’t look like it’s been custom built. If our client’s budget permits, we always encourage a custom design because of the distinctive, authentic look that it will provide.

4. What is the process like for designing a website and what can a client do to make it go smoother?

Jeff: With some web design companies, there isn’t really a design process. They will jump right into coding and hope it turns out the way their clients want. WebBizIdeas has a real process based on dialogue with our clients at every step of the way. We start with one on one consulting, including detailed examination of client business models. Once we feel we understand what the client needs, we move on to the actual design process. This is the stage where clients start to see site mock-ups and graphic design; all the components to ensure we’re on the right track. Finally, we’ll get the site fully coded and ready for approval.

The number one thing a client can do to ensure a smoother process is communicate with the design team. 99% of all complications during the design process arise because a client hesitates to share their thoughts at every step. The design process should be focused around learning about client needs, and then determining what features will best meet those needs. It should be a process focused entirely around the client, and the client should be offering feedback every step of the way.

5. Are clients asking more questions about social media and seo? What should they know?

Jeff: We’ve gotten so many questions about social media and SEO over the past years that we now offer marketing services alongside our web development. It’s smart for any business to ask about these emerging and evolving marketing technologies, because they can have a huge impact on exposure, branding, and bottom line. The most important thing to know about SEO is that choosing the wrong company can be more than a waste of money: it can actually damage your business’ reputation with Google and earn a heavy punishment. Every client should carefully examine their SEO provider, ensuring that they aren’t engaged in link farming or any other type of behavior that could earn a ban from Google’s rankings.

6. Do you recommend social features (e.g. blogs) on a typical website, why or why not?

Jeff: Since every client will have different needs, it’s hard to generalize about ‘typical’ websites. But in most cases, we do recommend social features. Blogs and other points of social connection are a very powerful element of any marketing program, provided the client can use them properly. With our help, every client should be able to take advantage of these tools, so we always encourage them. There is only one exception: if the client doesn’t have a way to maintain activity, then social features won’t have an impact long term, and may actually have a negative impact. We help each client determine whether they’ll be able to keep the blog active during the initial design process.

7. Describe one project you’ve worked on that stands out as one of your favorites.

Jeff: We love helping our clients succeed, and anytime we hear a success story, we’re happy. Our favorite success story is SmellyWasher.com. We worked with the owner from the beginning, providing the complete web design, software solutions, and marketing assistance. In June of 2007, our client was able to quit his appliance repair job and focus all of his time on SmellyWasher.com. We always love to see our assistance boost sales, but helping a small business owner achieve such great success is a true privilege.

Today’s interview is with Juan Carlos Carrillo, the President of Websoul a custom web design, application development, and web marketing firm. Read below as he discusses the most challenging aspect of designing a website as well as one of the most complex websites his firm has developed.

1. What makes your web design firm unique?

Juan Carlos: Websoul is a Web Design & Marketing company that offers affordable Custom Web Designs and Web Marketing campaigns. What makes us unique is the fact that we are not just web designers, our team represents several different backgrounds. We have Software Architects, System Engineers, Usability Engineers, Creative Artists, and Technical Writers to name a few. Because of such diversity, our clients benefit from working with such knowledgeable and experienced professionals.

2. What advice would you give to someone trying to hire a web design firm?

Juan Carlos: It is not hard to understand what a website should do. What is challenging is to understand the client’s vision and goals. Someone looking to hire a web design firm should look for a company that understands the client’s audience, has some background in the client’s industry and has a diverse team of individuals who would be able to design & develop any website regardless of its complexity.

3. What are your thoughts on choosing a template-based website versus a custom website?

Juan Carlos: Template-based websites might be affordable for a web designer but not for anybody else. The time needed to customize the template is not worth the investment, unless you have plenty of free time. But even then, the chances of getting it right are slim. Stand out from the crowd and have a one of a kind website not a knock-off of another one. Add the cost of the template to the time invested on customizing it and its total will be less than what you would have paid for a custom web design.

4. I’ve decided to use your design firm to build my website, what happens next?

Juan Carlos: At Websoul, the information gathering process is key to creating a well designed website. After a client chooses us, we start the information gathering phase to fully understand the client’s vision and goals. Then we go to the design phase, during which we create mock-up web screen shots that go back and forth between the client and our web design team until the right look & feel is created. If an application is being developed, flow, sequence, use case diagrams and more are created to provide the client and our development team with a footprint on how the application will work. Once in the development phase, we bring everything together to create the website/application. When done, our testers begin the testing phase to make sure everything works as expected. After the website/application is tested in our user acceptance environment, it is rolled out to production, either our hosting environment or the client’s hosting environment.

5. What trends are you currently seeing in the projects you’re being asked to do?

Juan Carlos: We are seeing plenty of requests in regards to social media and cloud services. Clients want to integrate with systems such as facebook, twitter, salesforce.com, google apps, etc.

6. Do you recommend social features (e.g. blogs) on a typical website, why or why not?

Juan Carlos: Users are now expecting social features such as news, articles, reviews, blogs from websites. Companies that offer those features will be key players in the near feature. We, at websoul, always recommend these features to our clients.

7. Describe one project you’ve worked on that stands out as one of your favorites.

Juan Carlos: Every project we undertake has its challenges and as “challenge seekers” we like them all. Recently, we finished a Testing Preparation Website on which we used technologies such as web services, ajax and more. The project was challenging due to the complexity of the website. One of the features was “timed exams.” We had to take care of situations where a user could loose internet connectivity, close the browser, etc. and in every case, we had to record how much time the user had left on the exam.

Today we’re lucky to interview an Art Director. Heath Meyette is with the California-based web design firm Think Tank Designs. My favorite quote from the interview below is “most websites don’t have a traffic problem. They have a conversion problem.” Insightful stuff. Read it for yourself.

1. What types of clients do you work with?

Heath: Most are small to medium sized companies with needs for eCommerce, Content Management Systems (CMS), site optimization and ongoing maintenance. Many of them have been burned by their previous web people and are looking for someone they can trust.

2. What advice would you give someone trying to hire a web design firm?

Heath: There are really 2 answers to this.

1) You get what you pay for. There’s a famous quote by Red Adair that goes “If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur”. This has never been so true as how it relates to web design. A good web person should not be a production artist. They should be able to consult, direct and generally look out for your best interests. But that’s not cheap.

2) Go with your gut. If you don’t get that “warm and fuzzy” feeling, keep looking.

Creating a website can be a very intimate process where the client needs to like the person they work with, not loathe speaking to them. Make sure you can easily communicate with them. Can they answer your questions? Do you feel confident in their abilities? Do they respond to your calls or emails in a timely manner? Will they be there in the long run for consulting and ongoing website maintenance?

Most problems between clients and web people occur due to lack of communication. Not to stereotype, but most web designers are ill prepared to properly explain the process. Most are very intelligent but lack the interpersonal skills to effectively work with a client. On the client’s side, they don’t usually understand what web designers do enough to ask the right questions. So the process of generating accurate project estimates that don’t expand once the project starts requires quite a bit of time and hand holding.

3. What does the average website cost?

Heath: We always get people asking “How much for a website?” The answer is usually “How much of a website do you want?” Pricing generally depends on the functionality required by a client.

Having said that, a small eCommerce or Content Management System (CMS) website starts at $4K-$5K and can go up to $15K for a dynamic website with all the bells and whistles like photo galleries, video, reviews, newsletter signups, blogs, etc. Pricing also depends on the number of pages within the site or products in the case of eCommerce websites. Since this can be a pretty large expenditure, both development and payments are usually broken into phases/installments that fit into client budgets.

4. What are the different steps in website development?

Heath: First, get into the mindset of your visitors. Realize  that once a visitor arrives at your website you have just 3-5 seconds to let them know they’re in the right place and that you have what they want. The rest of your website must persuade them why you’re the best choice or they’ll click away from your site.

Would you build a home without a blueprint? Of course not. The same thinking applies to your website. We use a proven 5 Step Process that consistently creates successful websites that give visitors what they want in as few clicks as possible.

Step 1: Discovery/Estimate Creation

Since every website project is unique, we work with clients to determine the scope and depth of your project requirements in order to provide an accurate quote. This can be very time consuming but once we create your quote the project cost doesn’t change unless the project scope changes. Upon your acceptance of the proposal we will forward you an invoice for the first 1/3 of the project total and a contract for you to sign.

Step 2: Site Planning

Our web professionals learn about your target audience. What interests them most? What are they coming to your site to do? What makes them tick? And how do we leverage this info to make your website a success.

Step 3: Wire Framing

People will come to your website for any number of reasons. Some want to make a purchase, some are just researching and some are looking for customer service among other things. We work out how we can get visitors in each scenario to accomplish their tasks as fast and as easily as possible.

Black and white mock-ups of your website are created to place all elements of your website in the most appropriate, user-friendly locations. Wire frames have no trace of design so that design doesn’t influence a site’s usability. Wire framing makes it possible for your visitors to say “Yes, I’m in the right place and I’m going to stay and learn more.”

Step 4: Web Design Comps

Your newly created wire frames are then used as a framework for the design to enhance your message and strengthen brand awareness. Typically, 2 or 3 comps are presented in rough form for discussion and evaluation. Up to 3 rounds of revisions are offered to move the selected design to finished form.

Step 5: Coding and Buildout

Your new website design is then translated into high-quality cross-browser compatible code. Once a coded design template has been established we use client provided text, photos, product info, etc. to finish your website.

5. How has web design changed in the last five years?

Heath: Five years is a lifetime on the web. Certain processes have become easier while other things have become more complex. An example of this would be mobile site and mobile app development. As the mobile market matures, today’s web designers need to evolve so they can effectively design and manage mobile marketing as well as traditional online marketing. Nowadays, web designers are having to increasingly become responsible for design, coding, seo, ppc, social media, online marketing and consulting.

We’re also seeing that almost all clients want a website built within a Content Management System (CMS) like Joomla! or Wordpress, where they can maintain the site themselves and avoid ongoing maintenance costs. In this scenario clients handle the day-to-day running of their sites but use us for “heavy lifting” code modifications, adding new features or do things they just don’t feel comfortable handling.

Another positive change is the adoption of tracking tools like Google Analytics and Website Optimizer. They make it possible for savvy clients and their web designers to actually quantify how successful (or not) their site is.

6. How do you approach search engine marketing like seo and ppc with your clients?

Heath: We look at them as “value added” services and handle them only for current clients we qualify as being realistic in their goals and trust our judgement. Most of the time, the client usually asks us to handle these things once we’ve finished redesigning their site or fixing whatever problem they came to us with originally. Clients stay with web people they trust and have their best interests at heart as these services have a tendency to become very expensive if done improperly.

I should also say that most websites don’t have a traffic problem. They have a conversion problem. Conversion goes beyond how many people come to your site. It instead measures how many of those people take action whether it be buying a product, utilizing a service, signing up for a newsletter, etc. This paints a very accurate picture of a website’s overall health. Once the conversion problem is fixed only then will we discuss services like PPC and SEO.

7. What would you say is the most common problem you encounter?

Heath: The biggest problem is that most clients come to us after bad experiences with other web designers. We’re talking simple things like returning emails or phone calls, doing what they say they were going to do. It’s pretty sad really. Needless to say, we spend a lot of time up front establishing trust with each client, clearly outlining project parameters, creating an accurate estimate for work to be completed, etc. It helps everyone feel comfortable with each other since most of the time clients don’t know what questions to ask and web designers don’t know clients have these questions.

8. How long does it take to create a website?

Heath: I would have to ask what type of site we’re talking about. Generally, a small eCommerce or Content Management System (CMS) site can be created in as little as 1 month. This is of course assuming that the client has all of their info ready to go which isn’t usually the case. This is understandable as it’s a lot of info to provide.

It can be a bit overwhelming for the client to gather the required content for the site and unfortunately we can’t do this for them. This usually involves product photography, assigning product numbers, finalizing pricing, creating shipping policies, warrantees, etc.

We make every effort to make them aware of what they will need to provide and help them find this info so it doesn’t hold up a project. When a project does get held up it’s generally because of this scenario. So most sites wind up taking 2-4 months to have everything 100%. A good web designer is going to make you aware of what will be needed well in advance so that when the time comes it’s ready to go.