How often do you have updates? What is the goal of your website? Do you need to sell something on it? Full Article...

People always ask "How much does a website cost?"  That is really similar to asking "How much does a car cost?"  There are so many variants of websites depending how how attractive you want it to much, what kind of performance you want/need, and how many bells & whistles you want to add.  Below it or not, it might be even be beneficial to use that metaphor with your web designer.  If you say: "I am looking for something that looks new and professional, but nothing fancy.  Prefer reliability that can just get the job done every day with just the basics for features." then they are probably not going to whip out a portfolio of custom-designed, animated websites, with virtual characters that narrate the site.   Full Article...

One of the BIGGEST mistakes people make in a website, is not registering the domain name and the hosting in their name.  The domain name is the address for your site, for example, YellowWebMonkey.com.  The hosting is the server space where the website files are kept, kind of like your rental space on the web.   If a webpage developer tells you not to worry about it, they will register it through their company, then RUN!  Here is a good metaphor.  Think of it like someone coming to bid on a job to repair your vehicle.  And they tell you "No Problem!! Just sign over the pink slip for the car over to me and I will get started."  When someone is building a webpage for you, give the username/password, much like you would had a valet the keys.  But that way if they default, you have legal recourse to call your hosting company and have it reset for you.   Full Article...

Its important to have a ballpark idea of what kind of look you want for your company or organization.  If you just tell your web designer "I'll know it when I see it," you will probably get the same reaction as if you used that on a first date as a response for "What are you looking for in a relationship?"   Start paying attention to other websites you go to.  Just make a list of things you like and don't like.    Full Article...

The industry-standard in web design is a 50% deposit and that can be a lot of money.  Here are things to check: - Do you have a written estimate for the cost? - Who owns the files when the site is complete? - Do you have a written contract? - What happens if they do not deliver? - When is the website scheduled to be completely?  What happens if they are late? Full Article...

There is a wide range of people that will say they can do a website for you; from your friend's kid, to a college student, to freelancers, to companies.  Here are some questions you should ask (and the answers for YellowWebMonkey): - Do you subcontract out building the actual website?There are many people that are brokers for larger companies or subcontract out to India. All of our work is done in the USA by members of our team.  No one will touch your site that is not a member of this company.  Meet our team. Full Article...