Choosing a Web Design Professional

If you don’t have the time, interest or ability to design and go live with your business Web site, hire a pro – or at least someone with enough knowledge or experience to assemble a simple but professional site that meets your needs.

One way to get this done, and a good choice if you’re on a tight budget, is to contact your local college and ask how to find a student designer. Many of them already have enough experience to handle fundamental Web site design; some of them much more.

If your budget allows some elbow room, hire an established, experienced and proven pro. Just don’t do it the way old Aunt Gert picked her horse bets – by sticking a hatpin in the racing form. There are resources all over the Web, like Website Pros (www.websitepros.com) that can help guide your research and sort out the field.

But before you hire any Web designer or team, there are some questions you need to answer:

• Do they have experience with business Web sites?
• Can they meet the needs of the plan you carefully laid out in Step 1?
• Will you be working with one designer throughout your project, or passed around to different team members? The more personal attention the better.
• Does the designer or firm have references? If so, call them. If not, move on. Ask about your candidate’s record of meeting or missing deadlines, ability to collaborate with clients and their work ethic.
• Are examples of their designs at work on the Web? Carefully look over those sites, not just for quality and range, but for styles that agree with your own.
• What payment plans do they offer? Beware of any that require full payment up front. By the time you discover they’re not as good as they looked, it may be too late to cut your losses.
• What are their verbal and written communications skills? Can you understand them when you discuss your Web site needs?

It all comes down to using the same due diligence you would in hiring any member of your business team. If you wouldn’t hire them for a staff job, don’t hire them on contract.

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