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Important questions you should ask a web designer

· Do they offer financing?

Many lager businesses can afford to pay thousands of dollars up front when designing a new web site. Small and medium sized business may have a hard time raising the capital necessary to begin design, effectively giving the larger business a head start in the race to an audience. f l u i d helps solve this problem by financing the total cost of a web site, allowing work to start with a minimum down payment and be up and running in a fraction of the time it could have taken to simply raise the monies to begin with other design firms. This allows the small to medium business owner to act and therefore profit more quickly.

· Is there a written guarantee?

It is to the client's advantage to have a written guarantee covering the functionality of the site being designed. A guarantee of this sort will cover the client in the event that the site is down for a length of time or is not functioning as intended. A client cannot expect a web site design firm to guarantee the site's profitability, as that would be like holding the building contractor accountable for a store's profitability after the store is built.

f l u i d offers a written guarantee on project deadlines as well as the functionality of the site and uptime. If the guidelines set within the contract are not met, f l u i d will deduct a portion of the agreed upon fees from the contract price as a penalty.

· How much will it cost you to make updates to your pages once they are finished?

This is an important question to ask, as this can be a very costly procedure in the long run if the content on a site changes frequently. If you perform the update by yourself, you will be able to avoid the charges, but that assumes that you have knowledge of HTML and the process of downloading and re uploading the files to be changed.

f l u i d offers dynamic web sites that can be changed on the fly from any computer with an internet connection and with little to no knowledge of HTML. This allows you to make updates as soon as they are needed without having to contact an outside firm for help and then be charged for that.

· Do they offer hosting?

After a site is designed 1/2 of the process is completed, the next step is to make the site available to the market you are trying to reach- any time day or night. A design firm without a committed hosting partner is a firm you should be wary of unless you intend to find your own host.

f l u i d has been working with our hosting partners since it began; we found a cost effective hosting solution have established a good reputation as a reseller. This allows for faster reaction to problems and minimal down times.

· Can they offer references for their work?

Many web site design firms are fly-by-night setups established by someone with a limited knowledge of the medium. Asking for and checking references makes sure you are not working with one of those firms. If a firm cannot supply references, you should question the firm's durability. What if they are gone when you next need an update? The entire process of finding a new firm must be started all over, costing you time and money.

f l u i d started out designing sites for free to build a strong reputation, we have all of our references on file and will help you get in touch with them so you can be sure that your work is completed by competent and effective people.

· How much will it cost to add features to your web site in the future?

Building a web site may only be the tip of the iceberg; many times the site will have to adapt to fit your new business methods. Adding marketing features or the ability to detail transactions for an accurate report of profits a re some examples. If it means scrapping the original and starting over, then you have another costly procedure, one that may hamper your future profits. If the site was built with proprietary technology, there may be a double whammy in terms of price to accommodate the new abilities.

f l u i d builds it's web sites with common and attainable technologies- even if you choose to hire an internal staff to take on the project from there, f l u id's choices in technology will ensure that the new staff can be easily trained with minimal expense.

· Can they provide secure e-commerce solutions?

Making sure that a customer is confident in the security of their transaction is crucial to doing good business on the web. Can the firm you are hiring build a site hat uses SSL for increased security? Can they interact with a credit card clearing house to prevent the insecure storage of sensitive data? Will they update your site with the latest security patches as they become available? These are important steps in creating customer confidence and allowing for smooth transactions on the net.

f l u i d keeps abreast of new technologies and methods and ensures that once a security hole is spotted it is quickly taken care of. We use only the most secure methods of building sites and put a focus on this important measure.

· Do they work personally with their clientele?

Working with firms that do not personally interact with the clients they handle can be a cheaper alternative to a local web design firm, but it will make up the difference quickly when you are trying to explain a concept to a site designer you are not face to face with.

f l u i d sees every one of it's clients as a business partner and make every effort possible to be right by your side through the whole process, plane, train, auto or telecommute, we will work directly with you and never miss a beat.

· Can they offer you a variety of technologies and help you choose the right combination?

A firm that is committed to a single technology or method is a firm attempting to apply a cookie cutter solution to a very individual problem. Make sure that the firm you choose can not only work with any technology presented to them, but can help you to wade your way through the pros and cons of choosing that technology. It is important to not that you do not want a firm that knows it all, but a firm that is willing and able to learn and present their findings.

f l u i d works with the latest in technology and is always eager to learn more. Our staff consists of the most diverse group of talented designers, programmers, and engineers that are not only already highly skilled in their respective areas, but who are also hungry for the time and opportunity to find new ways of doing.

We pride ourselves on the ability to learn and work with technologies on the horizon