The best web development team in NYC
If you believe in headlines like the one above then please call us now. Because if you really believe that headline, then we can sell you everything and then some. All kidding aside, you came to this article for a reason and I am going to try to help you understand what the best web development team in NYC really means. No one can actually lay claim to this title because there are 1000’s of great web development and design teams. I wrote this article because many people search for this term believing that Google might know more than they do when it comes to finding the best web development team in NYC. This article is going to help you maybe not to find the best web development team, but the best web development team for your project.
You don’t know what you don’t know
If you have never been in charge of a web development project before (or even if you have), you might not know what it takes to get the correct sitemap, user experience, functionality, design, search engine tools, ease of use and perhaps you don’t know how much a website should cost. Starting can be overwhelming but think of it as buying a house. You have a list of requirements — a website is exactly the same thing — a list of requirements.
- Must have features; what will your website do? This is the most important part of your project. You might not even know everything you want, but it is important to come close. And this list is not about “being mobile friendly, SEO optimized, or viewable in Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox”. If your developer asks if you need this basic requirement, run away, because it is an automatic part of today’s world. What is necessary is a complete list of every conceivable functionality your website will perform: Examples: E-commerce, integration with payment gateways, online event registration, applications, database integration, news posts, memberships, recurring billing, forms, easy to use admin panel and more. Your new website might be a completely different animal than your current design. In this process, define what you want your website to do, not only what it currently does. The more descriptive you are of this part of the project, the closer we web developers can come to providing you with an exact estimate. My recommendation is to interview several stakeholders within your company and get the list of features and functions that are required. NOTE: The more intense your functionality is, the more complex your admin panel will be. You can’t have Maserati functionalities with Hyundai engines.
- Show Pictures: A picture speaks 1000 words. If you can find websites that offer the functionality that you require, please share. If you don’t have a good example, describe it in as much detail as you can. If there are websites that you love, from a design perspective, show us and tell us what you like about that website.
- Technology: There are many types of technologies and many of them are good. We can provide suggestions but sometimes our clients might love or hate a technology. Letting us know if you’ve had a good or bad experience with a content management system (Drupal, WordPress, Magento, Joomla, Umbraco — are some content management systems) will help us understand whether or not our services match your needs. Not all web development companies use all technologies. The better web development companies specialize. No one can be great at everything and that is something you should keep in mind. Also, remember that the technology your old website is built in might be completely updated. So what you hate about it now, may be upgraded to a newer and better offering.
The Budget
Budgets vary wildly from project to project and in addition, from web development team to web development team. We interviewed many of our clients about their experience receiving proposals. The vast majority of proposals received had a range of $20K all the way up to $500K for the SAME PROJECT! Why on earth would that be? Well, it depends on not only the function and design of your website but the experience and location of your design and development team as well. Yes, you may pay significantly less for a team located in India, where the average hourly rate for a developer is under $10K per year than a team based in the US that pays $60K to $150K for top developers and designers. Of course, not all US teams are that high and not all offshore teams are that low. In addition, there are offshore teams around the world that work in conjunction with US-based offices.
There are pluses and minuses for each situation — using a team based in the US assures that contracts will be adhered to and you legal protection if not. There are also hybrid Teams that utilize offshore counterparts that aid in keeping costs affordable. Using an off-shore team can present problems with time-zones and language barriers making the project last longer than it needs to, with miscommunication.
But here is the key: YOU have to establish what your budget is for us to understand what we can and can’t provide you with. Wanting a 7500 square foot house with the budget of a 950 condo won’t help you and it also wastes considerable time and energy on everyone’s parts if you say you have a budget range and then really only want the lower end. Yes, it IS true that many companies will say they can develop your entire wishlist for the budget that you have — no matter how small. But beware — there are companies that will say they can do something and then deliver lackluster results, or even worse, not deliver at all. So, when providing a budget BE SPECIFIC as you can — you might not be able to get your entire wishlist, but you will have an idea what your wishlist should cost. In addition, a good web developer will build a website that can have expanding functionality — so your project can be built in phases.
I realize this might be a Catch-22 — you might have to submit a proposal to your internal team and that requires you to research the cost of your new website. I recommend requiring your prospective web development teams to provide with total project hours and their average hourly rate. Most teams can provide a low and high estimate. This way, you will be able to compare apples to apples.
NEGOTIATE: If there is a proposal that you like more than another, and that team has stellar references, don’t be afraid to negotiate. Usually, if there are close comparisons, a majority of companies might be able to meet your budget restrictions
Protect Yourself
We pride ourselves in offering an example of what a page in your website will look like if you use We Are Immediate for your web design project-– prior to being hired. This way, you not only get an idea of our design esthetics, you know that everything we have shown you in our portfolio is truly our work. That being said, please make sure you follow the steps below to ensure your project ends exactly as you expect — or better!
- Get a signed contract. The contract includes all milestones and payment terms. View this article for more details. At the very least the contract should include: Start and projected end date (this can change), specifics about website functionality, specifics about the number of redesigns, process, NDA’s, terms and conditions, who owns the software. We also recommend payment terms tied to either timing or completing of milestones, For example, Deposit, Design Completed, Technical Documentation Completed and SIgned, Phase 1 Development, QA and Live
- Insist on WIreframes: Wireframes provide you with a complete understanding of your website pages and functions. Building a website without a wireframe is like building a website without a blueprint.
- Require a Prototype: This allows you to view the website design even before it is developed. For or an example of our prototypes, CLICK HERE and here is the LIVE WEBSITE.
- Get a Guarantee: Make sure that the website is guaranteed for at least 1 week after launch to make sure that all bugs are fixed
- Get Trained: All the best web development teams in NYC (and beyond) should provide training and training guides that ensure you understand exactly how to manage your website!
The Best Web Development Team in NYC
I hope this article has shed some light on how you can find, perhaps not the best web development team, but the best team for your project. If you would like some more information about We Are Immediate, please contact us! We look forward to hearing from you.
Call: 212-929-9980
