Consumer Beware
Fakes are everywhere!
DON'T BE FOOLED!
When searching for a web developer it is easy to find an endless list of under-educated people claiming to be web designers, developers, and programmers. Often-times it is someone who simply read a tutorial online that explained how to make a web page. These fakes will usually talk themselves up using terms such as Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), or Java Script. Despite those being big words, a real developer knows those skills are not enough to create a truly presentable and professional website. Don't be fooled by all the computer terms; fakes use them to sound intelligent and keep you in the dark. In fact, the bigger the words and the more often they use them the more likely they are frauds.
Sometimes you may get lucky and find a freelancer that does an upstanding job, but 99% of the time you are being swindled. One question to always ask is "What languages do you program in?" If the first thing out of their mouth is HTML, XHTML, CSS, or JavaScript then you know they are pretending. You don't have to know what any of those are, but if they say those and only those then run the other way. All those languages are at the core of every programmer's arsenal, but a true programmer would not advertise them. If they did, it would be like a framer telling you he uses lumber to build houses. Just because he can use lumber doesn't mean he can build a house.
One fairly reliable way to spot a fake that's after your money is when they aren't asking for much. A few hundred dollars for your five page website sounds good. In fact it's probably too good. Sometimes they will even come down in price if you, the consumer, are hesitant in accepting their offer. That is a very bad sign when searching for a web developer. Professional developers take pride in their work and don't waste time chasing pocket change from customers that are not fully committed to their online presence. True web development is hard work and it takes many years of experience to become a competent programmer. Anyone that has taken the time required to learn and master the art of web design & development will tell you that it is not easy or cheap. The software expenses alone are more than most people realize; that coupled with the time it takes to build a solid website is very costly, and the developer has to recoup that cost to stay successful. That is the reason why you might see such a wide range of prices when looking for developers. Cheap investment almost always equals cheap return.
Another cheap alternative you might find online is the "Do It Yourself" services that so many websites offer. These services usually allow you to sign in and use a set of pre-defined tools and resources to build a small site from a template. This can be a very tempting offer because it seemingly gives the consumer full control over the content of the site. If you were to actually use one of these services you would notice one fatal flaw. Every finished site looks the same or similar. Anybody who has utilized that service got to pick from the same list of templates and tools that you did. This results in a slew of similar-looking websites and no way to truly stand out. In addition to the "cookie cutter" problem with these services, customers often find that it is not so easy to create a web page even with a set of pre-developed tools in front of them. Problems like slow loading images, smooth flow of content, bandwidth, and even your domain name suddenly become issues. Things you may never have thought of before suddenly cause problems and because you were essentially the developer there is nobody to help and you are out a couple hundred dollars.
Even if you can manage to live with the quirks of your new site you will likely find that it just doesn't feel the same as those big websites do. That's because, as I said before, web design is not an easy task. Web design is the art of pleasing the eye and making visitors feel welcome and comfortable. If you have ever been to a poorly designed website then you know what it's like to try and sift through a mess of images, animations, and text that was never even spell-checked. It's a painful experience. Don't be tricked into giving away your hard-earned money for nothing. The Internet will nickel and dime you all day if you let it.