Much like the rest of the country, the Houston business market is growing rapidly and becoming more digital. Because of this, having a strong online presence is more important to your company’s success than ever.
But accomplishing that is no easy feat. You need the right team of developers that can bring your vision to life in the correct way – with working functionalities, creative designs, and full optimization.
In the process of finding the right team, it’s easy to overlook certain details that, over time, can lead to bigger problems for your project.
This guide is meant to help point out several common mistakes companies make in terms of web development, and what you can do avoid them when you look for web development services in Houston.
Common Mistakes Houston Companies Make
Every situation and company is different, but there are some common situations that seem to happen more frequently when companies are looking for a Houston web development company. Here is our list of the top seven mistakes people tend to make:
No Clear Goals
Having vague goals and expectations make it harder to find the right partner and can lead to headaches later. This includes not thinking about the functionalities you want, the timeline you need it completed by, and any design ideas you have.
Cost Over Quality
Money is a key factor for every project, but going with the cheapest option can lead to poor results. While it may be hard to justify higher costs up front, investing in long-term partnerships can benefit you with more and better performance and scalability. Another part of cost considerations that tend to get overlooked include hidden prices such as delays, redesigns, and unexpected costs that may come up during the build.
Ignoring Expertise
You’re trusting your development team with a big part of your business and ultimately hiring them because they know what they’re doing. This is especially true in a crowded market like Houston. It might be cheaper or easier to work with remote developers, but they likely don’t have the same local knowledge of local trends and audiences that can be helpful for your business.
Overlooking References
While reading through a development company’s testimonials is a good place to start, they usually hand pick those because they make them sound good. Hearing and reading what real people have to say outside of their website is important to get a full picture of how the developers operate and the kind of work they truly produce. Look for local clients and projects with a similar scope to make sure they can do what you need them to.
Neglecting Optimization
Some teams only focus on design and development, which might be all you think you need. But a key part of standing out online is SEO. Not ensuring a development team builds with SEO and responsiveness in mind can negatively impact your site’s traffic, the user experience, and conversion rates.
Communication
Communication styles make a big difference in how you work with people, and you need to make sure you are aligned with your developers in this regard early. With how important your site is, you want to make sure you’re receiving frequent updates and that they encourage you to be involved in the process, including giving feedback. If they don’t provide timely responses and aren’t transparent, it can create much bigger problems down the road.
Long-term Mindset
Even though you’re mostly focused on getting the project started, to ensure your future success you need to consider your long-term plans for the site. Failing to ask about how future updates, maintenance, and scalability will be handled can lead to you spending more money in the future. You need a developer who offers continued support after the project is live to get the fullest bang for your buck.
How to Avoid These Mistakes
These mistakes can be pretty well avoided with proper planning – both before hiring a web development agency in Houston, and while working with the development team. When you go to hire a web development partner, keep these things in mind to help make the process easier:
Create Clear Goals
Go into meetings with a solid idea of what you’re looking for. You can still ask questions and get guidance from the experts, but knowing what you need ahead of time will help them provide better direction and make sure they can accomplish what you’re looking for.
Have Reasonable Expectations
If you go into a project asking for the moon and stars but your budget and timeline don’t match up, you’re setting yourself up for failure right out of the gate. Make sure you know your budget – including a safety net so you don’t overspend – and figure out what you can accomplish within that. Same with your timeline. The more functionalities you ask for, the more time you’re going to need to give them to accomplish everything so they don’t cut corners.
Vet Developers Fully
With how many options there are for web development companies in the Houston area, to pick the right one for your team you need to do your research. Making a checklist of what you’re looking for will help guide your selection process, as well as give you something to compare from when you have your finalists narrowed down. Some key qualities to look for include their market and industry knowledge, their communication styles, customization options, and support plans.
Ask About Support Early
Before you even start a build, ask the development team if they offer support and maintenance plans and what those look like. You need someone to be proactively monitoring the site, making sure things run properly, and ready to step in if issues arise. By working with the same company for web support that built your site or web app, you can save yourself time, money, and headaches in the long run.
Building a successful online presence in Houston starts with choosing the right web development partner – and avoiding mistakes that can derail your project. By setting clear goals, doing your homework, and planning for both the short and long term, you can ensure your website is not only functional and visually appealing, but also built to grow with your business.
The right team will help you stand out in Houston’s competitive digital landscape and set you up for lasting success.
How We Can Help
As a web development company based in Houston and with years of experience, we fully understand how difficult finding the right web development company for your business can be. We strive to be that match for everyone but also know that’s not always possible.
If you’re looking to hire a web developer in Houston, our team is here to bring your vision to life. We’ll take the time to get to know more about you and your goals, then build a plan that accomplishes everything you need. And once the project is complete, we’re set up to be your long-term web maintenance partner to keep things in top shape.
If you’re ready to take the next step, send us a message and let’s schedule your free consult meeting!
