Here are the five primary steps for planning your website project:

• Provide project requirements.
• Answer vendor questions.
• Set a realistic budget.
• Read and compare the proposals you receive.
• Check references.

Provide project requirements

Try to provide as much information about your project as possible. Detailed requirements should include the number of pages your website will have, special capabilities needed such as a customer login and so forth.

If you need an ecommerce website, the number of products going on the website is vital to getting an accurate quote or estimate.

Please, use our Website Project Requirements and tell us about your project goals.

Answer vendor questions

If you avoid answering vendor questions, potential vendors will make assumptions about your project and will "pad" the quote because they are just not sure about some of the requirements.

Professional vendors will want to understand your project in order to both give you a fair price and provide the right solution. It's also a good idea to speak with potential vendors so you can get an idea of what it will be like to work with the vendor.

Set a realistic budget

Even if you do not have any idea how much your project will cost, determine what you are willing to spend for your project, and be willing to share your budget with a potential technology partner.

If your requirements are for a $25,000 project, and you only have a budget of $5,000 to spend, it's better to let a potential vendor know what is realistic for your project, so they can provide a proposal to suit your budget, or help you to break your project into different phases.

Read and compare proposals you receive

Proposals are very revealing about a potential vendor, and will give you insight into whether a prospective vendor is right for you. Great proposals will detail the process of the project, the technology to be used, the time line, and should include references and links to comparable projects.

Proposals that address your requirements and demonstrate the vendor understands your project. Make sure there are no "gotchas" and that you own the project files and that the vendor is not recommending a solution that will force you to remain their customer.

Check references

It's easy to get caught up in the details of proposal, and to skip checking references. Finding out that a technology vendor cannot or will not be able to deliver what your project needs in the middle of the project will spell disaster.

Reputable companies will provide recent project contacts so you can make sure the company you are considering is the right one for your project.

Are you looking for a professional, creative technology partner?

At Design-First we are professional—we do not use arm twisting, high pressure sales, and we never "low-ball" or make up quotes just to get a client's project.

We are just a phone call or email away from you—wherever you are located.

To learn more about the many services Design-First, Inc. offers, please call 678-969-0448 or use the Contact Form to find out more about Design-First.