Start up business developing a web presence

[BocaTechnologyGroup]

I work for a web development company and couldn’t help but hear some of the horror stories our clients come in with from their past developers. Has anyone else had a horrible experience during your website development process?

It’s a shame how most developers take advantage of small business owners, knowing full well how vital is it to have a web presence these days. My company attempts to ratify the disconnect between the business owner and the developer while building high-quality websites. We’re here to help small businesses for after all we are one as well! Let me know if you are also in the development process and maybe I can help you with any questions. Good luck business owners!

You can contact me through here or you can visit my company’s website at bocatechnologygroup.com

[BocaTechnologyGroup]

Not quite what I was looking for, but ok?...

[GotLiveChat]

I suspect those business owners that have those stories didn't do much research into the web development they initially went with. The Internet has made entry into the development business easy, so anyone considering using a design firm needs to some research on the company. Portfolio examples, clients they can contact for references, solid contract language, clear pricing, etc. at the very least.

[BocaTechnologyGroup]

Very true, research on a web development company is essential. It is also equally important to ask some of the web company's clients if they are satisfied with the work done. If you get some positive reviews from their clients, you should be more confident working with them going forward.

[ronrule]

I've found that most of the clients who came to us looking to be bailed out due to "problems with a past developer" weren't the fault of the developer - they were the fault of the client. In the 14 years I've been doing this, very few clients have been able to accurately express what they want to the developer - they offer little to no input, leaving it in the hands of the developer to take their own creative liberties, and then nitpick once the work is done. In the end, the developer has numerous hours invested, but the client refuses to pay because it's "not what they want" - so the developer refuses to continue to do any more work.

That experience has taught us two important lessons:

(1) Require up-front payment, in full, before any work begins, and
(2) Require ALL content from the user that will be placed on the site before we write the first line of code.

Once a look has been agreed upon, we build the site around their content. This way there are no mistakes, and its done per their request. If they change their mind later and want to add more to the site, we've already been paid so they can't hold payment over our heads when we tell them they will have to pay for that.

Any of you guys who are running design or development companies should adopt a similar policy. And any customers who are looking to hire a designer or developer need to be very clear with what your requirements are before any work begins and don't give the designers too much creative freedom - they think differently than you do. Tell them what you want.

It's a lot like hiring a contractor to remodel your house. If you tell the contractor what you want, and they do it wrong, it's up to them to make it right at their expense. But if you wanted a wall with a 90 degree turn, and decide after its done that you want a 45 degree turn instead, that's not the contractors fault - he did the work as requested and deserves to be paid. Redoing it is a separate contract.

[Gator]

Well what can business owners do when most of them has no clue about coding, programming and web development. Its difficult for them to see which developer or development company is quality and which is not.
By the way I am in the similar position as OP. I developed for end buyers (companies), developed as outsourced company and also connected companies with developers.