Technology Tips

Four Tips for Choosing a Website Vendor: Part I

Note: This is part of a special two-part Tech Tips series. "Working With a Website Vendor" will be published in the January issue of Travel Wisconsin News.

Websites are rapidly becoming the largest annual marketing expenditure for many organizations. It's easy to understand why - unlike a radio ad or print brochure, your website is available 24/7 to carry your marketing message to your consumers. The interactive nature of websites also allows two-way communication, providing an opportunity that other media just can't match.

Choosing a vendor for your next big interactive project can be a daunting task. You've worked with a web company or two in the past, but you wonder if someone better is out there. You know that the lowest price isn't necessarily a good deal - it's getting the best value for your dollar that counts. But how do you do that? Here are four tips to get you started.

1. Compile a list of goals, then prioritize them.

Brainstorm all of the goals you'd like your project to accomplish, and then rank them. Don't worry about how to specifically implement anything - that comes later. Prioritizing your goals helps the vendor understand which ones are most important. It will enable them to let you know what your budget allows.

Speaking of budgets, it's good to have a ballpark idea of how much you can spend. Set aside 20% for updates to your site and promotion of your site during the 12 months after it launches.

2. Create an "RFP."

When multiple vendors bid on your web project, you need to be able to compare apples to apples. One way to do this is to develop a Request For Proposal. A good RFP will outline the project as much as possible - it will include your goals and your desired timeframe to complete the project. It will also ask vendors to submit work samples, references, and a staff roster detailing skill sets along with their project quote. Without a qualitative method to compare vendors, you risk awarding the project to the best sales team, not the best interactive project team.

3. Get an independent expert's opinion.

This is the most crucial step to choosing a good vendor. Computer programming is intimidating. But just as you'd never buy a house without having it professionally inspected, you should never select a vendor without having an expert look under the hood for you. One can't know everything about the skills of a vendor by looking at their website code, but you'd be surprised at how much a pro can tell you by viewing the source of the website references provided by vendors. So how do you find an expert?

Ask around - chances are, someone you know is already in the field, or has a friend or sibling or child who would make a great resource. Another option is a nearby college, tech school, or high school. You're looking for someone that has no conflict of interest, who's up-to-speed on current web technology, and most importantly can explain things to you in terms you understand. You don't need to know the details, just the top-level reasoning behind their opinions.

This person is worth their weight in gold - you don't want to burden them with a bunch of work, so keep their time short, sweet, and focused on the areas that you can't judge. And a little bribe or thank-you gift doesn't hurt, either. It may take a bit of legwork, but the right technical person on your team will pay off enormously in the end.

4. Evaluate the staff rosters.

You've got your expert and an RFP. Now take a look at the staff rosters submitted by vendors. Specifically, you want to review their balance, turnover, skill set, and experience.

• Balance. For most projects, an even mix among designers, developers, and client account people works best. If 80% of the company consists of programmers, that's a warning sign that you might not get the design or service you need.

• Turnover and Redundancy. How long have staff members been part of the team? High turnover is common in this industry. If your vendor only has one designer, your project is in jeopardy if he leaves halfway through. Likewise, if a programmer just started two months ago, she may not be fitting in just yet.

• Skill set. Are they knowledgeable about a broad range of web technologies? If a vendor only works with a narrow set of programming languages, it can be a warning sign. When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

• Tourism Experience. Ideally you want someone with at least a little tourism or hospitality experience. However, someone who only works in tourism may not be ideal, either. Vendors unfamiliar with other industries may have developed blinders to new or different approaches. Your project may not be suited to their cookie-cutter style.

David Dickinson is the author of this two-part Tech Tips series on finding and working with a website vendor. Before joining Tourism, David project-managed dozens of websites for clients including Mattel, Rayovac, Target, and Trek. If you have questions about the article or need advice on finding and working with a website vendor, reach him at ddickinson@travelwisconsin.com.