It seems that everyone from 15-year-old kid to their Grandmother is able to design a web site these days. You could also build site yourself using a word processor or other web site program; however if you choose this route, plan on spending quite a bit of time learning, to get your site to look professional. Creating a web site is not as simple as typing a letter.If you want your site to look professional, it is imperative to find a designer that will be with you from start to finish of your web site and will also be there in future should you need changes or updates to your site. So how do you distinguish who is a good designer or a bad one?
Here are some important steps to take before making that important decision:
1.Credentials – does person or business have professional qualifications in Web Design and Internet? Are they certified in any particular area of web design? You can often check this out by going to "about" page on their web site. If they have taken time to gain qualifications, then you know they are serious about their business.
2. Experience – how long has person or business been designing web sites and working with Internet? If it is only a short time then they may not be familiar with all technologies available in designing a web site and may not be around to take care of your future needs.
Look at design of their web site and other sites that they have designed by going to their portfolio page. Do colors and text look balanced? Do all links work, does site load fast and is it easy to navigate site? Do all pages have a consistent look?
3. Testimonials – this will give you a good idea of service and design you can expect. Look through testimonials of satisfied customers. The testimonies should have email address and web site address listed (so you can contact them if need be). Beware of fake testimonials in which just name is listed but no email or site address.
4. Vision – create a basic plan of type of web site you want. Do a search of other sites on Web, to get a rough idea of what type of site you are looking for, that is unique to your business, (not just a copy of someone else's). Sketch your ideas out on paper, so that when you contact your designer, you already have a good idea of what you have in mind.
Decide what kind of web site it should be – will it be an informational web site, a web site that will continue to expand as you develop your business, or an e-commerce web site with a number of products for which you accept online payments?
5. Technology – if you want to use advanced technologies on your site, such as flash, shock wave, database integration, make sure your designer is familiar with them and how this may affect your site. They are often expensive to implement and may not be needed for you to set up your business on Web.