If you’re even semi savvy at searching for information on the Internet, you’re well aware that you can find a plethora of web designers ready to create your new site from head to toe including a shopping cart that will enable you to sell your products online.
However how would you know which one of these people or companies are the best to choose from when it comes to creating a web façade to your store?
Should you go with the large respectable company with a proportional price tag, or go with the home based designer who can do it well within your budget?
The answer is neither of the two unless they have the know-how of what makes a proper shopping cart and e-commerce website tick. E-commerce websites are time consuming to build because they carry much more data than a usual informational website would have. If someone is offering to create an e-commerce website for you for a low flat fee – beware – you will get what you paid for.
There are however a few things you can do when trying to determine who to hire to develop your website:
- Ask to see their portfolio of previous projects and contact the website owner(s) to receive feedback on the developer.
- Verify if the websites have a mobile version as well as a desktop version. If the website is difficult to navigate or doesn’t fully display on a mobile device it’s not considered successful.
- How easy is it to purchase a product on the website? Is the process transparent and easy to navigate?
- Is the website secure (HTTPS) when you’re typing in your credit card information? A Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate is a must for e-commerce sites, anyone purchasing online will look for a secure site to keep their credit card information safe.
- How are the product images named? Is it a random number and SKU code or is it the actual product description? Proper description of the product image is of immense help with finding your products online. Properly optimized product images are a must for an e-commerce website.
- Ask if you can prepare some of the information yourself under guidelines from the developer team if you’re hoping for a discount on price. Often times preparing the material for the products is the most time consuming and if business owners are willing to assemble it the developer will be able to provide a time and cost discount.
The above are some few basic steps to review, it’s certainly not all of them but it’s a solid start to get you on your way to finding your e-commerce web developer.