Official Digi Donkey Blog: Internet Authority

Advice from a Digi Donkey certified Internet authority includes money saving tips and things to look out for when assessing Internet Marketing and website development bids.

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Why Our Internet Authority Program Exists

Posted: 2012-01-30

We launched our Internet Authority Program in September of 2011 for one primary reason. It came out of our frustration of seeing an average of 8-10 clients walk through our door every year since we've been in business with basically the same story. They spent a good chunk of change on either web development, SEO or some other type of Internet marketing and got nothing out of it. Here is a perfect example of someone who wasted $7500 on eCommerce development.

I would figure that the straight-up scam to incompetence level would be 60-40 with 60% of those people having just been straight ripped off (usually on SEO services). The other 40% hired the wrong person to do the job (usually on eCommerce websites). I am not going to get into how you can tell an real pro from an amateur right now. I'll save that for future posts, but I will say this, owning web development software doesn't make you a web developer.

There are a lot of web design hobbyists out there who sell themselves as professionals. Some of them even believe that they are professionals. They are also the ones who typically get in over their heads on larger projects. We know this for a fact because a good chunk of our web design business come from helping these guys out on projects they don't know how to do, yet have already been paid for. They take the job because they need the money and decide that they will just figure out how to do it on their client's dime. Then they realize that the job they bid 20 hours on is taking them 100 and call us for help. Believe me, this happens on a regular basis.

The reason business owners get burned is typically because they don't how to tell a real professional from a beginner. To someone who doesn't know any better the sales pitch from an amateur web designer can sound just as convincing as one from an experienced pro. That is where our Internet Authority Program can help. Our Internet experts know the difference.

Remember this...

• Being able to type doesn't make one a professional writer.
• The ability to create a Facebook page or Twitter account doesn't make someone a social media expert.
• Building websites in Wordpress / Weebly or any of the other do-it-yourself tools definitely doesn't make someone  a professional web designer.

Our Internet Authority Program was created to help the general public avoid making costly mistakes regarding their purchase of website development, Internet marketing or SEO services. We made it free so that people could get the advice they need without reservation. We don't try to sell our services to people we advise in the program because that would unethical. Our Internet Authority Program is intended to be a resource for business owners that they can trust for unbiased and professional advice regarding their Internet marketing needs.

Call 321-433-0801 to learn more about our Internet Authority Program today.

Three Cheap Website Design Questions

Posted: 2012-01-30

When you are shopping for cheap website design remember the old adage, you get what you pay for. Cheap website design does exist, but is the quality going to be what you are looking for? If one guy quotes you $50 per hour, another $75 per hour and yet another quotes you $100 per hour would you even know what questions to ask to figure out if you getting more value for the higher quote?

1) How long did it take you to build this?

Have a look at the web designer’s portfolio and find some website designs that you like and ask them how long it took to build those particular websites. This should give you an idea of how fast they work. The average website usually averages out to around an hour per page or less. That is, unless there are a lot of intricate graphic design or animated elements flying around but if you are looking for cheap website design then those types of things will pretty much be out of the question anyway. Asking this will also give you an idea of what ballpark your website quote should be in. If you ask for a website similar to one in their portfolio that they said took them 10 hours and the quote comes back 50 hours then you know something is up.

2) Why does this take so many hours?

Web designers hate to be questioned on why they quote the way they do. Some will even flat out not answer you if you ask them why it took them so long to build a particular website. That’s exactly why you need to ask. Now, you may not understand everything they explain to you but have them repeat it until you do understand. If they can’t explain to you why they quoted you 20 hours for a particular service in a way which you can understand them then don’t hire them. They are either trying to rip you off or they don’t really know what they are doing. Now, reality is this, some web designers are just flat out faster and better than others. You may run into one guy who charges $100 per hour but will have your website done in three hours where the $50 per hour guy may need 10 hours to do the exact same thing. Is he ripping you off? No, he’s just slower. Don’t make your deicing based purely on hourly rates when shopping for cheap website design. Take speed into consideration too. Fast web designers are usually more experienced and charge a little more but the money is usually better spent.

3) Have you ever built a website like this before?

This is a biggie. Too many clients have walked through our doors with half built websites wanting us to finish them because their old web guy got in over his head. This is especially important when shopping for ecommerce website design. Make sure the web designer you hire has built the type of website you need before. Many web designers like to learn “on the clock”. That is, while you are paying them. They will accept a job that is over their head and try to figure out how to do it while charging you. You can easily avoid this by asking. If they hem and haw or don’t give you a confident response then you may want to look elsewhere.

The point being made is that

• Experience = Speed
• Speed = Less Production Time
• Less Production Time = Less Billable Hours = Savings to You