Sometimes things are not as they seem 

Discover what most Web Development Companies "forget" to tell you before they issue an estimate.

A Web development company cannot issue an honest quote before reviewing your specific needs.

Over the years, we've heard plenty of horror stories -- about estimates drafted, projects started -- and then all of a sudden, final cost doubles, or even triples.

Or worse…

The Web development company couldn't deliver against customer need. Why would a company do that -- and risk customer dissatisfaction?

We hope you never hear the …

"Uh-oh, we didn't know you wanted it this way -- or that way -- so now it's going to cost you more. Gee, you really are a stupid customer, why didn't you tell us you needed SQL lined with an XML techno-nonsense and that you wanted different auto-responders for each customer segment. What? You want us to produce the content too? We don't have a copywriter on staff, that's going to push the project completion date back by at least 6 weeks or so."

So now what do you do? You've already received budget approval -- how do you explain this to other stakeholders -- or your boss? She's going to flip!

It's not your fault. Learn how to avoid costly web site planning mistakes and assure you're never caught in this dilemma:

Before an accurate (and ethical) estimate is drafted, a development team must take the time to understand your specific needs. They must ask several questions about the purpose of your Web site, your specific business objectives, your target users or customers, your level of resources and how you plan to measure its effectiveness (at meeting its objectives).

Also, they must discuss content creation options, data collection or database reporting options -- and many other design and technical requirements.

Only then can a professional tell you -- specifically -- how much a Web site will cost. Many development companies refer to this questioning process as "gathering Web site requirements"

Learn how to get your Web site requirements for free -- with purchase of our Web Site Strategic Planning service.