If you need to build a website, or re-do your website, it can be mind-boggling just trying to figure out where to start. There are so many options available for building a website – from build-your-own services like Wix and Weebly to fully customized sites that are built from scratch. If you are a small or medium sized business, this article will help you get started. If you know what questions to ask a potential web developer, you can narrow down your search and find something that fits your needs and your budget.
We have also found (unfortunately) that not all web developers are equal, and you might think the price sounds great until you find out that your site doesn’t function properly unless you pay extra for each feature.
Here is a list of things to consider, (that we do with every site we build, by the way):
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Website Audit.
We perform a detailed audit of your current website, and your competitors sites, giving us valuable information on keywords, links, and content. Creating a new website or revamping an existing website without paying attention to current links and content can be the death of a good search engine ranking, and you may loose the traffic you used to have associated with your specific domain and URL. An audit of your competitors’ websites is the only real way to tell what is working within a certain industry, and how to compete with them in your Search Engine Rank Position (SERP), traffic, and market visibility.
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Responsive.
All of our sites are designed to be responsive, which is more than mobile-friendly. Responsive means the site responds to the size of the screen, whether it is a desktop monitor, laptop, tablet, or smart phone. Over 50% of searches on Google are from a mobile device, and Google now treats the mobile version of pages as the primary page to index. This means it is vital that your site functions properly on a mobile device.
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Optimize and tag photos.
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Check links.
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Optimize metadata.
A regular viewer will not see the metadata on your site, but making sure the title tags, meta descriptions, and H1 tags are formatted properly will make a significant difference in your SERP.
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Secure Site.
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Content ownership.
At the end of the day, y
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Site registration.
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Google Search Meta Format.
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Training.
We want you to be able to make changes to your own site once we have finished building it for you.
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Video headers and backgrounds.
The list above are important topics to ask about when making a decision about your website. If you need additional services, you should ask your potential developer if they can handle it in-house, or if you will need to find a third party. At Sync, we offer these following add-ons (in-house):
The key to a good working relationship with your web builder is communication.
Use this list as a starting point for your conversation, and ask lots of questions. If your developer can’t (or won’t) answer your questions, it should be a red flag for you.
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