You may be thinking, "I’m not sure I can afford to hire a professional graphic designer." The truth of matter is that you most likely can’t afford not too.

Why?

A poorly designed web site, or a site that is glaring “homemade, homemade, homemade” gives impression that product or service it is promoting is of same quality. As you’ve heard before- People do judge a book by its cover. Your book’s cover is your web site.

Fact of Life on Internet- If your entire site doesn’t look professionally designed you’ve got major problems. At best making a profit with a poorly designed website is going to be a struggle.

Step 1. Planning

While searching for right web designer it is important to have a clear idea of what role your new website will fill. Will it provide information to your customers? Will it serve needs of your employees? Or will it include an online shopping ability for selling purposes? As a web designer myself, key information I would want to know from you would be:

- The role of your new website. - The intended market or audience of your Website. - Your budget.

With this information I would have a clear understanding of your requirements. Take time to consider what you expect from your website and type of information you want to get across to your potential clients before you approach your website designer. This will save you and designer a considerable amount of time and effort.

Step 2. Compile a list of web designers

Creating a list of web designers will allow you to view a range of different designs and find styles you like. Here are some techniques to help you in your search:

1. Search for website designers on Internet – browse through websites specifically devoted to website design. Choose and compare at least three website designers to get an overall picture of what is available.

2. Check out a range of industry related websites – spend some time looking at other websites that may be related or are similar to your industry, choose a few different websites that you admire and look for web design firm in list of credits or contact organization and ask for information about designer. You could also find out if that organization is happy with level of service they received.

3. Referrals – Ask friends, family and co-workers who they used to design their website. Ask them if they were satisfied with service they received and if completed designs were what they expected. Ask if they feel they received value for money.

Step 3. Create a shortlist