Nuevo Web

In an earlier article, we discussed what companies should look for in a web designer, and some questions for those companies to ask themselves during their search. There’s another important set of questions that should be asked at the beginning of a project, thoughones that the designer should be asking their client. The main point of these questions is to figure out exactly what the client is looking for. However, asking specific design questions is a bad way to start, as it can easily overwhelm a client who doesn’t know what XHTML or CSS are.A better way is to simply ask your contact for lists of sites they like and/or dislike. It’s best to get both, but even just one is still very helpful. There will likely be recognizable similarities between the sites on both lists. For instance, maybe the client feels very strongly about Flash animation on sites, or maybe they like sites with easily-navigated vertical sidebars. Besides giving you an idea of specific features to avoid or integrate, such information will also give you a better idea of what the client expects in terms of their audience base.You should also ask about who will be editing the website, and what kind of maintenance is expected. If the client wants to be able to update the site, but is unfamiliar with coding, you will probably need to set up some sort of content management system.In today’s marketing-driven climate, it’s important to ask about what assistance your client will need in terms of search engine ranking. For some businesses, their ranking may not be as important to them (although you should let them know that higher rankings never hurt anybody). For others, a high page rank will be the main goal of their website. They may have a special team already set up to work on search engine optimization content, or they may be interested in any assistance you can offer.If it’s a company’s first time coming online, ask if they are interested in updating or transforming their corporate identity. Features that work well offline may not translate as well to the World Wide Webor maybe the company will simply be interested in possibly expanding their customer base with a fresh new look.Most companies will be impressed and gratified to know that you are taking such an interest in their project. These good feelings will help play a part in creating a productive and mutually rewarding relationship as the project progresses.