5 things most web developers won't tell you that you should know.

Small business owners by nature wear a lot of hats, but at some point most SMB owners find there are a few hats that need to be outsourced and worn by others. Taxes and certain legal filings for me were one of those things. $2000 in extra tax one year because of a DIY job instead of spending $500 to have an accountant file the corporate paperwork correctly was an expensive lesson for me. So if you're handing the website hat off to a hired gun and you know nothing about web development, design, or technology what do you need to know? I can't cover them all, but here are 5 key things to know that a lot of developers who do work in the SMB space won't mention. Out of all of these, number 1 is beyond critical.

1. Your domain name should be in YOUR name. Your domain name is the internet equivalent of your phone number. Think about it, what is more important your phone or your phone NUMBER. Yes, it still happens in 2017...
2. You should do your hosting and domain name registration with SEPARATE companies. Many companies will offer you a free domain registration when you purchase a hosting package. While this might save you $10-30 a year, if you need to fire your hosting company things can get very complicated. Domain name transfers seem to drag on a long time during a nasty "divorce" over disputed hosting charges. As long as you have control of your domain name you have control of your website and can have a site of some kind back up in hours not days. Also, if your web developer offers to do hosting for you they should offer you a copy of all the files that make your site operational. If they are hesitant to do so this is a red flag. 
3. A good developer will create a content management system for you. You should be able to make basic changes on your website that doesn't involve major reformatting or programming. You should not be tied to a developer to make basic edits in text.
4. Most developers are good at programming or designing but not both. The programming nerd will have a very interactive site with all kinds of neat features but it probably won't look so good. The designers site will look fantastic but the content will be out of date and interactive features will be limited because few designers have any kind of grasp on programming. If you need your site to do e-commerce, manage a high volume of variable content, be adaptive to your clientele, AND look fabulous while doing it, make sure your developer can do both. If you are hiring an individual or very small firm, make sure they are competent at both. ADHD Media is very adept at both, but it is a rarity for small firms and individuals in the SMB space.
5. Many "web developers" are sub-contracting most or all of their work. This in and of itself isn't necessarily a problem, but if your web developer sub contracts all or most of their work they should still have a grasp on how the outsourced work functions. If they don't how it functions how will they fix it if they no longer have a relationship with that vendor and how will they know if the vendor did a quality job or not. Building a web site is a lot like building a house. The stuff you don't see really matters. You don't want shoddy construction under a fancy exterior when it comes to a home and the same goes for your website.