Post: #1

I am starting a new business in 2015 which will be a service program related to the pet toy industry. In my current small business, my partner does all of the website maintenance/design/etc. and I am more or less technically challenged. Since I am launching this one on my own, I want to hire a person or firm who does all of the technical details including, but not limited to: website creation, website design, credit card processing (my current small business uses Stripe to process credit cards), and an easy way for me to manage the information on the site. My current business also uses Weebly, but it's features in my opinion are too limited to make various changes as far as my knowledge goes. I tried messing with things on the blog and gave up because I couldn't figure it out. Again, I lack the skills and expertise in this technical area.

What I am looking for is a person or company who will build my new website from start to finish according to my specifications, and train me on how to maintain and update the website according to my needs. I'm a business man who hates the technical side of things and don't want to teach myself coding or any other skill related to computers. I have a degree in marketing and focus on the sales, supply chain, accounting, finance, and legal aspects of owning a business. I don't have the time or interest to learn the technical side.

What I'm asking from the community is any knowledge and experience with firms who deal with this kind of task. The price points were all over the board in my research and it's hard to tell which companies are good to work with and which companies are screwing you over.

I would also consider hiring a RVF member who has the technical skills to build my new company's website to fit my needs. If you have the necessary skills, reply here or send me a PM and I can give you more details of the nature of the business I am creating. Otherwise, any information regarding firms who work in this industry will be greatly appreciated.

Post: #2

This is right up our alley. Shoot me a PM.

A few tips to help you choose the right person/company right off the top of my head-

1) If they don't want you to sign a contract, they're not serious.

2) To create a high quality web identity, you need creative skills, technical skills, and communication skills. A weak point in any can derail the project. Look for firms that can provide all 3. Some firms only provide 1 of those 3, some provide 2 out of the 3, and the ones you need to work with have all 3 on lockdown.

3) Prices range from extremely cheap to extremely expensive. The extremely cheap side of things is usually very low quality stuff. The extremely expensive side are firms that are the best in the industry and only deal with big ticket clients, and complex projects. Your ideal partner is probably somewhere in the middle to upper end, but not on the extremes.

4) Look at their portfolio. This is a must, really take a deep look at their work, including how fast the website is, etc. Email a few of their past clients and ask them if they were happy with the experience.

5) Grill them about site performance and SEO optimization. There are a ton of designers/firms out there who can make things look pretty, but don't have the technical skills to build a fast website or optimize it for SEO.