How To Get the Best Working Partnership With a Web Developer

The best websites are created through great collaborations, but how do you build that partnership with a Chicago web development agency?

This article shares three tips for building a trusting professional relationship with your web developer:

• Set clear goals and expectations.
• Pick a team specializing in your niche.
• Know your communication styles.

Make the partnership a pleasant, long-lasting experience. Let’s go!

To learn how Digital Authority Partners can create a standout website for you, watch this video!

1. Set Clear Goals and Expectations

When collaborations fail, miscommunication is often cited as the reason why. However, it is usually due to a lack of direction from unclear goals and unrealistic expectations.

These two can have the following devastating effects on the partnership:

• Miscommunication and confusion can cause frustration and delays.
• Both of these can result in a mismatched, unsatisfying end product.
• They waste resources, from people to cash flow.

Clarity and transparency are the keys to a successful business-agency partnership. The question is, how can you set clear goals and expectations? Answer: S-M-A-R-T.

An objective should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (S-M-A-R-T). Let us say that you have a new Chicago cafe and you want to increase your brand reach. Which of the objectives below sounds doable?

• Increase web presence by the end of Q3.
• Boost your unique website traffic by 40% in three months.

The first option is a great start, but the second one is clearer and more specific. Even better, you can measure it by tracking website visits and referral traffic. You can also put this data and other metrics to work to help you adjust your goals and benchmarks in the future.

With timely information, you can work with your Chicago web development agency to create an achievable roadmap. This can include resource allocations and timelines for each task required for success.

2. Pick a Team Specializing in Your Niche

Have you ever tried explaining an idea to someone who does not immediately get it? This can happen when you are not like-minded. 

One of the best ways to develop a good working relationship with a web developer is to ensure that you are compatible. Therefore, pick a team specializing in your niche.

Agencies in your niche offer many intangible benefits to small businesses that others cannot. Consider these examples:

• A financial services company benefits from working with a web development firm that understands its specific requirements such as developing sites focusing on compliance and regulatory standards.
• An agency experienced in online sales platforms and marketing tactics is suitable for an e-commerce company.
• A travel company might need support in creating experiences tailored to customers’ locations and interests.

Further, these agencies are more likely to recognize digital design trends and offer advice to help your project stand out in the marketplace.

3. Know Your Communication Styles

“Communicate effectively” is a weary but necessary cliché. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if both sides misunderstood goals, timelines, deliverables, methods of communication, and escalation paths.

Equally, the communication methods are just as vital as the messages. This is where some teams falter. They may agree on the project details but fail to account for different communication styles.

For instance, your web development team members might fall into either or a combination of the following DISC personality profiles, each with pros and cons:

You and the team do not need to share the same communication style, but you should be open to adhering to conditions that might arise from these preferences. 

For example, you are a conscientious business owner who likes to receive detailed reports regularly. An agency that does not acknowledge or understand that might consider your demand to be micromanaging. 

Alternatively, a “steady” web development firm might be reliable, but it might wait for your instructions to reduce mistakes. In turn, the back-and-forth waiting can delay your project.

But how do you encourage each other to be more open about your preferred communication style? Transparency is the answer.

• Know your communication style and discuss it even during the discovery call. 
• Encourage the other party to share theirs as well. 
• Compromise.

You may prefer communication via email, and your partnering agency prefers to communicate through Skype calls and meeting notes. In this case, you can agree to send quick emails for small questions, but schedule regular Skype calls for critical conversations. Through transparency and understanding each other’s preferences, both parties can discuss updates and open issues in real time and keep written records to which they can refer.

Summing Up

It takes a solid partnership between you and your web development agency to create the best product or service. You can have the brightest idea but also need to rely on the team to make it come to life.

If you are looking for a dependable, flexible team to help you, Digital Authority Partners (DAP) is here to help. We specialize in partnering with clients and walking them through the process of creating a successful product or service from ideation to launch. 

Contact us today, and let us begin to work for you.