Building a Website

Theanswers

Hello,
I have an idea for a website which is in relation to a business I'm considering starting up. The website would be quite complex, who should I contact with the aim to having it coded and built? Is there any supports available for this?

I have considered and prepared the various processes, pages, databases etc which would be incorporated into it and which it would be based upon.

Thank you.

oo7

Hi,

PM me if you would like me to look into this for you. Not all websites are as complex as you may think. I've built several websites for clients in a 10th of the time they had planned for, without jeopardising quality or functions.

Graham

oo7 wrote: »

Hi,

PM me if you would like me to look into this for you. Not all websites are as complex as you may think. I've built several websites for clients in a 10th of the time they had planned for, without jeopardising quality or functions.

Wow, you must have some run of luck. Usually clients underestimate the job by a factor of 10, especially when you're talking custom development work.

What's your secret to reducing development time by 90%? You could make a fortune selling it to every other web design company out there.

oo7

Not all sites fall into this remit.

It totally depends on the site requirements. I've built (and maintain) a lot of my own frameworks (front end and back end) which reduces a lot of time.

There are also a lot of other well regarded frameworks that you can plug into, but as i said above, it totally depends on the specific requirements.

Depending on your requirements, your site could actually take longer than you expect... however i've more often found it has been the other way around.

Axwell

OP contact a few web development companies (do a google search) - get a few quotes, compare them, ask some relevant questions. How long to develop it, what cost, what framework they will use. You seem to have an understanding of whats involved so you should be able to get a feel for who who seems to know their stuff and who you want to work with after a few emails. The alternative is to go with someone freelance or from an outsourcing site but if its a big job and a complex build you probably want to be able to go back to someone you can build a working relationship with and generally when outsourcing it can be hit and miss. Also cheapest/quickest doesnt always equal the best

Theres also the development forum here where you may get some other recommendations.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=25

EIREHotspur

What Axwell said...if it is a complex website then you will be back and forth to the developer for changes/advice/help.....plus do not go for someone who quotes per hour......get them to Quote for the specification of the website you need!

Theanswers

Hey Guys.

Thanks for the advice. My issue is this; please don't take this the wrong way, outsourcing development is something which is new to me.

Basically, my entire business concept is built upon the website (The business is online based & the website is the business). Therefore, given ones inability to copy right code how should I approach developers without fear that my vision will be stolen.

I may be completely incorrect, but I would appreciate all your advice regarding this issue. If such an issue exists!

Graham

Theanswers wrote: »

Hey Guys.

Thanks for the advice. My issue is this; please don't take this the wrong way, outsourcing development is something which is new to me.

Basically, my entire business concept is built upon the website (The business is online based & the website is the business). Therefore, given ones inability to copy right code how should I approach developers without fear that my vision will be stolen.

I may be completely incorrect, but I would appreciate all your advice regarding this issue. If such an issue exists!

Code is covered by copyright, what the code actually does (the idea) isn't. E.g. I can write a word processing package even though Microsoft have a copyright on MS Word.

Ask for an NDA but understand that it will immediately put. many developers off working with you.

Understand that your idea has a current value of €0, it will remain at that value until you successfully implement it. Ideas are easy and as such carry no value.

Most ideas are unoriginal, they're usually improvements/additions to existing ideas.

Most good developers will have their own ideas for personal projects that they would much rather build than trying to pinch/build your idea.

It's fairly safe to say that protecting your idea is the least of your worries.

oo7

Don't worry about people 'stealing your idea', as an idea and even a finished product is completely worthless.

Building a business / product that customers will use / buy is everything, and you should spend a lot of time working on that, before investing any time or money into the actual site... this is work that you can do without a developer, and it is much more important than building the product (for now).

Have you spoke to potential customers and gained an insight into what problems they have. Is your solution / website solving that problem. Who are your competitors. What size market are you entering into.

Just to recap:

01 - Idea - worthless
02 - Site Built & Ready For Launch - worthless
03 - Ability to bring your product to the market and GROW it - most important

Considering 03 is most important, if you don't put in the ground work before you start building the product, you could end up building something that ultimately no one wants. It might sound like a great idea (to you and your friends), but you need to validate the fact that people are willing to use / buy your product... anything else is a complete waste.

Get the boring work (customer development) done first, then focus on building a small version of your product / site to test your idea. If the that works out, then scale the product and keep testing it until you have something that customers love.

NotaSheep

oo7 wrote: »

Don't worry about people 'stealing your idea', as an idea and even a finished product is completely worthless.

Building a business / product that customers will use / buy is everything, and you should spend a lot of time working on that, before investing any time or money into the actual site... this is work that you can do without a developer, and it is much more important than building the product (for now).

Have you spoke to potential customers and gained an insight into what problems they have. Is your solution / website solving that problem. Who are your competitors. What size market are you entering into.

Just to recap:

01 - Idea - worthless
02 - Site Built & Ready For Launch - worthless
03 - Ability to bring your product to the market and GROW it - most important

Considering 03 is most important, if you don't put in the ground work before you start building the product, you could end up building something that ultimately no one wants. It might sound like a great idea (to you and your friends), but you need to validate the fact that people are willing to use / buy your product... anything else is a complete waste.

Get the boring work (customer development) done first, then focus on building a small version of your product / site to test your idea. If the that works out, then scale the product and keep testing it until you have something that customers love.

Completely agree with the above. Many web-businesses fail due to the 'build it and they will come' attitude. A website does not necessarily equals a business and good groundwork, especially market research and securing good sales leads, is vital.
With regard to software development, it is often the case that you can get the software rights written over to you on completion - an investor might look for that sort of thing. Copyright always resides with the author (automatically) unless specifically transferred over to the paying party.
A good specification that does not leave room for vagueness and interpretation is a must. I have seen many entrepreneurs getting stung because the architecture of the site was not clear and the scope of the contracted work then being extended and extended. Make sure your expectations/requirements are as clear as possible from quotation stage. Best of luck.

Theanswers

This is exactly the time of help I require. The reason I'm stuck or stalled currently is due to the fact the whilst I have a very clear understanding of what I want my website to do, the exact specification, It's currently not vague. In-fact it's very specific. Therefore leaving limited room for scope creep.

I agree with you all regarding getting a price for building the entire website, not on a per hour basis as these type of processes can involve changes and unforeseen issues. Apart from one of the previous posters above, who offered to help (I will contact you soon) anybody have any recommendation regarding a firm or developer to help me move the project forwards in terms of a agree price for carrying out the development of my concept. I understand currently due to not knowing my concept it's difficult to say. Therefore if any of you are highly skilled in development of websites please contact me.

devildriver

Theanswers wrote: »

Therefore leaving limited room for scope creep.

I agree with you all regarding getting a price for building the entire website, not on a per hour basis as these type of processes can involve changes and unforeseen issues.

There's 2 danger signs right there for any web developer. There are always "unforeseen issues" in any project but it just depends on who's issue they are and who is going to pay for them.

No respectable web developer will give you a flat all-inclusive price on a complex project precisely because any unforeseen issues could cause them to lose money.

With that said you should be able to get a project price on a very tight project spec but anything outside of the agreed spec will cost you extra - charged at the hourly rate.

If anybody does offer you a completely fixed price you should run quickly in the opposite direction.

JMR

If it's a recommendation you're looking for, I can highly recommend these guys

I am a satisfied customer of theirs

gargargar

devildriver wrote: »

There's 2 danger signs right there for any web developer. There are always "unforeseen issues" in any project but it just depends on who's issue they are and who is going to pay for them.

No respectable web developer will give you a flat all-inclusive price on a complex project precisely because any unforeseen issues could cause them to lose money.

With that said you should be able to get a project price on a very tight project spec but anything outside of the agreed spec will cost you extra - charged at the hourly rate.

If anybody does offer you a completely fixed price you should run quickly in the opposite direction.

That's not entirely true. While I would agree that most projects have unforeseen issues these can be mitigated against in the assumptions section of the proposal. I have worked for a couple of firms that offered fixed price.

devildriver

gargargar wrote: »

That's not entirely true. While I would agree that most projects have unforeseen issues these can be mitigated against in the assumptions section of the proposal. I have worked for a couple of firms that offered fixed price.

Well I would say fixed price with provisions for additional work if required. It all depends on the "tightness" of the spec. The most important thing is good communication on both sides so there are no unpleasant surprises for either the developer or client.

devildriver

JMR wrote: »

If it's a recommendation you're looking for, I can highly recommend these guys

I am a satisfied customer of theirs

As the OP has said the site will be quite complex I'm not sure Wordpress will be suitable.