If your organization is looking at Drupal as a web site platform to build upon, what do you need to look for in a Drupal development company?
1. Expertise
2. Number of projects developed using Drupal
3. Additional Drupal development that extends a web site beyond just core and additional modules
4. Drupal passion
A Drupal firm should be able to demonstrate complete end-to-end solutions for clients. This includes design, development, testing and implementation. If they can also offer marketing and branding, you’ve found yourself a full service firm.
Adding a Drupal expertise in the mix means your site will work even better. Marketing makes it successful, Drupal provides the platform.
Number of projects developed using Drupal:
This is a fairly easy research project. Review the portfolios of the firms you’re looking at. They should list on their web site whether the project was done in Drupal (and you’re looking for the majority of their work in Drupal to have real expertise.)
Firms with one Drupal site and 25 WordPress sites are probably going to be a great choice for a WordPress site. Firms with a mix probably tailor their CMS selection for the size and budgets of the clients they serve.
Additional Drupal development that extends a web site beyond just core is a hallmark of a firm that’s reaching for a larger solution for their clients. Every CMS has it’s module library and extension abilities.
Connecting Drupal sites to third party software like Hubspot (marketing automation), Salesforce, company databases and other entities’ web sites (such as government web sites) is complex and requires a top notch understanding of the platform.
Drupal passion:
Are your developers passionate about Drupal? If so, they’ll present it as an option early on in the CMS discussion, and they may reference terminology that tends to be Drupalized (e.g. use of the words “blocks” and “modules”).
On other CMSs, these terms are different (module positions and extensions for Joomla, plugins or widgets and sidebars for WordPress.) Using the vernacular for Drupal, there’s a good chance the firm under consideration loves it. They’ll tell you so pretty early on in the discussion.
Further evaluation:
Evaluate the web sites they have constructed. Are the features clear and easy to understand? Is the design among the better of sites out there? Can you, as a user, tell what’s the marketing call to action on the page?
Ask if their own web site is in Drupal. Yep. Drinking your own champagne: it is the best way to understand if they are passionate about it, if they use it for their own site.
And last, before you undertake any web site refresh or development project, think about what you want your visitors to do, and what they need from you to do that. This handy guide dives you into how planning for a site that generates interest and leads is in your best interests!
