How to find a qualified Website design Toronto developer? What points need to be taken into account before concluding a contract, and what not to do - let’s figure it out together.

Determine the goals and objectives of the site 

First of all, you need to decide why you need a website, what business function you will improve by launching a new page or updating the current one. Testing a business concept, improving the company's story and media coverage, optimizing business processes - the choice of developer, deadlines and budgets will depend on the function. Some companies quickly and well implement template solutions, others work with the image and content of projects, and others deal with complex integration tasks.

Based on the project goals, determine the main tasks. “A complete and high-quality website” are abstract categories. They can be answered by both a site that works stably without crashes, and one with a conversion rate above 5%. Defining your key objectives will help you figure out what you will consider success. For example, if a site is designed to engage, a key metric would be the number of pages viewed, repeat visits, or user time on the site. For an informational site, it is important to track the number of pages read to the end, and in online stores - the ratio of product views to additions to the cart.

If you find it difficult to choose or it is not clear to you how to define goals and objectives, then immediately ask the developer a question. Based on the answers and counter questions, you can judge the competencies of the company you contacted.

Determine budget 

The final choice of the developer and the result of his work largely depend on this. First, you should determine how much money you are willing to spend on creating a website. Then - its main characteristics, which you will not sacrifice, as well as what can be done easier, cheaper, or what is not worth spending time on at all. Based on this, you need to choose a company that works with certain segments and budgets.

It is better to outline the estimated budget at the first meeting. This way you will save your time. Don't be afraid that they will sell you something that costs less. For example, if you with a budget of 1 million apply to a studio that works with projects from 2 million, then, most likely, they will immediately tell you that it will not be possible to collaborate. Instead, you will be recommended trusted partners. And if a company works with projects from 400 thousand, then most likely the low price is an advantage that it will hold on to and will not call the cost higher.

Identify someone responsible for the project in your company 

Working on a website is a joint activity. The quality of the result and the timing of implementation will depend on your involvement. Providing materials, providing answers to questions asked, agreeing on intermediate results, participating in discussions - all this is part of your responsibilities. Failure to do so greatly slows down the work. Answers like “I don’t have time to think right now” or “it seems normal” lead to ill-conceived results, overwork and fatigue of the people involved. This reduces the quality of the final product. It will be easier for you if you select someone responsible for the project from among your employees. At the same time, it is important to reduce his load and make work on the site a priority.

What not to do 

Determine development deadlines independently 

A certain time is allocated for each stage of work. The more technology is violated for the sake of speed, the higher the likelihood of defects. Therefore, when meeting, find out how long it takes to work on projects similar to yours. Plus, as we already said, the timing of the project will be influenced by how timely and efficiently you complete your part of the work.

To the deadlines you need to add the time after which the developer will be able to start the project. Be prepared for the fact that in-demand companies are busy, and you will have to wait until a team becomes available for the project. Market leaders have an average production planning horizon of three months. If the contractor is ready to start tomorrow or reduce the implementation time at your request, this is a wake-up call.

Draw up technical specifications 

You should talk about the functions and tasks of the site, but you should not write detailed operating instructions. If a developer asks you for technical specifications, then this is an indicator of his incompetence - he does not understand how to work and what the result should be.

A comparison with building a house is appropriate here. You tell the builder how many bedrooms you need, whether you will live in the house during the winter, and when you plan to remodel the house. The thickness of the walls, the angle of the roof slope and the placement of the heating unit will be determined by the builders themselves.

Determine development technology 

The main thing on the site is what the visitor saw and what action he took: he left a request, bought a product, decided to work with your company. He is not interested in what technology is used in the development. Therefore, when choosing a developer, it is important to assess the quality of his finished projects, and not whether he uses WordPress or another technology.

Where to find a developer 

Ratings, recommendations and analysis of companies that made websites for similar tasks will help you in your search. After that, you can send requests and see what questions they will ask you about the project. The more questions and clarifications, the more experience the developer has. At the start, he will clarify the details of the problems that he has already encountered. And vice versa - the fewer questions, the less experience and demand this company has.

Remember that the site solves problems not only for the business, but also for the user. You need to know why the visitor came to the site, what he wants to learn, buy, and what doubts he has. In competent companies, the discussion of the project begins with clarifying these details, and not what color you want in the product card, for example.

In the ratings, pay attention not to whether the developer occupies the leading positions - usually they have the highest check. It is important that the company is represented in the ranking at all, even if it is in 50th or 120th place. This means that it really exists, its competencies have been confirmed, its clients and work performed have been verified.

Ask questions to the developer. Find out about his experience, achievements and current workload. As with almost any service that is made to order, the following aspects are important to you:

• competence and reliability of the contractor;

• his interest in the project;

• contractor's experience in solving similar problems.

Having received answers to the questions, you will get an overall picture for yourself and understand who is right for you. For example, the contractor is competent, but he has not yet had to solve the tasks you give. Or a performer with little experience, but interested in your project. Or you have a very competent contractor in front of you, but he is ready to solve your problems only according to a template. The choice is yours.

Do not send the terms of reference or brief of one company to others, trying to compare who has the cheaper price. Really good companies may not respond to such a request. And you will miss the opportunity to evaluate the project. In addition, if a company started working on specifications made for another company, then most likely the quality of the result will be low.