How To Negotiate Fees With Your Website Design Company?

Cost factor is a very important aspect of website design projects. In fact, in case of offshore web design projects, cost savings are one of the most important elements. And this is one reason why clients seek to negotiate the cost figures with the service provider in order to get the best deal possible.

Establishing a strong web presence is indispensable for business enterprises in today's world. However, creating a website need not be a costly process. All you need to do is to choose a professional web development company and finalize a cost effective rate with them. Here are some points where you can negotiate with your service provider.

Consultation Charges

Before you go ahead and seal the deal with the website design company, it is important to have a consultation session with them. During the consultation, you can inform them about the prime goals and objectives of your web presence and discuss the various elements that you would like to see on the potential website. The company will further advise you on how things can be employed and offer suggestions for improvisations. There will be a consultation charge but then, you will get to know what kind of work you are going to get.

Contract Rates

Different service providers have different methods of charging. While some charge the clients for the number of hours that are devoted to the task, there are others who decide on a lump sum based on the size and complexity of the proposed website. If you plan to get the whole website designed from the scratch, a fixed contract rate would be better. This is because by paying a lump sum amount you will be able to know the exact date of delivery and would not have to keep track of the time devoted to the same.

Sample Pieces

Ask the web design company to provide sample pieces of their work before you sign the deal for the complete project. Some companies agree to design the homepage and the sitemap of the website for a specific fee so that you can proceed with the design and programming for the rest of the website.

Intellectual Property Rights

Discuss the intellectual property rights to the website and copyright issues of the same with your service provider. Generally, if you are paying a company for the website design and development you have the ownership of the resultant product. However, its always advisable to discuss these matters beforehand and specify them clearly in the service level agreement. Copyright and ownership is more difficult to acquire when you are working with freelancers.

Website Maintenance

Also discuss the costs for future maintenance of the website. Usually, a web design project ends with the delivery of the proposed website. However, websites need to be constantly update and maintained to ensure quality. Make sure you include pointers about future support service in the agreement as well.

Timings

Another factor that can influence the costs is the time taken to complete the project. Ask your web design service provider about the involved timings and negotiate the rates depending on how soon the project can be completed.

Package Deals

If your service provider offers a range of services like website design and development, website maintenance, search engine optimization etc. then negotiate a rate for a package deal. You can cheaper rates if you plan to hire more than one service rather than what you pay of you hire a single service.