There is not a simple answer that applies to all here. There are different sorts of web development companies that exist and some are no more than a person programming at the dining room table.
Its like accountants and lawyers - there are all sorts for all sorts of people - some good and some not as good. The big difference is that they are all required to be professionally accredited and registered. Not so with web developers or for that matter, designers.
You need to rely on their reputation and your sense of judgement. In addition you need to look at what their resourcing is like. Apart form the larger web development businesses, most are made up of web programmers, possibly some graphic designers and the balance are sales and support staff.
So where do the business skills and experience come in? This is what you need to determine for yourself. Web solutions that are being sought and expected by the market demand new levels of complexity and business integration. We have gone beyond the realms of a nice glossy brochure provided electronically as a web page as being appropriate.
Web solutions need to deliver to business outcomes, they need to be aligned to existing marketing and business plans, they need to be targeted and they most importantly need to be accountable.
Defining a business solution needs to draw on good old fashioned business analysis skills that come from applying past experience, best practice and basic business principals for analysis of those needs embodied within the context of internet technologies.
Before you seek a business solution that just happens to be by way of an internet site, give good consideration to the skill set of your web developer to define the best solution. If they can not provide you with a specific proposal that clearly addresses the business outcomes, the functional aspects and design of the solution then question them closely. A list of installed modules does not always address the needs of some business owners.
At the end of the day - not everyone will need a solutions design. Some packed solutions will suffice very well but you just need to be sure that you can see the solution clearly and if what you seek is not a standard package and requires customiziation - you probably need to consider the design aspects.
If this leaves you more confused and you seek an independent view simply contact us. IF we feel that a standard package approach meets your needs we will simply tell you so and we may even be able to recommend a couple of web developers who provide the package solution best for you.
