Web Design Calgary

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Web design in Calgary has taken off in the past couple of years. There are approximately 300 legitimate web site design businesses in Calgary as of September 1, 2004. Not to mention countless individuals and sole proprietors who have no measurable advertising efforts.

Which begs the question – how does one choose a Calgary based web design company? What should you look for when picking your web site designer? Let us help you out by providing some insight on the topic.

As with any business project, you should consider your objectives before you do anything. Why do you want a website? Or why do you think it should be redesigned? Are you expanding your existing site? Perhaps you’re expanding your business by taking it online for the first time. Before you contact any web design companies in Calgary you need to consider your objectives.

The answers to these questions will dictate what sort of Calgary web design company you’ll be looking for. If you are just wanting to dip your toe into the online waters, so to speak, then you may want to consider a smaller web design company in Calgary. Typically a friend of a friend or somebody’s nephew/grandson will be up to the task. The obvious advantage with this choice is cost savings. But the benefits end there. There are definite dangers associated with this route which we will address later.

If you have an existing site that is outdated and very unprofessional in function and appearance, or if you are serious about putting your new website to work, then a smaller Calgary web design company is a logical choice. These companies (of which there are about 300 presently) offer some distinct advantages. Typically, this smaller web design shop will have the knowledge, experience and expertise to build your website properly. You must, of course, watch out for signs of danger. These include “package” prices for web design. It is logical to assume that your 10-page website may be completely different from that of a software company versus that of a flower shop. Offering a fixed price or “package” price for web design is that Calgary web design company announcing to the world that is has no idea how to properly handle a web design project. Another pitfall of this type of company is the home-based business. Now, there are certainly a number of reputable and effective Calgary web design companies that are operated from a den or a basement. Unfortunately, major drawbacks of such an operation can include the following:

1. Reliance on residential services, which can be less reliable than corporate-level services (e.g. electricity, telephone, internet connection, etc.)
2. Unprofessional attitude and environment. Typically you will meet with these web design businesses at a coffee shop or shopping mall food court, as they will be reluctant to have clients come to their homes.
3. Occasionally these businesses will not be the proprietor’s full-time occupation. They may have a full-time job which would put a client’s web design project as secondary and not critical to their monetary survival.

Now, as with the first group of Calgary web designers we identified, there can be cost savings with the home-based business sector.

The real gems in this field are the small web design companies in Calgary that have really legitimized their businesses. This includes businesses that have taken the step toward office space of their own (or office space in a business centre). Typically these businesses will offer a higher level of service than their home-based counterparts and will have more perks to dealing with them. They have invested much more into their Calgary web design business, so are more likely to have proven methodologies in place, and several employees or contractors available to help them handle larger or more frequent projects.

The final group of web design companies in Calgary is the large “systems development” players. These companies will typically only deal with big business themselves as their rates and overhead are exorbitant. Clients will reap the benefits of a much larger network of high-paid, seasoned professionals, but will have to pay for all unnecessary overhead through the higher rates. These Calgary web design companies have their place, but it is typically with the big boys working on enterprise-level web integration and intranet services.

The fundamental message here is twofold: Consider your objectives before undertaking any web design project and look closely at the legitimate Calgary web design small business players. They offer the best cost to benefit ratio by far.