Five reasons to go local with web developers

Why choose local web developers?

If you're looking for bespoke web development, you could search for companies all over the world. With the ease of video chat technology and the increase of remote working during lockdown, businesses are getting used to working with suppliers that aren't physically close. We communicate with our clients in whichever way is easiest for you, and that's often by email and phone. However there are advantages to working with local web developers, and here are five reasons you might want to consider.

One: We know your local area

As Cheltenham web developers since 2001, Bluelinemedia and its staff have been in the area for decades. This may not always be relevant to your project, but if your customers are in Cheltenham or you have any kind of local connection, it may help that we're here too. We know the area, its culture and the people of Cheltenham.

Two: Peace of mind

Sometimes just knowing that we are nearby can provide peace of mind for your business. Even if you don't need to come into the office, you know our address in Cheltenham. Local web developers provide peace of mind because you know we're just up the road, although it's by no means essential for web development.

Three: Advantages over offshore web developers

We communicate with most of our clients by email or phone, but we're always here if you need us. Having a common language and culture makes it easier for us to understand your requirements, and for your feedback to be interpreted correctly. While there are good web developers all over the world, you'll generally find it easier to work with someone in the same country and with English as their first language. We've had numerous clients come to us because their previous offshore development project has failed for one reason or another. This is especially important if you need something done quickly, when you don't want to be communicating with a different time zone.

Four: We know your competitors

It may not be relevant to all our clients, but as Cheltenham-based web developers we know the other businesses in the area. We probably know your competitors, suppliers and customers. We may even work with companies that aren't in direct competition with you but can give us experience that is useful to your web project.

Five: Project interpretations

The biggest challenge with any bespoke web development project is understanding requirements. This goes from the broad requirements of the project to how specific forms or buttons work. It's surprising how differently individuals approach the same online tasks. Watch a family member or friend using a website, and you'll see them doing the same tasks in a completely different way to you. People interpret text, buttons and links differently, and elements like date pickers can be very subjective. You can't just assume that because something is obvious to you, it will be obvious to the next user. And you can't always assume that the requirements you hand over to us will be interpreted in the same way. That's why it helps to communicate about your requirements, and face-to-face review of designs and other requirements is much more effective than emails, where elements can get lost in translation. While we still work with most of our clients by email, and we are happy to work in whatever way you find easiest, the face-to-face meeting always provides more clarity.

If you're looking for local web development, get in touch about your project.