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How to find an artist to develop a site

Whether you are engaged in commercial and commercial activities, whether you provide services or produce products, there comes a time when thoughts about your own website develop into a willingness to deal with this issue. And the first task to be solved is to decide on the executor. Who to entrust the development of the site?


Defining the objectives of the resource


Each potential customer of a web resource faces different types of difficulties. Some of them have no idea how sites are created, others have a superficial understanding of this, others are able to distinguish design from layout, which is already good, since the study of this issue can be omitted.

But regardless of the level of awareness of the development process, a potential customer is obliged to imagine what tasks his site should perform. Not even the most competent developer can help in this matter, because he does not know how the business is structured and how it will develop in the future.

Fortunately, this is not the end of the “nineties” and the days have passed when many entrepreneurs did not understand that the site is primarily a tool to strengthen the business, increase the flow of customers and increase their loyalty. Therefore, if we say: “what kind of site is needed”, we mean its type and structure. The main types of Internet resources are as follows:

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(landing page, landing page, landing page). As the name implies, such a site consists of a single page. Landings are created for a single product or service that you need to sell as quickly as possible or, if this is a novelty in the market, increase its recognition. Landing pages are available with both vertical and horizontal scrolling. The former are more convenient for visitors, therefore they are used much more often. The main difference between single-page and multi-page sites is the structure (all elements on one page) and a pronounced commercial component. The basis for the development of the landing page is USP (a unique trading offer), and the main elements are a catchy headline, text and graphic blocks that strengthen the visitor’s interest, USP itself, a call to action and a button to perform this action (buy, subscribe, etc.).


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  • Portal . This is a resource with a complex structure, which contains information that is divided into categories on specific topics. Portals are characterized by the presence of news feeds and forums and may have certain properties of the above web sites.

Knowing the variety of sites, it is easier to determine the optimal online resource for doing business and customer convenience. In addition, the answer to the very first question of the developer: “What site do you need?” you will already have it.

Browse thematic sites


Now you need to go through the sites of competitors and determine the "chips" that you would like to see at home. This is necessary not only to delve deeper into the essence of things, but also to answer the next question of the future artist: "How do you see your site?" And since it’s hard to explain “on the fingers”, it’s easier to show specific web sites, and what exactly they liked.

If you don’t know the names of the reference resources of your niche, you need to drive a targeted query into the search (for example, “buy bags”, “Moscow photographer services”, etc.) and go to the sites of the top search results. It is advisable to take a pen and mark the points that you would like to borrow. These may be: navigation, design, size and color of the heading, arrangement of categories and subcategories, fonts, features of the application form and feedback, etc. It is not necessary to devote too much time to this issue, because, as practice shows, the approval process a site development project, everything can change several times. However, you should not neglect the study of competitors' websites. It is important to have your own vision, and not blindly trust the experience of specialists who often like to impose a concept that is convenient for themselves. Having written out the details you like,You can begin to search for a contractor.

What to focus on


Why is it important to do the work discussed above? The fact is that when choosing a developer, it is desirable to focus on niche specialists. For example, if you need an online store, those who specialize in them will be a priority, if you have a corporate website, you should pay attention to the artists who have a lot of corporate web sites in their portfolio. Not knowing what sites are and how they are arranged, it is easy to get confused. However, this should not be taken as a dogma or a strict guide to action, since there are many developers (especially among web-studios) who equally successfully cope with different tasks.

So, at one time for the development of an image site, I was looking for freelancers, but accidentally got to the company. At the same time, I categorically did not consider web studios, since I did not allow the budget. But it turned out that the "freelancer" himself recommended it, because at that time he had switched from "free bread" to work in this company. He said that I would fit in the budget and they would do it honestly. The studio’s site, to be honest, didn’t hit me. Normal site - ask-kings.com- this is for clarity. Moreover, the design seemed rather “mediocre” to me (the thought flickered: either I am too demanding or “a shoemaker without boots”). But I liked the portfolio, so I decided to call (they don’t hit the nose for demand). As a result, they ordered them, having bought (in a good sense) how I was “courted” and at adequate prices (I put it in the budget - well, almost :-). The result also pleased me, despite the fact that I am quite picky, especially in design matters.

It was not by chance that I moved away from the topic a bit, because I wanted to substantively show that the search for a contractor might not go according to the script and still lead to the desired result. However, this is rather an exception to the rule, so you should not scatter attention - it is better to focus it on niche specialists or web-studios. But a logical question arises: how to understand who to order from?

Types of Web Developers


To do this, you need to find out who offers their site development services. Conventionally, all developers can be divided into:

  • freelancers (one or a group);
  • web studios;
  • small IT companies;
  • large digital agencies.

A freelancer (or a group - usually 2-4 people), as a rule, develops simple sites on one CMS (content management system, "engine") or on the designer.

A web studio usually consists of 5-20 specialists and is able to cope with the technical part of the project (without analytics). Unlike freelancers, the studio performs work under a standard contract.

IT companies have a staff of 20 to 100 employees and their priority is the creation of programs. This is mainly used for the development of CRM and ERP systems, as well as projects using advanced technologies (VR / AR, Big Data and others).

In a digital agency You can get a full range of services to promote your business on the Internet: turnkey website development, SEO and email promotion, contextual advertising, promotion on social networks, etc. 50-100 or more people can work in such a company.

Competency Definition


Most often, when ordering the first site, they turn to freelancers or to a web studio. At this stage, it is better to make a table and put in it all potential performers so that you can compare them with each other. The criteria for comparison will be approximately the following:

  • site;
  • portfolio;
  • Feedback
  • progress;
  • positioning;
  • response time;
  • competence;
  • number of decisions;
  • immersion;
  • willingness to accompany the project (if required);
  • site development cost.

First, enter in the table characteristics that do not require communication with contractors, since at this stage some of them can be eliminated. Evaluate sites, portfolios, customer reviews, achievements and positioning. After that, contact everyone and, as information appears, enter it in the table.

The site . Probably, it is unnecessary to talk about the fact that a potential developer should have his own website, so we focus on the convenience and functionality of the resource. It should be well structured, have clear navigation and logical layout. Check that all buttons and links work, and that the fonts are not too small or defiantly large. Allow this question as much time as necessary, because if the developer's site does not inspire confidence, then what will he offer you? ..

Portfolio- one of the key aspects in which customers give preference to a particular candidate. See if the portfolio contains sites of the type you need. Follow the links and check the resources according to the same criteria by which the site of the developer itself was checked. If everything is “Ok”, you can put a plus sign in the corresponding column of the table. If there is no portfolio, immediately remove such a candidate from the list.

Reviews. It is certainly necessary to pay attention to this section, but it should be understood that this is not a priority characteristic. The fact is that some developers, especially at the initial stage of their activity, write reviews themselves. There is a little more confidence in video responses, but there is no absolute guarantee that they are not mounted. It is almost impossible to verify the authenticity of information, so just read it, put a mark in the table and continue to study the characteristics.

Achievements and positioning- Not the most important aspects, but, if any, will be an additional incentive to give preference to this particular candidate. Achievements (usually indicated by web studios) include awards, ratings, high places in contests, etc. Positioning is the activity and ability to expertly present information on other communication channels — profile forums, social networks, and YouTube.

By filtering the candidates, you can chat with each of them. Fill out the feedback form or contact the developer in another accessible way and evaluate how quickly he will respond. Some people themselves indicate the time when the client can get an answer. In this case, you will have an additional opportunity to check the punctuality of the contractor. Taking into account the information described in the previous sections, explain which site you need and, having received a “plug of prices”, enter them in the table (the exact cost will be known only after compiling the statement of work).

In the conversation, you can find out other criteria. For example, by what questions a potential site developer will ask, it is easy to determine how much he is immersed in the task. If he offers to fill out a brief, this is an additional bonus for him, but if, without delving into the task, he immediately drops the “pricing plug”, then the work has been delivered to the conveyor, and such a performer will not be suitable for solving serious tasks. If he offers several solutions, for example, explains which CMS in one case or another is optimal, this is an occasion to distinguish such a contractor from the rest. And vice versa, when they are told in an ultimatum that “only in any way”, it is better to consider alternative options.

Choosing the best developer


After evaluating each candidate, do not rush to make the final choice. Practice shows that some developers even with an impeccable, at first glance, reputation often break deadlines, take prepayments, don’t finish work, don’t get in touch, ignore comments on revision, etc. Therefore, it’s not superfluous to play it safe and “walk around” additional features.

  • The presence of a developer of IP gives some certainty that he is engaged in the creation of sites seriously, and does not earn extra money “on weekends”.
  • If possible, contact the customers who left feedback.
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Choosing a contractor to develop a website is not an easy process, and there is no single recipe. Even those who are not a beginner in this business, often “pierce”, because there are always nuances that are as specific as each site is individual and each artist is unpredictable. However, knowing and following the above algorithm will significantly reduce the risk of entrusting the project to the “wrong” developer. So, the main steps for choosing a site developer are as follows:

  • determine the type of resource;
  • We look at the sites of competitors to show the contractor their favorite "chips";
  • focusing on niche specialists;
  • we select several candidates (most often it is a team of freelancers or a web-studio);
  • We carry out a comparative analysis of potential performers for developing a website (table);
  • we look at additional criteria (availability of IP, confirmation of reviews, staff);
  • please complete a paid test task;
  • dwell on the best candidate.

This algorithm can be supplemented and edited as much as necessary, because everyone has his own experience, and you will also have his own. In the meantime, it is not possible, you can use this instruction to minimize the risks of choosing an artist to develop the site.

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