Thinking about redesigning your Web presence? Here are a few questions to ask your potential development partner about you ability to make updates and changes down the road.
- 1. Will we be able to make updates to the site ourselves (is a CMS being used)?
- If the goal of your website is to have people return frequently, you will want to be sure the site does not become stale. Increasingly, sites are built using a CMS or “content management system” that allows non-programmers to go in and make edits. Note that not all CMSes are created equal, and not everything is editable within a CMS. But getting a “yes” or a “no” to this question gives you some idea as to what you’re getting.
- 2. Will we have an RSS feed for our updates?
- RSS is the single easiest way to make your content available on the Web. People can subscribe from your site itself, or you can use the feed to add content to other places (a twitter feed, a facebook page, or a widget). Make sure that if your content is getting updated frequently, you have a way to share it externally.
- 3. Can we add entire sections to our site later?
- This question is more important the more graphically intense your site is. Often a “web design” company will build a gorgeous interface that fits on the screen exactly perfectly.. until you decide you want your navigation tab to say “Membership” instead of “Members”. You don’t want to build a site that will need to be redesigned the moment anything changes, do you?
- 4. What fonts are being used for headers/navigation?
- Again, this is the often the difference between working with a web design and a web development firm. A designer may not consider the fact that the interface uses a work-arounds: sIFR is a technique that can allow you to use custom fonts, provided Flash is available to the visitor. Just make sure your developer is aware of the technique and willing to use it. Note that sIFR doesn’t play well with links, so it’s better used on headers than navigation.
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