Have you ever seen a job posting for a web developer that lists skills ranging from very artistic (graphic design, color theory) to highly technical (SQL, ASP) as requirements for one job position? An individual can only be an expert in a limited area. People who are highly artistic (designers) are generally not very analytical (programmers). However, it takes the combination of all these skills to deploy a great-looking, easy-to-use, technically complex web site. To achieve the optimal mix of talent, consider outsourcing web development to a consulting firm.

Web development consulting firms (also referred to as web design firms) use a team approach to staffing projects. AccuVis pulls together a team of consultants based on the project needs. We manage the workflow between our web site creative staff, technical staff, and those responsible for driving traffic to the site. We partner with staff that the customer includes in the project, such as corporate design or corporate marketing personnel. This provides the benefit of expert design talent and expert programming talent without having to directly hire at least two individuals.

Outsourcing web development to a web design firm reduces the need for the continued payroll expense associated with hiring new staff. Also, once your site is initally built and is then being maintained, it does not typically require a full-time design and programming resource.

When AccuVis maintains web sites for our clients, we are used on an as-needed basis. You pay as you go, and are not required to pay ongoing monthly fees. Also, if the project is stalled during development, we can typically wait and work on other projects until you are ready to go again. A consulting firm provides the flexibility to use services and pay for them only when you need them.

When comparing the cost of hiring an individual web developer with rates charged by consulting firms, include corporate overhead as part of the cost comparison. Overhead includes taxes, benefits, software, computer hardware, and staff training. It is usually more cost-effective over the life of the site (initial development plus future maintenance) to utilize a web design firm rather than hire a web developer as a full-time employee.

A full-time employee may be cost-justified if a web site needs constant maintenance by a programmer, but this probably indicates a poorly-conceived site architecture. A full-time employee may be cost-justified by splitting their time between the web site and other IT projects, but this may lead to slow responsiveness to requests for change due to conflicting priorities.

Consulting firms are only awarded future projects if they are responsive to customers and meet the project needs. Internal staff, however, keep getting more work due to the corporate structure, not necessarily due to their performance. The goal of consulting firms is to have great customer references and repeat customers. This tends to make them very responsive to customer requests.