7 Steps to Find the Right Person to Build Your Website

One of the questions I get asked most frequently in my job is how do I get a website up and running. I already wrote about 3 ways to create an inexpensive and professional-looking law firm website.

Despite my evangelism for my platform of choice, Squarespace, I encounter a lot of lawyers who simply are not interested in figuring out how to do this for themselves. I can understand that -- I don't change my own oil in my car.

That said, if you are building your first website, there is a lot to learn about the process. Just think to when you bought your first car and consider how many things you might do differently now that you understand the process better.

I, for one, would not buy a used Saab, but that is neither here nor there.

Hiring a web designer is similar. If you've never done it before, it is not intuitive to know the right places to look, the right things to negotiate, or the right ways to be prepared so you don't drive yourself or your chosen web designer differently.

I just read a great article on this topic from Neil Patel at Quick Sprout. The whole post is worth a read, but of particular value to lawyers is his list of 7 steps to hire a good web developer. Here is the list in brief bullet points, but you ought to check out the post in its entirety:

1. Know exactly what you want to build. Not a general idea -- every feature and how it should work.
2. Have the design (look & feel) completed before they start actually building the site.
3. Make sure they are using a platform you feel comfortable with so you can make basic changes yourself.
4. Nail all of your possible vendors down on a fixed cost.
5. Don't look for a yes man (or woman). Hire someone with an opinion who tells you when you are about to make a huge mistake.
6. Check references.
7. Break the project into small parts with deadlines and deliverables. That way if it is a disaster, you can cut and run early without wasting too much time or money.

I'd add one more for lawyers: ask a friend.

Take a look at some of the other law firm websites out there that you like and ask those lawyers who they used and would they recommend them. As an aside, I used these guys to build my first website and I was very happy with the results.

Good luck!

Comments

[Julie A. Fleming]

I'm a strong advocate of putting time into creating the perfect website, and being willing to pay more for the right person to design and program it. Your website is the face of your company online, and one of the earliest representations of your brand that potential clients are exposed to. If it's unattractive, unprofessional, or difficult to read, potential clients will start with a low opinion of your company and are likely to quickly move on.