Web Design Calgary

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Web design in Calgary has taken off in the past couple of years.
There are approximately 300 legitimate web site design businesses in Calgary as of September 1, 2004. Not to mention countless individuals and sole
proprietors who have no measurable advertising efforts.
Which begs the question – how does one choose a Calgary based web
design company? What should you look for when picking your web site designer?
Let us help you out by providing some insight on the topic.
As with any business project, you should consider your objectives before
you do anything. Why do you want a website? Or why do you think it
should be redesigned? Are you expanding your existing site? Perhaps you’re
expanding
your business by taking it online for the first time. Before you contact
any web design companies in Calgary you need to consider your objectives.
The answers to these questions will dictate what sort of Calgary
web design company you’ll be looking for. If you are just wanting to
dip your toe
into the online waters, so to speak, then you may want to consider
a smaller web design company in Calgary. Typically a friend of a
friend or somebody’s
nephew/grandson will be up to the task. The obvious advantage with
this
choice is cost savings. But the benefits end there. There are definite
dangers associated with this route which we will address later.
If you have an existing site that is outdated and very unprofessional
in function and appearance, or if you are serious about putting
your new website
to work, then a smaller Calgary web design company is a logical
choice. These companies (of which there are about 300 presently) offer
some
distinct advantages. Typically, this smaller web design shop will
have the knowledge,
experience and expertise to build your website properly. You must,
of course, watch out for signs of danger. These include “package”
prices for web design.
It is logical to assume that your 10-page website may be completely
different
from that of a software company versus that of a flower shop. Offering
a fixed price or “package” price for web design is that Calgary web design company announcing to the world that is has no idea how to
properly handle
a web design project. Another pitfall of this type of company is
the home-based business. Now, there are certainly a number of reputable
and effective
Calgary web design companies that are operated from a den or a
basement. Unfortunately, major drawbacks of such an operation can include
the
following:

1. Reliance on residential services, which can be less reliable
   than corporate-level services (e.g. electricity, telephone,
   internet connection,
   etc.)
2. Unprofessional attitude and environment. Typically
   you will meet with these web design businesses at a coffee shop or
   shopping mall
   food court,
   as they will be reluctant to have clients come to their homes.
3. Occasionally
   these businesses will not be the proprietor’s full-time occupation.
   They may have a full-time job which
   would put a client’s
   web design project as secondary and not critical to their
   monetary survival.

Now, as with the first group of Calgary
web designers we identified, there can be cost savings with the home-based
business sector.
The real gems in this field are the small web design companies
in Calgary that have really legitimized their businesses.
This includes
businesses
that have taken the step toward office space of their own
(or office space in a business centre). Typically these businesses
will offer
a higher level
of service than their home-based counterparts and will have
more perks to dealing with them. They have invested much more into
their Calgary
web design business, so are more likely to have proven methodologies
in place,
and several employees or contractors available to help them
handle larger or more frequent projects.
The final group of web design companies in Calgary is the large “systems development” players. These
companies will typically
only deal with
big business themselves as their rates and overhead are
exorbitant. Clients
will reap the benefits of a much larger network of high-paid,
seasoned professionals, but will have to pay for all unnecessary
overhead
through the higher rates. These Calgary web design
companies have their place,
but it is typically with the big boys working on enterprise-level
web integration and intranet services.
The fundamental message here is twofold: Consider
your objectives before undertaking any web design project
and look closely
at the legitimate
Calgary web design small business players. They offer the
best cost to benefit
ratio by far.