Selecting an industrial marketing web site developer

Technical requirements

Industrial marketing web site developers should have a variety of technical and artistic skills to improve the functionality of your web site, and to convert qualified site visitors into buyers. Crucial technical skills include:

• Web site usability
• Graphic design and layout
• HTML coding proficiency
• Programming
• Graphic image compression
• Rich media elements

Web site usability

A key question you need to ask to your potential developer is can they make a web site that is useable for site visitors? Very simply put, how easy is it for your site visitors to:

• Find the pages in your site they want,
• Find the information they want,
• Maneuver around, navigate, your web site,
• Read the text,
• Print out pages they want to examine more closely,
• Get fast loading pages or graphics,
• Find useful, value-added, information, and
• Contact your company.

Graphic design and layout

Your web developer must be proficient in creating a site that is:

• Eye appealing,
• Not crowded,
• Fast loading, and
• Easy to find the information a visitor wants.

Your web site developer should use images that enhance the site visitors' experience, not confuse them or detract from their ability to read and understand your text.

Does your potential developer understand the psychology of color as it applies to an industrial site? There is a big difference between using color in a general brochure or web site and using color effectively in an industrial brochure or web site.

HTML coding proficiency

Your developer must know how to use HTML code proficiently. They must know how to write clean, streamlined code and not be dependent on software to create a web site's code. Clean, well-written, code loads quickly and that keeps site visitors happy and likely to stay in your site longer. Bloated code slows down search engines.

Can the developer use HTML title tags effectively that are critical for some search engines, like Google and Yahoo Search , to find and list your site?

Programming

Is your web developer also a competent web programmer? Can they create needed site elements like contact forms? Are they able to create databases if your web sites require that for your products or services? Are they proficient in programming a search function? Can they create an efficient shopping cart? Do they program in-house or subcontract programming services?

Your site may not have all these programming needs. But it is important to note that programming and HTML coding are not always the same skill set.

Graphic image compression

Can your web site developer compress your site images? Slow loading images are the Number 1 reason site visitors click off a site and move on to another, potentially competitive, web site.

Good web designers know how to take your site images and compress them so they look okay to the human eye, but load quickly, making your site visitors happy and more likely to stay in your site. They should also code your site to account for slow Internet connections. Don't believe for a minute most of your site visitors will be using DSL or T1 lines. Make sure your developer can code your site so the text and images load quickly.

Rich media elements

Rich media elements are often defined as the use of animation, Flash, Java, JavaScript, and video or sound files. Does your site need these fancy enhancements? Will they require your visitor to download a plug-in they may or may not want to view your site?

If your company needs to project the type of image that the use of rich media elements provides, make sure your developer understands the pros and cons of each and can effectively incorporate rich media elements into your site, if required.

If you would like more information about how traffic driving web sites can increase your company's sales opportunities, please call us at 630-941-1100, use our contact form or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .