What you need to know before hiring a web designer.

You own a business or have a really good idea you need to promote.  What’s next on the list in generating a buzz?  A website of course.  Here are a few things to consider before investing in a web design.

You get what you pay for, most of the time.  A good design and smart development takes time.  Time equals money.  Money makes the world go round, and you need to to be realistic in a budget for your website.  A 5 page simple site usually starts at about $1500.  Custom script features such as shopping carts, content management, and database services push the costs higher.
1. Communication is key.  It needs to be a two way street.  Hold your designer accountable on time constraints, but also remember that he needs materials from you in a timely manner also.  A typical designer is not a content writer.  If you don’t have all the copy (written materials) for you site, and you are having trouble writing it yourself, hire a content writer.
2. Research what your competitors are doing.  Check out what’s going on in your field or industry.  Feel free to over communicate what you like and dislike about their sites.  This will greatly help narrow down ideas.
3. Set a realistic launch date.  Mark a date and work towards reaching that with a plan and time line.  The major steps are Plan – brainstorm about layout and color and light mockup. Design – build a mockup of the final site.  Develop – build the functioning code from the sliced design.  Test – evaluate and check cross browser usability.  Deploy – put it live!  Remember the typical time from most design houses is around 3 months

So to sum it up, look for someone who fits your style, is easy to work with, has good references, and hire them, just be realistic about your expectations.  You and the designer will be happy in the end.

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