| Taking the Next Step |
|
|
|
|
In this section we are going to cover the financial and legal aspects involved in getting your website design project off the ground. Financial: Payment terms vary from company to company, so you are going to have to use your discretion, but as a general rule, you will be required to pay a deposit before your designer starts working on the site, and the final amount once the site is ready to go live. The deposit amount can vary from 10 - 50% of the full amount, with the final amount due before the site goes live. Once again, this might vary from company to company. It is very important to understand what is required of you financially before signing on the dotted line. Legal: Website designers have the unenviable task of trying to interpret your needs into a complex yet well-functioning asset of your business based merely on your communication with them, so it is important to remember that there is the possibility of things going wrong. To ignore this possibility would be foolish, and could lead to problems in the long run, so it is imperative that you cover the legal aspects of this project before any money changes hands. More often than not, your website design company will provide a contract for you to enter into with them that will cover basic aspects like payment terms, rates and some sort of basic service level agreement. Insist on a contract if they do not offer one. You can query certain terms within the contract, and if you are not happy or comfortable with them, request that they are either changed or removed. You can also request that certain new annexes or clauses be added if you feel you would like some extra protection. A basic contract should cover the following: • The agreed amount to be paid, and the payment terms, such as when the payments are due in relation to the agreed delivery milestones. • An overview of the agreed services: this should be as comprehensive as possible without getting overtly technical. • A rough development and delivery schedule which should be adhered to as closely as possible. • Any after sales commitments that the company might provide. These should cover hosting and general site maintenance, site updating terms if they are to managing your site, or training sessions if you are going to be managing the site using a CMS, plus any support that the company will provide as and when you might require it. Once you have negotiated the terms of the contract, and are happy to sign, get the company to send you two original copies by post. They should sign each copy and initial each page before sending this off to you. When you receive the copies, read over the contract one more time, then sign each copy and ensure that you initial every page. You then send one copy back to them and keep one for yourself. Keep it somewhere handy for your reference, as you might need to review it every now and then during the course of the development process. Once everyone has signed the contract, the website designers will then send you an invoice for the first deposit of payment. Generally, no development will start until the payment clears so if you are in a hurry to get started, make sure you have all your finances in order so as not to delay the process. |
| < Prev |
|---|