Are you planning to build or rework your website in the coming months? Are you worried that you don’t know how to choose a good web firm? Taking bids is a time-consuming process, but if you settle for the first firm you find in Google, you may end up with a cookie-cutter website that took way too long to build and cost twice as much as you expected to pay. Scary!

With most firms, the web development process is going to take several months and cost thousands of dollars, so it helps to have a strong confidence in the firm you choose. In preparation for that decision, here are some questions to ask when speaking with prospective web developers:

1. Does the web firm listen to you and focus on your goals? One of the first questions your prospective firm should ask you is – What do you want to do with your site and WHY?

2. Has the web firm worked with companies/organizations like yours? Now, if you run a nonprofit membership organization for left-handed guitar players, you don’t necessarily want to work with a web firm that works only with organizations just like yours (not many do!). But you do want to make sure that the web firm has worked with nonprofits and membership organizations and understands your unique needs and goals.

3. Do they inquire about and understand your target market? If they don’t get to know your target audience, how will they help you share your knowledge, sell your stuff, or create an online community?

4. What are their capabilities? Planning, user experience design, interface design, coding, programming, databases, web-based applications, e-commerce, search engine optimization – although it’s a long list, it’s important to understand what they can and can’t do.

5. What’s are they most proud of in their portfolio? Make sure to ask them about their favorite projects, clients, and sweet spots. And listen carefully for hints about their work ethics, commitment to timelines, and project management style.

6. What kinds of technologies do they use? Are they a Microsoft or open source shop? (By the way, this isn’t necessarily an “either/or” question. They might be both.)

7. Will they design a custom look for your site? If the look of your site is important to you, make sure the web firm isn’t planning to just reuse a design template they’ve used for 5 other sites.

8. Will there be a dedicated, experienced project manager assigned to your job? What projects has this person worked on in the past 6 months? You may consider asking prior clients about working with this project manager.

9. What are the steps in their development process? Where do they require client input and approval? How much say will you have at each stage?

10. How long does the web firm expect the project will take? Is there an additional fee for rushed work? Are there penalties for delays (for both the developer and client)?

11. Do they do all the work in-house or will they send out a portion or even all of your job to another web development company? Some web companies have a team of designers, developers, and project managers who work together on your project. However, it’s costly to pay a team of experts a yearly salary, so some web firms outsource their work to smaller companies, overseas companies, or freelancers. This may mean that they can pass on savings to your company. On the other hand, it may also mean that their quality is inconsistent and their projects are not properly managed.

12. Will they advise on your domain name?

13. Do they offer hosting? Will they advise on hosting options?

14. Do they offer a “warranty period” on their work? Once the project is launched, most firms warranty their work for 3-6 month, which means if there are any unforseen glitches, they are immediately fixed free of cost to the client.

15. What options does the web firm offer for site maintenance? Will the firm maintain your site (for a fixed cost per month)?

16. Do they recommend and provide content management systems to their clients? If so, what are the capabilities of their content management system(s)?

17. Will the site be optimized for search engines? How do they optimize the site? Do they optimize the site’s code and content (text, metatags, title, navigation)?

18. How do they price their projects? Hourly? Per project? Not-to-exceed price?

19. Do they offer a complete project proposal including goals, specifications, timeline, cost, process, development plan, etc.?

20. What do their clients say about them? Ask for references, or if you feel daring, choose a few clients out of their portfolio and call them directly.

These questions should help you as you evaluate web firms. Remember - many firms can put together snazzy proposals, but that doesn’t mean they’re the right fit for you. It’s imperative that you choose a firm who understands you and your organization, and “fits” well with your goals for the future. While you’re building your website, you’ll be dealing with that web firm on a weekly (if not daily) basis. Make sure they’re easy to talk and deal with, and that their team takes pride in meeting deadlines and producing stellar work.