Whether you're hiring a designer who has created 10 sites or 1000 sites for other businesses, there are 10 things every website should do for you.
1. Be wary of companies who charge by the hour and don't put on a cap! There isn't a regulated industry standard in fees. So websites can easily end up costing you a small fortune. Ask for a flat fee if possible-you'll know exactly what you're paying up front. It's common to pay for 50% down, and in certain cases, when working with businesses online; you may need to pay the whole flat fee down. This is perfectly acceptable. You wouldn't order books from Amazon and wait to pay for them when they got there!
2. Try to get a turnaround time in writing. It is up to you to bring as much information as possible to your designer. This will make the design process go much faster. You can't just go and say "make a website for me" and expect your designer to know what to put on your website! The more you bring to the table, the faster your designer can work. And the faster you respond to proofs, the faster your site will be active and live! Depending on your designer's workload, it could take anywhere from 1 week to 3 weeks to finish the design of your site.
3. Original custom designs are always best for branding your image. If your designer works exclusively from pre-designed templates, with no customization at all, you will not have as professional a site as if you received 100% customized work. Make sure you understand how your website designer creates websites.
4. How much flexibility will you have in the future? The best aspect of websites is that they are dynamic-or should be. Print advertising is static. But you can constantly update your website as your company grows. How fast and easy can your designer make changes to your site? Is she building in functions to make these future changes possible?
5. Does your designer optimize your pages and submit them to search engines? If they don't then you will end up having to pay for this service, or figure out how to do it yourself. A web designer may not have 100% of the SEO tools out there, but at the very least, your website designer should create your meta tags, make sure your keywords are sprinkled throughout your content and at least submit your site to the basic directories and engines.
6. Is your web designer just designing your pages and leaving the domain name and hosting up to you? Beware of this. Sometimes their quotes only include the design itself. If you don't understand domain names and hosting, you need to make sure your webmaster purchases your domain for you and sets up your hosting-and then manages this year after year. Websites with top level domain names (.com, .net, .org) are taken more seriously. So it wouldn't make much sense to have a professionally designed site hosted on a free site like Geocities.
7. Does your webmaster offer a guarantee? If you can't get your designer to create a look that you like, will you be able to get your money back? Find out if this is in your contract before you fork over your cash.
About the Author: Flat fee, custom, fast, flexible, submitted, domain & hosting included, refund available. The http://24hourwebsitewizard.com has it all! Mitoné Griffith has designed websites since 1999. Her streamlined 24 Hour Website Wizard assists you in creating your website in less time than it takes to get a book on HTML to ship from Amazon. Complete and custom websites overnight. Visit http://24hourwebsitewizard.com to learn more, or email to 24hourwiz@getresponse.com.
~A man [woman] is a success if he [she] gets... Read More
All websites have a homepage. It is the most important... Read More
Have you heard of 'Babel Fish'?It's a service provided by... Read More
This is a two-part article about creating a web site... Read More
Know what you wantMake sure you know why you... Read More
Whether you are planning on having a website built for... Read More
One of the simplest things you can do to give... Read More
A search for "web design" on Google returns more than... Read More
It seems that almost every Tom Dick and Harry do... Read More
When designing your website, remember to avoid useless and confusing... Read More
There's no doubt about it - the first page your... Read More
You know... Before purchasing your product a person comes to... Read More
7. Create high quality content - make clear points with... Read More
Let's look at what your user wants to see at... Read More
As a webmaster, you want to keep your visitors content... Read More
Never put form over function. Why? Because it's crucial that... Read More
Making your site accessible means making it available to be... Read More
In retailing there is a saying that sales are made... Read More
First off, I am a designer. Now you're thinking, here's... Read More
With so many different configurations internet users have their computers... Read More
So you need a website. You are not sure if... Read More
Over the course of the last decade, the Internet has... Read More
A highly effective website will always reflect its highly effective... Read More
If you are familiar with my work, then you have... Read More
Regardless whether you manage a small business, charitable organization, or... Read More
If your are a new web designer, you may face... Read More
CNN.com's designers have gone out of their way to make... Read More
This may comes as a surprise to you but, if... Read More
Getting a customer is not easy.Getting a visitor to decide... Read More
As a web designer, I have a personal interest in... Read More
CSS is a new option for website designers that have... Read More
The ability to create simple, attractive and functional web pages... Read More
Even if you're not an accomplished webmaster you can still... Read More
When your web site sells more than a dozen items,... Read More
Have you put a lot of effort, time, and money... Read More
The importance of choosing your website keywords carefully is very... Read More
In today's age of fast food and high-speed Internet, a... Read More
If you'd like to create/maintain a website, having some HTML... Read More
I'm not a professional web site designer and openly admit... Read More
With the advent of the Internet a whole new vista... Read More
I often wonder how serious people are when it comes... Read More
Many websites make the mistake of being all flash and... Read More
Contrary to the beliefs of some, advertising for web and... Read More
The way you design your web site affects your visitors'... Read More
If you are going to be placing ads on your... Read More
You've thought about it and you're ready to go. You're... Read More
As of September, Smartads went through what so many have... Read More
Colors convey emotions and emotions heavily influence the decision-making process.... Read More
Owning your own website is a must if you are... Read More
CNN.com's designers have gone out of their way to make... Read More
As a graphic designer, you are sitting on a gold... Read More
"Oh, my eyes, my eyes! What an eye sore. Quick,... Read More
The Psychology of ColorAre you using the best colors for... Read More
1. Use .gifs rather than .jpgs. GIFs are smaller in... Read More
You're almost set. The content of your website, e-book, or... Read More
Creating your own website is great fun! But how is... Read More
Many businesses want a simple website where they tell people... Read More
**How Colors are Used in web design:**Demarcates screen elements into... Read More
One of the challenges of moving a web site up... Read More
Not all links are created equal.While all of your links... Read More
Ever wonder how HTML color codes are put together? For... Read More
Think of the people who visit your site as blind... Read More
If you need a web designer, but have no clue... Read More
This is a two-part article about creating a web site... Read More
If you've just finished building your new website (or revamping... Read More
When designing elements for your webpage, you will often be... Read More
Web Design |