After working in the advertising business with a strong focus on website design for some time now; I feel obliged to share some noteworthy instances that seem to occur.  When choosing a website developer, it is imperative that the client reviews all websites that the developer has created.  This will give the client a good idea of what the developer is capable.  This does not mean that the developer is limited to what he has created in the past, but he does have a style that is bound to repeat is some fashion or another.  This is not necessarily a bad thing; chances are that the website designs are focused on search engine optimization and for ease of use for the potential customers.  Clients have ideas in their head of what they would like their website to accomplish, and an idea of what the website should look like.  It is imperative that the client takes advice from their website developer, as they have a good idea of what will work and what will achieve the desired results. 

Prior to starting any website with any developer, the client must and developer must sit down and hash out expectations.  Since websites can range from one week of development to a year; it is of the utmost importance that both sides are on the same page.  It is expected that there will be changes throughout the process: text, color, pictures, etc. but the template of the website should stay the same throughout the process.  If the client agrees to a web 2.0 website which expands over the website and then 3 months later decides that they want a completely different website which does not offer any chance of being transferred to the new website; it must be expected that there will be a contract amendment to pay for a totally new website.

Also, in regards to the research of your website developer, it is extremely important to review the developer’s portfolio.  You will want to look at the graphic art that is displayed and make a determination that the quality meets your standards.  If not, you may want to have a separate graphic artist or see if your website developer has a subcontractor who can provide a portfolio which ideally will meet your standards.

Taking a little time in the beginning of a website development relationship will save thousands of dollars in time and frustration.  Good Luck!

Aside from leads that are not from word of mouth references; advertising is how businesses survive during bad economic times. During these times, business owners must be aware that what they invest in advertising will return in sales two fold, if not more. The investment should be thoroughly researched and references should be taken into account.
For example, many companies try to save money by having an unemployed friend or acquaintance make a website for them. The acquaintance offers to make a site for them for”pennies on the dollar because they have nothing else to do and it should only take a few days.” The site is put together with little input from the company on account of the unemployed not being able to afford gas to visit the company to review the site. This results in a mediocre site being made that is not what the company intended or is fully functional. Don’t you love it when you go to a site and some of the pages don’t work? That makes your company look very professional. If somehow you skim by with a decent site, 3 months or 6 months down the road when you need to update where is that “acquaintance”? Probably still unemployed but does not think it is worth their time to return your phone calls or take the time to update your site. If you do get the person to agree to do it, it will probably cost you the same amount it cost to develop the site. While if you went to a professional website developer; the revisions would be included in the price. Worst yet, if you let the “acquaintance” sign up your hosting account and purchase your domain name, your company could be up the river with a paddle if the passwords and user names are not transferred to you.
At Giggidy Advertising we offer professional custom website development. We charge the prices we do, because it takes time. It takes time to meet with the client to make sure we understand what the client wants from the website. It takes time to make a site look professional. It takes time to make a site custom, completely unique. How embarrassing would it be if your site was made from a template and your competitor used the same template across town? Very unprofessional! And chances are both companies will not get the potential client on account of this frugality. If you pay peanuts for something that should be market value; you will get monkeys doing the work! At Giggidy Advertising, we are not the cheapest Agency, nor the most expensive. We charge what the project is worth and we strive to create long term relationships with our clients based on honesty, integrity and product that provided accountability through ROI. Take a couple minutes to review our site and our portfolio; then email us to set up an appointment to see what we can do for your company!

Fresh Ideas! Pure Results!