Nearly every new business has a website these days, but how do you get one? It’s relatively easy to pick a “do it yourself” website company online to get yourself up and running, but often this leads to a less than professional looking site.

A website designer can help you identify what you need from your website above all else. They have (or at least should have) vast knowledge of websites and how they work, and this makes them the ideal person to advise you. However, there are several things you need to take into account when you make your choice.

Find someone you can work with

It might sound like an obvious thing to say, but we can’t always find people who can realise our ideas. Don’t get hung up on large companies that have huge client lists, it’s always worth looking at the smaller independent developers out there too; they often charge less and do a better job.

Do not pay by the hour

This does happen, and when it does it’s often a nightmare for the small business owner. It’s really best to get your quote for the whole project and if there is likely to be extra expenses incurred get your designer to tell you what these will be up front.

What do you get with the package?

This is one of the most fundamental questions you’ll need to ask. If you’re paying a designer to design and build you a website you need to know what you’re getting for your money.

• One of the most important things you’ll need is a CMS (content management system). This is important because it will allow you and anyone else you choose as admin to upload content onto your website quickly and easily.
• Make sure it has decent security features. Do your research and find out what you need first.
• Do you get any after sales support? There may very well be changes you wish to make to the website later on or there may be problems with the existing installation that need tweaking.
• Does your deal include website hosting? This is another good question to ask. It’s no good having a really good website if you haven’t got it hosted. You’ll have to go and look for hosting elsewhere then, and this could be time consuming and complicated. Ask if they can recommend anyone if they don’t offer it.
• Find out if your website is going to be backed up. Your site is essentially a load of stored files and if these get corrupted or lost then you’ll need to know if your developer/designer has a backup.
• Will your design test out alright on different web browsers. This is another important thing to ask considering that there are so many different ones out there.

Conclusion

All in all you must remember that this is your website and your idea. You are paying a designer to realise your ideas and put them on a site, so if it isn’t right don’t be afraid to let them know and get them to rectify it. If you have limited knowledge of website development then you need to make sure you get someone who is good at their job and can get it right first time.

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