In the rush to get a pricing for a website or custom programming project, and to get the project underway, many clients will provide too little information, and often don't take the time to interview potential technology partners.

Here are 5 tips to avoid a "false start" and make sure your website project is a success.

1. Provide clear and detailed project Requirements.
2. Answer vendor questions.
3. Set a realistic budget.
4. Read and compare the proposals you receive.
5. Check references.

1. Provide project requirements

 Try to provide as much information about your project as possible in a written document. Detailed requirements should include the number of pages your website will have, special capabilities needed such as a customer login, content management, survey forms, online presentations and other details.

If you are need an ecommerce website, the number of products going on the website is vital to receiving an accurate quote or estimate.

Will the project need graphics created? Will you be providing photography?

TIP: Keep in mind that a true requirements document is not a bullet point list of features the website should have, but is also background information about the website, your goals and objectives, problems with the current website and above all, your vision for the new website and what will make the project a success from your viewpoint.

2. Answer vendor questions

If you avoid answering critical vendor questions, your website vendor will usually make assumptions about your project. Assumptions mean the project costs will be "padded" because they are just not sure about missing details.

Professional website developers will want to understand your project thoroughly in order to both give you a fair price and provide the right solution.

TIP: It's also a good idea to speak with potential vendors so you can get an idea of what it will be like to work with the vendor.

3. Set a realistic budget

Even if you have absolutely no idea how much your website project will cost, it is a good idea to determine what you are willing to spend for your project, and be willing to share your budget with a potential technology partner.

While you may be afraid to reveal your full website budget, thinking the vendor will simply make that amount the price of the project, this is seldom the case. A professional web development company will want to provide you the best solution within your budget, even if it means simplifying your project or breaking your project into phases.

TIP: If your requirements are for a $25,000 project, and you only have a budget of $10,000 to spend, it's better to let a potential vendor know what you can spend, so they can provide a realistic proposal. All website project require a certain number of hours for design, development, project management, testing and debugging. Skipping steps or reducing the number of hours needed to do the project right will mean mistakes, frustration, bugs and other problems that will have to be dealt with.

4. Read and compare proposals you receive.

Proposals are very revealing about a potential website vendor, and will give you insight into whether a prospective vendor is right for you.

Great proposals will detail the process of the project, the technology to be used, the time line, and should include references and links to comparable projects.

A professional web development company will address all your requirements and demonstrate they understand your project entirely. Make sure there are no hidden "gotchas" and that you own the project files. Be wary of special solutions that do not use industry standard programming code or a solution that you merely "rent" on a monthly basis.

Be wary of "extremes" in proposal pricing. If one vendor's pricing is 25% or less of the highest vendor's pricing something may not be right.

TIP: If you provide sketchy requirements to all vendors, but you speak to only one or two to clarify your requirements, you may be comparing apples to oranges in terms of the proposals you receive. Unless all the proposals are based on the same requirements, what appears to be great proposal and price may cost you much more than expected.

5. Check vendor references

Hiring a technology partner is like hiring a great employee. Not only should they know what they are doing, others should be able to recommend them without hesitation.

It's easy to get caught up in the details of proposal, and to skip checking references. Finding out that a technology vendor cannot or will not be able to deliver what your project needs in the middle of the project will spell disaster.

TIP: Reputable companies will provide recent project contacts so you can make sure the company you are considering is the right one for your project.

Summary

Project success starts with you. While you are putting your trust into your website developer, by following the above steps you can prevent most if not all of the problems that can stop your website project before it gets started.