Considerations When Researching a Web Design Firm

How long have you been in business?

Planet Media was established in May of 1999 in Mt. View, California by a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. The company relocated its offices to Colorado in 2001.

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Are you a local or national company?

Planet Media is based in Denver, Colorado. Our clients are as diverse as our projects and span across the country from San Francisco to New York to Tampa. Some clients prefer to meet face-to-face however, we also work with many clients virtually (all telephone and digital communications). We are available to travel when the project requires.

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What are your core competencies?

Planet Media is a full-service, creative media and innovative design studio providing web site design, web development, custom programming, e-commerce, e-marketing, and corporate identity services.

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Where can I preview samples of your previous work?

You can view many of our projects through our online portfolio.

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For what industries have you created web solutions?

Planet Media does not specialize by industry. Our team produces web sites for companies spanning many industries, including retail, wholesale, communications, chemical, financial, entertainment, design and travel. Many of our clients are business-to-business (B2B) services or products providers. We also have several business-to-consumer (B2C) and clients.

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Do you follow a formal design process for projects?

Yes. Our process has evolved over the years with our diverse clients and web development projects. Each project at its inception has phases, deliverables, tasks and timelines defined. Each phase works to refine a deliverable that will be presented to the client for approval before commencement of the next project phase.

Additional details at http://www.planetmediazone.com/design-methodology

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What is the client role in the development process?

We take pride in developing websites with, not for, our clients. Clients are consulted and advised at every stage of the web designed process. Some clients prefer heavy, daily involvement in particular aspects of project development, others prefer to let us handle everything. Your input to the project will be defined at the beginning of the project based on your particular project preferences.

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How long will it take to develop my website?

Website development depends on many site variables and the type of site required. We typically recommend allowing 6-8 weeks for standard custom site. Advanced sites, particularly those with extensive programming, ecommerce and database development can take 4 months or more. If you need a custom site up and running quickly, we offer express development services for an additional fee.

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Will I be required to provide site content and materials based a schedule?

Yes. In order for us to meet the designated project completion date, we will need all site text content and photographic materials you are providing for the site by a predetermined date.

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Will I have a single point-of-contact at Planet Media?

Yes. You will be assigned a dedicated account manager who will assist you with every step of the project.

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How much can I expect to pay for my website?

As we only offer custom design solutions, a design consultant will review your project requirements in detail and you will be provided with a formal proposal that will outline all design and development costs. Contact us for a complimentary, no-obligation project cost analysis using our online e*Quote.

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Do you provide hosting?

Yes. We only offer hosting to our web design and development clients.

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Do I have to host with you?

No. Typically, we recommend that our clients host with us because we have standardized our servers to handle all of the services that may be needed for the project development. Many of our clients do host with us and some choose to keep their existing hosting companies. We will work with you on any scenario.

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What is your web design philosophy?

We take special pride in developing web sites with, not for, our clients. Clients are consulted and advised at every stage of the design process. Clients' websites are developed with an overall understanding of the desired marketing and promotional objectives, target audience, and other relevant issues used in promoting the site on the web.

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What is your industry expertise?

World-class institutions look to Planet Media's extensive experience in assisting them develop, promote, expand, focus or reinvent their web presence to help them envision, shape, and realize the potential of digital media.

Planet Media possesses that rarest of traits -- an understanding of both the Internet and its audience, coupled with a proven ability to lead both large and small teams alike, while meeting strict deadlines.

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Where are you located?

Planet Media is located at the corner of 17th and Market in lower downtown Denver, Colorado.

Planet Media, LLC
1624 Market Street
Suite 207
Denver, CO 80202

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Outsourcing Web Development to Planet Media

Do you outsource your projects to India or China?

No, Planet Media does not outsource your project to India or China. All work is performed by competent designers and developers in the USA.

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Do you accept project outsourcing from large organizations?

Yes. Increasingly, organizations are looking to outsource their web design, web development, ecommerce and online marketing to firms like Planet Media to do one or two things: replace specific internal departments completely or augment preexisting staff.

Today, many large organizations are moving to external alternatives for outsourcing everything from website development to Search Engine Optimization and online marketing. The main objective of outsourcing is superior work at lower operating costs.

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How do I justify outsourcing my project to your firm?

In order for any professional organization to implement a robust website or secured permission-based environment, management will have to budget for a minimum of a 3-4 person staff.

An employee hired in-house may lack the experience, expertise, repetition or access to proper software tools needed for completing a project. Quite often a company will hire in-house programmers and designers or someone within the organization not knowing their true skill sets thus, a learning curve must be realized prior to project implementation.

Additionally, software tools and programs tend to be expensive. When these tools are asked requested, the company who hired that person may not want to go to the extra expense, thus leaving you with a static and unproductive site or application.

So, why not retain a company like Planet Media for your next project?

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