After having a good understanding of what to do before designing a website, it is time to begin your search for a quality web designer. Below are a few items to help you find the best fit and determine what makes a good designer.

Research
Ask around. Referrals show client trust and product satisfaction. There are many web designers and developers out there. Finding a great one who is trustworthy and easy to work with can be difficult. Who do you know who has worked with a designer or may know of one? What was their experience?

Determine the type of company/individual you would like to work with. Both freelance designers and web design firms have advantages and disadvantages. Which would best fit you, your business and your needs? Typically, the bigger the site, the more man power you may need.

Be informed. After finding out as much as you can about the designer or company from their website, give them a call. Speaking with them will give you a sense of how technically and socially savvy they are. Whether you’re considering a company or an individual, it is important to have a designer with a healthy balance of people skills and technical expertise. Being a web designer is not just about the web—you must know how people will respond, interpret and engage with what you have created.

Assess
Scrutinize! When you are Googling and trying to find the perfect fit, be sure to view websites with a critical eye. The designer’s site is just as revealing as the sites they’ve done for others; make it a point to find their online portfolio. So, what determines a well designed website?

Can you quickly and easily find the information you are looking for? Half of design is organization. The productivity and success of a website directly relates to the user’s ability to find what they are looking for in a fast and efficient way.

Is the navigation easy to use and understand? Once you click to a new page, you should know exactly where you are in relation to the site as a whole. When you, the user, gets lost, then you, a potential client, is lost.

Is there structure to the overall design? Is it consistent? The overall design (aesthetics) should be consistent and uniform. This does not imply that every page is exactly the same. It should, however, be uniform; each page should maintain a degree of continuity with the rest of the site.

Are things aligned? When a designer is detail oriented, they will be more likely desire to please you and produce a high quality product. A good designer is worried about a 3 pixel difference between the left margin of the title and the left margin of the content!

Does the message coincide with the subject matter? For example, if the site is for elderly people, the design should be conservative (assuming they’re not Harley riders), the font should be large and easy to read, and the features should be within grasp. Likewise, a skateboarding company wouldn’t want a real estate lawyer’s site.

Does the information on the site help you to understand what that company, person, or organization is about? Wording, colors and layout are just a few elements that help to communicate a message. Pay attention to these. You will quickly know who the site is for.

Does the site have contact information that is helpful and easy to find? This is a very important part of the site. Since websites are a primarily passive medium, you want your users to be able to contact you if they need to. Not being able to locate or email a company because you cannot find contact information on their site is simply unacceptable.

Can you read the text easily? Many factors contribute to the readability and legibility of text. Think about color (light on dark, vice versa), font, size, etc.

How long does the site take to load? Typically if a site takes longer than ten seconds to load, users get bored and leave. When you’re on the information superhighway, you don’t want to be stuck behind a Sunday driver!

Regardless of whether or not you have had to find a web designer before, this article provides you with the necessary information on what to research and how to assess a well designed website. I have broken down choosing a web designer into a manageable process for you to use as a guide on your search. Now instead of feeling overwhelmed by the burden, get excited about choosing a designer!

When starting any project, you must first define the scope. Knowing how and what to plan will ensure a good working relationship with your future designer and help produce a high-quality product. It all starts with defining your preferences. By doing so, you will better understand your needs and assist your future designer in better serving you. In short, you need a business plan that addresses what you’d like your site to be. Here are several suggestions to aid you in developing and defining the scope of your website.

What is my business all about? Use descriptive words to capture your business’s personality and objective. Reflect on your mission statement (if applicable) and how you would like to portray your business.

What will be the purpose of my website? Creating an informational site versus creating a social networking site are two very different things. Your website’s purpose is one of your first decisions.

Who am I trying to reach? Outline your target audience. Are they professionals? What is their age range, demographics, interests, technical ability, etc?

What specific features do I want? This question goes hand in hand with the last two. For more informational sites, a blog could be a very useful tool. But if you sell items online, you will need to direct people to a “buy” button, not a blog.

Will the information on my website need to be frequently updated after it is built? Think about the information you are giving to your users. For example, if you have a product whose specifications change weekly, consider whether you want to edit the website yourself (i.e. online or utilizing web editing software) or if you would rather pay someone else to manage it (contract with a maintenance service).

What is my budget? Be reasonable. Remember that a website is a passive marketing tool, working for you when you are not working. Think of it as an expansion of your company’s services and hours. Many people misperceive the cost of a website. It is important to keep this in mind: the price can vary anywhere from $1,000 to more than $50,000. Features such as blogs, databases, Flash elements and photo galleries, as well as labor time and creativity, determine the price you will eventually pay.

What other sites do I like? List five sites that you have seen, either in your industry or in general, which you believe are well-designed. Examples are always very helpful for designers to get a better idea of what you are looking for.

How do I want to organize what I want to say? Create a site map by outlining every major section and subsection with the items you would like to include on those pages.
A simple example would be:

• Home (+ Flash intro)
• About Us
  • History
  • Mission Statement
  • Staff
• Services
  • Products (Photo Gallery)
  • Pricing
• News
• Contact (with online form)

When referring back to these questions, take notes. In the end, your goal is to minimize the chance of miscommunication and optimize the quality of the end product. Put together a Word document that clearly answers each item. From this you will have a strong starting point for meeting with a web designer.

Check out their website. A company without a website is a company losing clients (and losing clients equals losing money). Everyone knows print design can be very effective, whether it’s handing out business cards or mailing newsletters. But what is the one of the largest forms of communication today? Writing a letter and giving it to the postman? No—in today’s world it’s email. People are online 24/7 and having a website gives users, your potential clients, an all hours marketing tool. For any business, all businesses, having an online presence is invaluable.

Marketing seems to be the department that is built last. It isn’t until businesses hit the mega bucks that they really begin investing in marketing—the next thing you know they’re in Forbes magazine. So how can you afford to invest? Remember those financial planners telling you to start investing when you were 15? “All you have to do is put in $20 a month!” they’d say. Then, when you hit 55, and you’d have compound interest alongside of the yacht you just purchased.

So maybe the constant change of design and technology doesn’t quite guarantee compound interest and a yacht. But let’s think about this: when you are just starting out, what is the most difficult thing? I’d say most of your work goes into generating business. Web design is one of those tools that, if done well, will give you that exponential start to your business. Over time, the marketing power of a well-built website will pay for itself. So, what is a 24 hour marketing tool worth to you? If you want my two cents, it’s priceless.