Getting the Best Value for your Website Project

Without a doubt you'll want to make sure that the price you pay for your website design and development is as fair and competitive as possible. This article runs through some of the common mistakes and misunderstandings that people make when taking their first steps in this important area.

Value v Price

If I promised to sell you a Lamborghini Murciélago for £500 you'd be quite right to wonder what's wrong with it. Indeed, the low price would put most serious buyers off. However, people seem to lose this common sense when dealing with website costs.

When looking at a price that you are given for a website design or development it is vital that you read what you are getting for your money. Even if the price is still above your budget web designers aren't averse to a bit of horse trading to get the business!

Therefore make sure you appreciate that the value of the web project you are receiving is fully understood and it is that value which is being used to judge whether the price is good or not.

Not explaining your Business

There is no such thing as an off the shelf eCommerce system that suits every business. Not only does the design need to be mapped perfectly to your target audience but the checkout process complexity and the nature of the product all need to be taken into account.

Given that, it is surprising therefore how many companies ask for quotes for their website build without giving any details of what product or service they are offering. It is therefore not surprising that quote responses are at best vague and at worst a misleading impression of what will be delivered.

Be sure therefore to give at least a paragraph of information within your specification that relates to what you sell and what your target market is if possible.

Not Setting a Criteria list for Suppliers

Do you know the kind of web designer you want to work with? It's not something that is critical but if you have a preference then make it known. Do they need to be based near you? Perhaps they must have a portfolio of at least 3 sites in the last 2 years?

You'll save yourself a lot of time in reading responses that you're not willing to proceed with - not to mention saving web companies time in drafting proposals! - if you make this clear from the outset.

Poorly drawn up Specification

Perhaps the best request that we ever received for a website enhancement was to make a website "have a lot more zooosh!". Not surprisingly we didn't touch it with a barge pole. I'm sure other serious and professional companies didn't either.

Specifications that are not clear do not elicit good responses. You must therefore show that you are serious by setting out a serious specification for your web needs. This can be as simple as a bit about your company, the marketing strategy and a list of functionality.

Not Understanding the Price v Portfolio v Risk Trade Off

As a company, we do not compete on price alone. This is because we know that there is a connection between price, portfolio and risk. Because we have a good, strong portfolio we consider ourselves less of an engagement risk for any business and therefore feel justified charging more than a person with no portfolio.

Where does your business see itself? Are you willing to take a risk by engaging a company at a low price that has little or no portfolio? There's no right or wrong answer … so long as you understand the risk implications.

Unrealistic Pricing

Setting a budget gives a guide to a web designer so that they can determine how much effort to put into the project. It is also a statement of how seriously you are taking the project. By far the bulk understand that it's a competitive tender situation and won't price above what they can realistically deliver the job for.

Unrealistic pricing can, however, simply turn good web designers off. We've received requests for eCommerce sites with every possible bell and whistle with a budget of £200. The customer is effectively wasting their time and will no doubt be disappointed with the end result of their site, they ever get that far.

Unrealistic Timelines

In a similar vein, timelines need to be realistic too. This is particularly the case if you are looking for bespoke development or design. Wanting it by the weekend just isn't possible.

If time really is key then be flexible on price and quality but also be ready to accept off-the-shelf and turnkey solutions. Many designers will be asking themselves why you and your business are in need of the project so urgently … is this a taste of how the relationship will be in the long term

The Master and Slave relationship

And speaking of relationships, what kind of relationship do you want with your web designer? You probably appreciate the virtue of the long term relationship and the designer will too. However, this is best achieved by accepting that it's a two way street.

This means that you need to appreciate that your chosen designer has a level of expertise in web design and development (hopefully!) while they should acknowledge that you are the expert in your business field. It's probably correct when the designer advises you that a bright red background and yellow text isn't the way to get increased sales.

From the point of inception try to understand that the designer can be used to your advantage and you should seek their advice - even if you don't necessarily agree with it!

Not Answering Questions

If we have a question about a website that we're providing a quote for then we tend to ask it. Quite reasonable you might think. However, it's quite amazing how many people don't respond.

Of course questions themselves are a result of a less than perfect specification. If you're stuck at that stage it might be worth thinking about engaging a web consultant to help you draw up a perfect spec. Alternatively, invest some time informing those that want to provide you with a quote with the necessary details for them to get it right.

Crowdsourcing

Finally, a quick note on crowdsourcing. If you're not familiar with it, this is the use of websites that allow hundreds and perhaps thousands of people to respond to your requirements.

It sounds ideal but they only work in your favour if you have a half decent specification. Otherwise the bidders' interpretation of your needs will vary so wildly that the whole process will be worth very little.

It is also easy to be misled by people offering low prices and to accept the job on price alone. Keep the concept of risk and value in your mind when dealing with responses in this kind of arena.

Hopefully the above will help you identify how you can guide your own website tender process through to a satisfactory outcome for your business. Remember it doesn't mean paying over the odds for your site, it just means that putting a bit of effort in at the specification stage can reap rewards further down the line.