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Re: Common Scams and Warning Signs when Dealing with Web Designer
There's some good stuff here! A few things to keep in mind:
1. Web Designers are selling their time.
If they offer you a flat rate to build a site, they still have an amount of time in mind. And of course, if they can do it faster, they will. This means for fixed projects, they're going to do things like re-use code (templates) and generally cut corners (not optimize graphic size, not build to w3c compliance, etc.) to allow themselves to make more $$$ per hour.
And for projects where they are charging hourly, they're motivated to reinvent the wheel because it takes longer. This means writing custom code when something off-the shelf will do, pushing the important of a highly customized design "because your business is unique?!!!" when a template will do, and generally will look to find ways to increase the scope of your project.
2. They're going to charge you for changes.
Because you're paying for their time, expect to be hit with lots of surprise charges when you want to add a logo, add a page, change your address, or do any of those little things you're going to need done on an ongoing basis. You should be updating your site constantly, so expect this to add up. These charges are never included in the estimate or fixed rate package - they're pretty much always hidden.
3. Not all hours are created equal.
Think about that old joke where the guy hires the plumber to fix his boiler. The plumber looks at it for a minute, takes out a wrench, and tightens one bolt. He then gives the guy a $101 bill. When the guy complains, the plumber says it's $1 for tightening the bolt and $100 for knowing which bolt to tighten.
I know some developers who get 3x more done per hour at $100/hour than another at $50/hour. Plus, (to refer to that joke) the $50/hr guy is going to show up and ask which bolt you want him to tighten, while the $100/hr guy is going to show up and be able to figure it out for himself. In my experience, web developers who understand building websites for a specific goal (generating leads from your site, for example) are much more valuable than those that just understand HTML.
4. A generic wordpress install DOES NOT equal a great insurance website
It's going to take time to make it look like an insurance website. Even if you buy/find a template, expect to put in some significant time writing content, getting things organized, and generally rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty. Do not underestimate how hard it is to write good content!
Obviously, I'm in the business of building websites for insurance agents so my opinions are biased. After years of working as a website consultant for some of the biggest insurance carriers in the country (I won't even get into my hourly rate for them!), I co-founded AgentMethods to help agents get online with a great site and avoid the issues of custom-development. We don't charge anything up front, have no contracts, no cancellation fees, and give you 30 days to try it for free. And best of all, we'll have your site up today. So even if you're building your site yourself, you owe it to yourself to give our insurance website platform a try. At the very worst, you'll have a temporary site up for free for 30 days while you finish your custom-crafted masterpiece.
Aaron
There's some good stuff here! A few things to keep in mind:
1. Web Designers are selling their time.
If they offer you a flat rate to build a site, they still have an amount of time in mind. And of course, if they can do it faster, they will. This means for fixed projects, they're going to do things like re-use code (templates) and generally cut corners (not optimize graphic size, not build to w3c compliance, etc.) to allow themselves to make more $$$ per hour.
And for projects where they are charging hourly, they're motivated to reinvent the wheel because it takes longer. This means writing custom code when something off-the shelf will do, pushing the important of a highly customized design "because your business is unique?!!!" when a template will do, and generally will look to find ways to increase the scope of your project.
2. They're going to charge you for changes.
Because you're paying for their time, expect to be hit with lots of surprise charges when you want to add a logo, add a page, change your address, or do any of those little things you're going to need done on an ongoing basis. You should be updating your site constantly, so expect this to add up. These charges are never included in the estimate or fixed rate package - they're pretty much always hidden.
3. Not all hours are created equal.
Think about that old joke where the guy hires the plumber to fix his boiler. The plumber looks at it for a minute, takes out a wrench, and tightens one bolt. He then gives the guy a $101 bill. When the guy complains, the plumber says it's $1 for tightening the bolt and $100 for knowing which bolt to tighten.
I know some developers who get 3x more done per hour at $100/hour than another at $50/hour. Plus, (to refer to that joke) the $50/hr guy is going to show up and ask which bolt you want him to tighten, while the $100/hr guy is going to show up and be able to figure it out for himself. In my experience, web developers who understand building websites for a specific goal (generating leads from your site, for example) are much more valuable than those that just understand HTML.
4. A generic wordpress install DOES NOT equal a great insurance website
It's going to take time to make it look like an insurance website. Even if you buy/find a template, expect to put in some significant time writing content, getting things organized, and generally rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty. Do not underestimate how hard it is to write good content!
Obviously, I'm in the business of building websites for insurance agents so my opinions are biased. After years of working as a website consultant for some of the biggest insurance carriers in the country (I won't even get into my hourly rate for them!), I co-founded AgentMethods to help agents get online with a great site and avoid the issues of custom-development. We don't charge anything up front, have no contracts, no cancellation fees, and give you 30 days to try it for free. And best of all, we'll have your site up today. So even if you're building your site yourself, you owe it to yourself to give our insurance website platform a try. At the very worst, you'll have a temporary site up for free for 30 days while you finish your custom-crafted masterpiece.
Aaron
