Choosing a Web Designer

Here are some tips in finding the right people for the job and some considerations to be taken into account.

1. Introduction

Many businesses look for a web designer as though they were shopping for a general commodity item such as a light bulb - i.e. All websites are equal and paying the 16 year old student on a computer course to build the site will reap exactly the same dividend as paying a specialist web development agency. Other businesses often feel they have to spend thousands upon thousands of pounds on a website for it to be successful.

Let us dispel these myths

Contrary to what many believe, web design is only one component in the production of your website. Some web designers can talk day and night about how pretty your web site can be, but if it isn't functional, user-friendly, or capable of helping you meet your online goals, then all the superficial beauty in the world isn't going to help it serve it's purpose. The design theme of a website is only one component of building a successful online presence.

Choosing a Web Designer is not an easy task! - Here are some tips...

There is so much more to web design than just making a few web pages look pretty if you want to succeed. You need to consider your target audience, underlying message, content, desired responses, visitor impact, online goals, how you are going to measure the success of the site and more. There is so much more to web design than just making a few web pages look pretty

2. Defining Your Requirements

If you have no idea why you want a website or what you want the website to achieve, it is as well to sit down and think it through, rather than rushing to put up a "White elephant" that doesn't serve a purpose. Every website must serve a purpose, and that's usually where many websites falls short. They serve no purpose because the website owner never gave much thought to it. It's not the website's fault. A website is inanimate. It is only what you make it. The only life a website has is the one given to it by its designer and owner. If the human element doesn't do a good job of defining the building blocks, the website will serve no purpose and eventually die a digital death. Every website should have a distinct purpose With that in mind, we'd suggest the first stage would be to define the "Goals" of the website in relation to the requirements and aspirations of the business or organisation involved.

Defining the Goal

Every website should have a distinct goal or number of goals that are measurable. A goal can be anything from communicating with friends and associates through to making profits by selling products or services online (e commerce). Your goal in the first instance may even be to have a web presence so potential clients don't regard your organisation as being backward! Once you have defined a goal (or number of goals), it's equally important to define:

The target audience. i.e. Who you want/expect to visit your website.
The actions you want to result from their visit. i.e. Making an online sale, getting them to make an inquiry etc.
What benefits you are giving and receiving from having the website.

Defining the Key Functions (The actions)

Once the goals of the website have been established, it's important to define the actions required by site visitors to meet the goals. An action is any traceable sequence of events carried out by the end user.

Examples might include:

Getting in touch - either by phone, email or via an online form.
Disseminating Information.
Signing up for a newsletter.
Completing a questionnaire
Commenting on a Blog
Downloading or buying products
Using an online tool

Of course, there are other intangible benefits that your website might provide to an end user that don't result in direct "actions"... i.e. simply providing "peace of mind" to an existing or prospective customer would be considered as such. If you haven't already done so, then it's also useful to check out the competition, for ideas, likes and dislikes.

Establishing Your Design & Development Preferences

Once you have formulated the goals and functional requirements for the website, it's time to start building a picture of how you anticipate the site coming together - with regard to structure and design theme. This doesn't need to be a definitive exercise - Your web designer should be able to add a lot of input and suggestions at a later stage, but it helps to have some ideas to feed into the requirements you approach the designer with in the first instance.

As follows are a few that we feel should be mandatory:

The website should adhere to recognised standards. The site should be written to conform and validate to the standards defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) - this will in turn, mean your site should be cross-browser friendly (i.e. Appear the same across various different types of web browser).
The website should be accessible. In web terms, this means that it conforms to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
The website should be clean, crisp and fast loading.
The website should be easy to use and inoffensive (see below).

Our Tip: Easy to use and Inoffensive - The WOW factor

Webbies often get asked to produce a website with the "WOW factor". The "WOW factor" is a term that means different things to different people. Often, the person or business commissioning the website have grandiose plans for extensive animation, splash screens, cartoons, garish designs... This isn't the WOW factor - A bold garish design with "off the wall" colour schemes may seem bold and innovative to some people, but may really put off other site users - Find the happy medium.

If a person wants to buy a pair of shoes online then their mission is basically to find the desirable pair of shoes at the right price in the quickest possible time. They don't visit an e-commerce site to watch an animation of shoes tap dancing across the screen. Leave cartoons and needless animation that add zero value to those experts in their own field. People watch the Simpsons for that type of entertainment. They likely won't be visiting your website for (or be impressed by) to be "dazzled" by irrelevant attempts to stand out.

Our own interpretation of the "WOW factor" is a site that is very simple to use, clean, crisp, user friendly, fast loading with great content. Basically, the site that delivers it's underlying message quickly and concisely is the most effective. Google has the WOW Factor and you don't see slow loading animation on that website. The WOW factor should mean Winning on the Web and nothing else.

Ok, so you've mapped out some goals and requirements... time to start looking for the right guys to go ahead and implement the solution for you.

3. Selecting a Web Designer / Developer

Initially, the best place to begin is by putting together a shortlist of designers. You may choose to do this in any number of ways but here are some suggestions that you may wish to factor in:

The location of the prospective designer. This may or may not be a factor for you. Some people are happy to work remotely and others prefer some face to face interaction. If the latter is essential to you, then you will need to focus on designers in your local area.
The designer's portfolio. This is usually a key factor in any shortlisting process. You may choose to favour designers who have worked specifically in the sector you are targeting, or you may simply like other unrelated websites they have developed.
Independent Word of mouth recommendation. You may have received glowing reports on particular designers and their after-sales service. Don't overlook this.
The size of the company. Generally speaking, the size of the company provides you with little idea to the quality or work they can produce or the services they can provide. Some SMEs prefer to work on a more personal level with smaller providers or freelance designers with larger corporates preferring the opposite.
The cost - Most professional web designers tend to produce work on a bespoke basis, tailored uniquely for each client - and the vast majority do not publish prices. (We do). However, an initial discussion should be able to provide you with a "ball park" figure at least based on your requirements outline. Some designers are also able to provide cost-effective "out of the box" solutions at a fixed price.

Tip: Get a fixed price quote rather than an hourly rate. Let's face it... an hourly or daily rate is meaningless as a measuring stick when your consider it may take one designer twice as long as another to complete the same job.

Web designers will typically showcase previous work on their own websites, but be sure to consider that they are gearing a site's design and structure to requirements presented by another party that likely won't match your own. It's more important that you are confident that they can implement your solution than perhaps reading too much into other design work that you might not necessarily like.

Another consideration you may should take into account is the attitude a designer shows when you first make contact. You can often gauge whether they are genuinely interested in the project and whether they are going to be proactive - and if they can offer a high level of support. Designers not providing a landline phone number or a business address may be harder to contact when you need them the most. Trust your instincts and exercise common sense.

Tip: Don't base everything on price and make sure you compare "like" with "like". Also, don't be afraid to share your budget with the designers during initial discussions and then see what they can deliver within it. Time is often wasted if you are discussing the project over days or weeks and then end up being miles apart on pricing expectations.

The more information you give furnish the designer with, relating to your goals, requirements and design preferences, the better. Also make sure that you discuss timescales and payment schedules (most designers will ask for a deposit upfront and a final balance payment when the project is completed. There may also be interim payment milestones for larger projects). Additionally, enquire about any recurring charges for support, future amends, web hosting, domains etc. Neither party will want hidden surprises.

4. Questions You will be Asked

It's always better to be prepared when you approach web designers... they will also have their own queries to establish a the requirements, gauge the work involved and furnish you with a quote.

Typical questions you might be asked include the following:

What does your company do?
What are the Unique Selling Points that your company has to offer?
What is the purpose of the website?
How do you see the website evolving in the future?
Do you have any existing branding? i.e. Logo, colour schemes or other marketing materials?
Who are your competitors?
Do you require e commerce or an online payment mechanism?
Can you provide links to other websites that you like from a design perspective?
Can you provide links to other websites that you like from a functionality perspective? (i.e. How they work)
What is your budget? Don't be afraid to disclose a budget figure - it can help a lot.

If you aren't able to get an immediate quote, request that the designer gets back to you and establish a timescale for this to happen. As you can probably tell, choosing a web designer isn't necessarily a straightforward process if you are seeking the right fit for your project. The more detailed research and preparation that you carry out, the better.

5. Going ahead

When you make a decision on proceeding with a designer, make sure to get the quote in writing and make sure the it's clear that the copyright of the website is yours once completed. Ensure all charges (including any future and/or recurring charges) are spelled out to avoid any ambiguity and problems further down the line.

Ideally, once you wish to proceed, your web developer should create a test web address, where you can monitor ongoing development and provide feedback throughout.

Part of a wider strategy

Your website should integrate with and complement your other marketing activities. Promote your site address where you can. Consider putting it on your business cards, stationery, merchandise, delivery vans, carrier bags, customer receipts and on your shop front. Drive people to your website through online adverts, search engine marketing and active offline promotion.

Owen Gigg is the Lead Web Developer at the Award Winning Web Agency Westwindmoves.

To find out more, visit http://www.westwindmoves.com

Top 10 Tips For Choosing a Web Designer

Web Designers

How to choose one

The more established web design businesses will have a reputation. This is based upon their previous work. When a web designer does a good job, happy customers will be enthusiastic about recommending their work to others who require similar services. It's always a good idea to take a look through some previous work and see if that is the kind of style you are looking for but there are always wider issues to consider such as their experience at making a website truly work for your business in terms of online marketing strategy.

The good or the best

Generally speaking, if you want the best of anything then you are more than likely going to have to pay more. This is because the very best of an industry are in demand. This makes their time worth more money. The web design industry is no different. Sure you can get a good web designer to create a good website for you but if your company doesn't generally settle for anything less then you need a seek out the best.

Taking time with your design

I would expect a great web designer to take lots of time to develop an idea. Rushing is not an option. I would expect a tried and trusted web design process to be followed. This helps each stage of the development to flow and ensures that designs are agreed before the next stage commences. In the world of business requirements can and do change so a website designer who is flexible and offers an iterative approach to design is your best option.

Planning for the future

The chances are that your competitors don't just have a website but have a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy in place, as well as a Social Media Marketing strategy and overall Internet Marketing Strategy. If this is the case, then to remain competitive, you need one too. When choosing a web design company you are best advised to make sure they consider Web Design as a part of Internet Marketing as opposed to a standalone form of media.

Lots of companies make the mistake of getting one company to do their website, then another to do their SEO, another to create an internet marketing plan. The better option is to choose a single agency which has enough expertise to cover all areas.

Top 10 tips for choosing a Web Designer

Right, here goes.

1) Geographical Location

Choose a web designer who is near to you. It's nice to have easy access. Unless you have very specific requirements that really cannot be serviced by a local company then look local.

2) Expertise

There are a number of ways of judging a web designer's expertise. One way to tell how good they are is to speak to them. Then you will want to know if they are as good as they say they are so examine their work.

3) Experience

Do they have experience in web design and do they have experience developing websites for your industry and the level in the marketplace that your company as achieved or is aiming to achieve.

4) Design Process

What do they actually do to take an idea online. They must use a process. Ask others who have used them for an informal chat about their experiences with the web designer.

5) Cost

Each and every company has a set budget. Maybe this is a fixed figure or a percentage of perceived value to your business. A basic rule of thumb is that if you can't afford to have a website designed which is better than your competitors (or at least as good) then you need to budget more.

6) The Extras

Lots of companies have a website developed. Most businesses have a web presence. But does it work. You need to budget for the extras such as SEO to get your website seen on the search engines.

7) Communication

So you've called up a few web designers and had a chat. Research shows that if you choose to do business with someone who you can get along with then the end product or service will be better than if you can't communicate properly. Illiciting requirements in a project is difficult especially when their are multiple stakeholders involved. Everyone wants to add their personal touch and rightly so. But everyone must be happy with the end product including your end users.

8) Documentation

Sometimes reserved for larger projects but if you lose contact with your web designer later on down the line then you need handover documentation for your new designer or it will end up costing more money to continue the development. A website must grow with your business and be updated frequently so that it doesn't become stale and can help your business keep up with the competition. Be aware that some developers use their own proprietary web design platform which only they can update. There is nothing wrong with this but it does lock you in to using them in the future and it would be difficult for another developer to carry on from where they left off. The worst case scenario might be that you would need to start over from scratch if the original web design company disappeared.

9) Fun

The web design process should be fun. Business should be fun. Can you have fun with your prospective web design company or do you think it will be all hard work. The best way to tell early on is to try a bit of early design and see how the web designer communicates with you.

10) Previous Successes

Who have they worked with? What have they done for them? How successful were their last three projects? If the answer is very successful then go for it!

More info available at Web Design Barnsley

Choosing a Web Design Company For Your Small Business

The websites can prove to be very essential part in the business irrespective of the size and nature of the business. The advantages of having Custom Website Design for small business may be:

Professional Image: The websites create the scope to reach the prospect clients in vast areas. A Custom Website Design can project the business image in the most effective way to the existing as well as new and intended customers.

Survive in the Competition: The Los Angeles Website Design establishes the credibility and the brand image of the business. The NH Web Design can help in comparing of the services with other competitors. The small business can use the websites to highlight their presence through the websites that projects the business to appear larger than in reality.

Advertising: The small business owners can constantly promote their products and services with the help of professionally designed website. The advertising in the form of the websites ensures that customers get the information about the business round the clock. The Custom Web Design are the effective and low cost alternative to the traditional ways of promotion. The websites are popular as they can be updated from time to time, and maintain the link with the prospect clients.

Customer Service: The websites are useful in providing the friendly service to the customers. The Custom Web Design gives the customers valued information which is required by them. This NH Web Design can improve the sales and maximize the productivity with the reduced cost of promotion.

Attract Customers: The small business can profit immensely with the websites. The reduced cost of the promotions through these websites is the most dynamic feature. The websites can be adorned with the product descriptions, visuals and images of the products, the reviews of the products, instructions and facts and query forms etc. Any special offers and new arrivals can be updated at any time in the websites at the convenience.

The most important factor when deciding to develop the Custom Website Design is to determine how to design them and who can design them better. If the budgets suits, the business can hire full time staff in web designing. As in small businesses where there is limited budget, it is better to hire the services of web designing companies.

The selection of the web designing companies can depend on the following factors which are technical savvy and most cost effective.

Access the requirements: By hiring the web designing companies, the small business can create, execute and develop the existing sites. If the sites only serve the purpose as online brochures, the designing and the execution can be done with the help of the web designing companies while the developing and maintenance can done in house. It is essential to consider the future plans and goals of the business, which gives the idea whether to hire the web designing companies for the long term or for the short term purpose.

Evaluation of the potentiality: It is good enough to do some research and evaluate the potentiality of the web designers before hiring them. After the selection of the prime web developers which may be through the recommendations of other business owners, or the web directories and competitor sites, the important job lies in the evaluation of the portfolios and the fees structure of these web designing companies. The NH Web design firm has to be familiar with the particular business trades.

Evaluation of the services: The next important criterion is to determine whether the NH Web design company can fulfill the requirements. The services provided by them should be able to meet the entire web designing process. These firms should address most of the extra services such as marketing, copywriting etc.

Determine the capabilities: The Los Angeles Website design firms should be able to understand the needs, have proper knowledge about the industry, and work collaboratively in presenting the web to the customers.

Check references: The important part in the selection of the good agencies of web designing is to check with references from the past clients and determine whether the firm met the requirements, worked at the promised fees, fixed the problems, responded to queries and provided suggestions.

Future planning: The NH Web design firm should have the infrastructure to create the Custom Web Design for meeting the long term goals of the business. It should be determined in advance whether the payments are given in stages or most of the payment is given in the initial stages of the service.

It is important to choose the web companies that best solve the purpose. The Los Angeles Website Design with poor content can be heavy on the costs of designing them, fail to entice the customers to visit the sites, and as a result hurt the reputation.

Jules Johnson of Mercy-Designs

article written by Jules Johnson of Mercy-Designs

Why Choosing a Freelance Web Designer is Better

Unlike any other typical jobs, designing a website is a lot more complex and needs a lot of work. A lot of factors should be carefully considered and be given of much importance. First and foremost, it has to be unique, has a state of the art logo design, user and search engine crawler friendly, appropriate navigation and a lot more. If your primary goal is to achieve a genuine and gainful website, then you just have to be very vigilant and add extra attention to every inch of detail with regards to web designing. After all, it doesn't hurt for someone to be very careful.

Although nowadays, there are lots of web designing firms emerging from everywhere across the globe. Lots and lots of web designing tasks still needs to be given attention and even some are in a matter of haste. Many web designing firms often find themselves with no time to relax. They just get busier and busier every day. With such situation, web designing firms are deprived from the liberty of conducting a research before they start designing a website. With lots of tasks and deadlines to meet, these firms simply resort to fixed or common procedures in designing the websites for their clients. Therefore, it can't be helped to have almost similar websites in looks and structure. But you wouldn't want to just have typical website for your business, would you?

It has been discussed earlier that a website design has to be unique and that such factor is extremely vital in the outcome of your business. Just recently, the web design industry has just undergone a specific and major turning point - freelance web designers are now very much in demand. Though they also have the busiest of times, these freelancers are highly capable of coming up with unique web designs. They also have a vast understanding of different and specific market needs of various clients with their years of experience as their firm foundation. They are also very much knowledgeable when it comes to using the latest of graphics and major features for your site.

One of the main advantages of a freelancer from a web designing firm is that they are in full control of their own time and schedule. Thus, giving them the freedom in conducting research works on their clients to better understand the market needs of their clients and come up with a unique and much better web design. The freelancers' full dedication to their work can also be expected by their clients for the freelancers themselves must make their own mark in the web industry. Creativity is also one of the major rules of these designers which make their works stand out among the rest.

How to attract more customers and viewers? This is just one of the very questions that are always present in the minds of these freelancers upon designing various sites. With the use of the latest web 2 design styles, they are able to make their work a lot more creative than with the old school web design techniques. Web 2 designs have the natural power to attract more viewers thus, increasing the sales probability of the site. Web traffic is also a very important factor in increasing your site's ranking status. Web 2 design makes this very easy to achieve with its search engine optimized pages and user friendly factors.

This latest and unique web design provides the site an amiable and attractive appeal with more accessibility than the usual. These said factors are extremely important in catching the interest of lots of viewers in the over stiff competition in the web industry. With these, your site is able to provide enjoyment as well as satisfaction to the needs of the viewers which will then definitely be converted into sales for your featured products and services in your site.

But then of course, let us not forget on how much it will cost you to achieve such a unique and remarkable website. With various desired designs for your site, your planned budgets vary as well. In giant web designing firms, fixed prices are absolute and uncompromisable. Whereas, with a freelance web designer is very much affordable plus you get to negotiate with them for a little slash off the price. In addition, they oftentimes provide you with free extra special features which web designing firms are incapable of doing. At these times, it is important to be practical. Why pay extra when you can get more for less?

Note: You are given the right to copy this content to your website or blog as long as you keep the resource box and links of the author. Removing the resource box and author links will be a violation of this articles copyrights. Full extent of international laws will be implemented.

Percival Pelaez is a Professional freelance with more than 15 year history in computer hardware and software troubleshooting, internet security, internet marketing and website development & design.

For affordable web design and development visit http://www.surigaodigitalservices.net

Choosing the Right Web Designer

So, you've finally decided that you need a web site for your business? Well, there are a few key-points to remember BEFORE you make one of the most crucial decisions for your business.

Choosing the right designer for your new business web site:

When it comes to choosing the right web designer for your web site, you should always shop around first to check out all of the available options. There are many web design companies out there to choose from. And most of them are pretty good at what they do.

Always ask to see samples of a web designer's previous work and examine their portfolio. This will help you get a better feel for the style of sites any particular web designer is capable of doing. Most of the time, web designers have their own unique style and you can easily spot which designs they've done in the past. I mean, it's similar to any other artist's style; you can definitely spot their previous works based on the general layout, color scheme, and over-all visual appearance of the sites.

Experience is also a key factor here. Just like any other craft, web designers get better with experience. So naturally, you'll be better off by choosing a web designer who has more experience under his or her belt.

Another key point you should define is whether or not the web designer can make you a 100% custom web site. Or will it be just a basic template web design that 100's or even 1,000's of people already have across the Internet. Pretty much anybody these days can create a basic HTML web page in Microsoft Word or Publisher and change the title of it to reflect their Branson business. But you must ask yourself: "is this really what I'm looking for"?

Web sites that are truly custom built will stand out more the rest of the basic template web designs that so many people are using these days. A custom web design will catch the eye of your potential customers and show them that you have a really professional web presence and you mean business.

A lot of web designers these days choose to do the template web sites for one of 2 reasons:

It's cheaper to use a basic template web design. They might be lacking the necessary skills needed to develop a fully custom web site. Whatever the case may be, make sure you go with a designer who is capable of creating a custom web design for you. It will inevitably cost you more for a custom site. But it is totally worth the extra money spent. Trust me, in the end you will be much happier with your web site if it is a site that's unique and created for just your business and not everybody else's.

Communication with a potential web designer is also critical in the development of your web site. You need to be perfectly clear and define your goals up-front, before you actually sign a web design service contract with a designer. Make sure you know what you are getting for your money and make sure you get it in writing! I have a 9-page web site design contract that I use every single time I design a new web site. Included in this contract is an itemized list of all work that is to be performed during the development of the web site. Things like the exact number of pages, the exact number of graphics to be designed, whether or not I need to create a logo, the estimated time before completion, whether or not routine site maintenance will be performed after the site is 6 months or 1 year old, etc.

Defining these things will help you in the long run and will also make sure you and the web designer are on the same page.

I also use what I call my "web design planning worksheet". This worksheet gives "milestones" or deadlines for each phase of the web design project. Things like "In 2 weeks the general layout will be done" and "2 weeks after that, the site will be coded and launched" and then "In one moth after the web site is launched, we will evaluate it to see what needs to be adjusted", etc. (these are just examples, by the way. the details included in one of my actual worksheets gives exact dates and more specific milestones).

And what about the web hosting for your new web site? Usually, a web designer will provide some kind of insight as to which hosting company they recommend. Web designers in general have a preference for a hosting company that they know will be a good choice for your web site and they should assist you in making this selection.

Fortunately, we have our own web server here at Digital Spiral Web Design so we can do all of the hosting ourselves. This is very beneficial because we can make sure the web server stays up and running and if there is any maintenance that needs to be performed on the server, we can do it ourselves in a timely manner. Plus, we will always cut a deal for our web site hosting services to any new business who chooses us to do their web design.

Will your new web site require any specialized web programming? Well, the answer to that question is based solely on the needs of your Branson web site. What kind of site will it be? Does it need a shopping cart for e-commerce? Will you be implementing any special web applications or online forms for your viewers to fill out? Will it be a web site that requires your viewers to fill out registrations and sign up so they can login? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then chances are you'll need a web designer who can also program.

Web developers and designers must be skilled in the art of web PROGRAMMING (something that is very different from regular web DESIGN). Web programming involves the implementation of different web programming languages like JAVA, PHP, Flash, SQL, or.NET. All of these web programming languages need highly skilled individuals to code them and develop web programs with them.

I personally love PHP! I use it for pretty much everything. I won't go into the details of PHP in this article (I would have to write an entire book about it to cover all of it). But with PHP, I can create pretty much any web application that is logically possible.

So, make sure you choose a web designer who is also capable of coding any special functions that your new web site needs. This decision needs to be discussed and gone over by any potential web designer you might use to create your Branson web site.

And finally, you should always check with the potential web designer's previous clients to make sure they give him or her a good reference. Remember: it just like any other service. You need to verify a web designer's references and make sure they can do what they say they can do.

So, just to summarize all of the tips I've mentioned:

Ask questions, questions, and more questions before you choose a web designer. Clearly define your goals from the beginning. Ask to see the web designer's portfolio and samples of their previous work. Make sure they can help you with choosing a web hosting provider. Get documentation to show exactly how many pages will be included in the project and the estimated time before completion. If your Branson web site requires special web programming, make sure the designer can handle it. I hope this article helps anybody who is getting ready to have a new web site designed. A good web site can really do wonders for your business!

Here at Branson website design, we specialize in affordable custom web design for all businesses! We also offer very affordable pricing for our web hosting services. If you would like to know more about our services or to see our web design portfolio, visit our main company web site at the link below. We offer affordable custom web designs!

-Cole Pannell

The Branson Pro

Branson websites [http://www.thebransonpro.com]

Choosing a Web Designer - What to Look For and What to Avoid

Owning and operating your own business from day to day is a huge task in itself. Tack on the chore of choosing a professional web designer and well it can get overwhelming.

Choosing a web designer or developer should not be taken lightly; a web designer is responsible for creating and establishing your corporate identity and online presence. Your business web site speaks for you when you cannot. What does your current web site design say about your business? Does it portray a professional, reliable business? If not here's a few tips for finding and selecting a web designer.

What to look for

Portfolio Samples

A good web designer or design company will have an online presence. Ask to see the designer's portfolio and links to some of their current web site designs. Beware of designers that are offering web design or graphic design services with no online presence. Take the time to navigate the designer's web site and some of their client's sites to get a feel for their skills and also to make sure all links, navigational features, etc. function properly. Often unskilled web designer's sites will have dead links, misspelled words and other errors.

References

Most reputable web designers and companies will post client testimonials on their web site. These are a good indication that the designer is experienced and that past clients have been satisfied with their work. Beware of a long list of testimonials with no client information such as company name or a link to the web site. Most web designers will link their client's testimonials to their sites so you can verify that they are in fact a happy customer.

If the designer's testimonials aren't readily available ask, and verify them. Call or email the references and ask how their experience was with the designer and if they were satisfied with the work. This may seem like a lot of work but having a web site professionally designed is a financial investment and an important one to your business. It's wise to do your homework before jumping into anything.

Contact Information

Now this might seem like common sense but check the designer's web site for clear contact information such as a physical address and telephone number. A designer displaying only their email address and website address as contact information is not very credible and you should request and confirm the designers contact information prior to paying for or putting a deposit down on your design services.

Look for Familiar Logos/Affiliations

Displaying familiar logos such as credit card logos (Visa, MasterCard and so on), PayPal verified logos and other affiliation logos such as groups and organizations lends credibility to the web site and the company.

Who Is

No that's not an incomplete statement it's the name of a directory that you should familiarize yourself with. Using the WHOIS database you can search and find out information about an existing domain name such as the owner, how long it's been registered and other useful information. The WHOIS database will provide you with the contact information of the person or organization that registered the domain name you're inquiring about.

http://who.godaddy.com/whoischeck.aspx?se=%2B&app%5Fhdr=

Check out your prospective designer if you have doubts and verify that the information listed matches the contact information they are giving you. Beware of designers that have blocked or privately registered their domains to prevent consumers from accessing their information. With that being said we must also state that legitimate companies sometimes block their domains, usually in an attempt to prevent spam but it's not something we suggest.

Compliance with W3C and CSS Standards

This is often the most overlooked detail but the most critical. Most Web documents are written using markup languages, such as HTML or XHTML. These languages are defined by technical specifications, which usually include a machine-readable formal grammar (and vocabulary). The act of checking a document against these constraints is called validation, and this is what the Markup Validator does. Validating Web documents is an important step in web design. (Read more on why validating matters).

Unfortunately there are unscrupulous web designers out there that don't code to or even know the standards and their clients pay dearly for it. Check your designers site against the standards, if there site doesn't validate there's a good chance yours won't either.

Tanya Stesen specializes in web design and development for small to medium sized businesses. You can learn more about her company, her and her services by visiting http://www.dezignsbyt.com.

Web Site Design and Choosing the Right Web Design Company

It's been several years since you had someone design your company web site and now it's outdated. You are losing business to competitors that have quality designed web sites with great layout and navigation. This may be your first company web site and you want to make the most of your money and time.

How do you choose a quality web design company that will understand your companies' objective for designing or redesigning this web site?

First, you need to answer a few questions.

1. What is your budget and time frame for completing the web design or redesign project?

2. Are you going to be using original content and pictures for building this web site?

3. If this is a website redesign, are you planning on getting updated images and content for this new look and layout or will you need the web design company to supply them for you?

4. Does any one at your company have basic editing skills and will they be able to update the website content or will this be an ongoing job for the web design company you hire?

5. Are you looking for a local web design company?

6. Do you already have an idea of your web design colors, layout, and navigation?

Knowing the answers to these questions, will help you when you locate the right web design company.

Now it's time to find the right web design company for your needs. Go to Google and search for local web design firms and you will see how many results show. Take "web design orlando" for example: Results 8,860,000. Wow, there are a lot of results for "web design orlando".

Don't panic, you will probably find a company that can do the quality web design work you need in the first 50 results. Quality web design firms will have a portfolio of work online that will show an example of their custom web design work. Start at the first web design result on work your way down.

Examine the portfolio to see if there is anything equivalent to the web design layout you are imagining. You will be able to tell immediately if this web design firm is right for your company and its look and feel. Find out how long they have been in the web design industry and compare that to how many quality web sites they have designed in that time.

If this is a redesign, find out how many web site redesigns that have completed and ask to see the web site before and after the redesign.

Find out if they have the staff available to work on your entire web design needs and that they know the programming necessary to complete the job in a timely manner. Ask for references, a top end web design firm will be glad to offer up references on the web design work performed. Most web design references will be glad to talk to you about the quality job your potential web design company did on their web site.

Depending on your web design budget, it may help to several quality web design companies to talk to. You will want to get at least 3 estimates and it never hurts to have more.

Remember, when it comes to your business and your companies exposure on internet, take you time locating a quality web design company. Your future may depend on it.

By Shawn Hickman - Internet Marketing Manager source: Web Solutions of America
Shawn also takes on consultant jobs. Visit his site: http://www.4cornersflorida.com

Choosing the Right Web Designer

So, you've finally decided that you need a web site for your business? Well, there are a few key-points to remember BEFORE you make one of the most crucial decisions for your business.

Choosing the right designer for your new business web site:

When it comes to choosing the right web designer for your web site, you should always shop around first to check out all of the available options. There are many web design companies out there to choose from. And most of them are pretty good at what they do.

Always ask to see samples of a web designer's previous work and examine their portfolio. This will help you get a better feel for the style of sites any particular web designer is capable of doing. Most of the time, web designers have their own unique style and you can easily spot which designs they've done in the past. I mean, it's similar to any other artist's style; you can definitely spot their previous works based on the general layout, color scheme, and over-all visual appearance of the sites.

Experience is also a key factor here. Just like any other craft, web designers get better with experience. So naturally, you'll be better off by choosing a web designer who has more experience under his or her belt.

Another key point you should define is whether or not the web designer can make you a 100% custom web site. Or will it be just a basic template web design that 100's or even 1,000's of people already have across the Internet. Pretty much anybody these days can create a basic HTML web page in Microsoft Word or Publisher and change the title of it to reflect their Branson business. But you must ask yourself: "is this really what I'm looking for"?

Web sites that are truly custom built will stand out more the rest of the basic template web designs that so many people are using these days. A custom web design will catch the eye of your potential customers and show them that you have a really professional web presence and you mean business.

A lot of web designers these days choose to do the template web sites for one of 2 reasons:

It's cheaper to use a basic template web design. They might be lacking the necessary skills needed to develop a fully custom web site. Whatever the case may be, make sure you go with a designer who is capable of creating a custom web design for you. It will inevitably cost you more for a custom site. But it is totally worth the extra money spent. Trust me, in the end you will be much happier with your web site if it is a site that's unique and created for just your business and not everybody else's.

Communication with a potential web designer is also critical in the development of your web site. You need to be perfectly clear and define your goals up-front, before you actually sign a web design service contract with a designer. Make sure you know what you are getting for your money and make sure you get it in writing! I have a 9-page web site design contract that I use every single time I design a new web site. Included in this contract is an itemized list of all work that is to be performed during the development of the web site. Things like the exact number of pages, the exact number of graphics to be designed, whether or not I need to create a logo, the estimated time before completion, whether or not routine site maintenance will be performed after the site is 6 months or 1 year old, etc.

Defining these things will help you in the long run and will also make sure you and the web designer are on the same page.

I also use what I call my "web design planning worksheet". This worksheet gives "milestones" or deadlines for each phase of the web design project. Things like "In 2 weeks the general layout will be done" and "2 weeks after that, the site will be coded and launched" and then "In one moth after the web site is launched, we will evaluate it to see what needs to be adjusted", etc. (these are just examples, by the way. the details included in one of my actual worksheets gives exact dates and more specific milestones).

And what about the web hosting for your new web site? Usually, a web designer will provide some kind of insight as to which hosting company they recommend. Web designers in general have a preference for a hosting company that they know will be a good choice for your web site and they should assist you in making this selection.

Fortunately, we have our own web server here at Digital Spiral Web Design so we can do all of the hosting ourselves. This is very beneficial because we can make sure the web server stays up and running and if there is any maintenance that needs to be performed on the server, we can do it ourselves in a timely manner. Plus, we will always cut a deal for our web site hosting services to any new business who chooses us to do their web design.

Will your new web site require any specialized web programming? Well, the answer to that question is based solely on the needs of your Branson web site. What kind of site will it be? Does it need a shopping cart for e-commerce? Will you be implementing any special web applications or online forms for your viewers to fill out? Will it be a web site that requires your viewers to fill out registrations and sign up so they can login? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then chances are you'll need a web designer who can also program.

Web developers and designers must be skilled in the art of web PROGRAMMING (something that is very different from regular web DESIGN). Web programming involves the implementation of different web programming languages like JAVA, PHP, Flash, SQL, or.NET. All of these web programming languages need highly skilled individuals to code them and develop web programs with them.

I personally love PHP! I use it for pretty much everything. I won't go into the details of PHP in this article (I would have to write an entire book about it to cover all of it). But with PHP, I can create pretty much any web application that is logically possible.

So, make sure you choose a web designer who is also capable of coding any special functions that your new web site needs. This decision needs to be discussed and gone over by any potential web designer you might use to create your Branson web site.

And finally, you should always check with the potential web designer's previous clients to make sure they give him or her a good reference. Remember: it just like any other service. You need to verify a web designer's references and make sure they can do what they say they can do.

So, just to summarize all of the tips I've mentioned:

Ask questions, questions, and more questions before you choose a web designer. Clearly define your goals from the beginning. Ask to see the web designer's portfolio and samples of their previous work. Make sure they can help you with choosing a web hosting provider. Get documentation to show exactly how many pages will be included in the project and the estimated time before completion. If your Branson web site requires special web programming, make sure the designer can handle it. I hope this article helps anybody who is getting ready to have a new web site designed. A good web site can really do wonders for your business!

Here at Branson website design, we specialize in affordable custom web design for all businesses! We also offer very affordable pricing for our web hosting services. If you would like to know more about our services or to see our web design portfolio, visit our main company web site at the link below. We offer affordable custom web designs!

-Cole Pannell

The Branson Pro

Branson websites [http://www.thebransonpro.com]

Top 10 Tips for Choosing a Web Designer for Your Business Web Site

How to Choose a Web Design Firm

Simple. You do your homework on them. Then, you start asking questions and taking notes. There are plenty of web designers available. You want to go with the best because, in fact, your web designer is in essence your partner. You want to choose a designer that takes YOUR business seriously.

What questions do you ask?

There are several important questions to ask when choosing a web designer for your business web site.

Creating your web site can be a tricky process. Choosing the best web design firm for your business web site is a very important decision. And if your company is like most small businesses, you probably do not have web design experience. Building your web site will take time and work. And working with a web designer is no easy task. So choose the right web design company from the start and avoid do-over's, which can be costly and time consuming.

1. What kind of web experience do you have?

For starters, find out what kind of design experience your potential design firm has. Do they have experience with content management systems such as Joomla or Drupal, do they have experience working with "raw" HTML? Has the web design company created web sites similar to yours? Do they have relevant industry experience? If you want to sell products through your web site and accept credit card payments, does the web design company you are considering have experience with ecommerce hosting?

2. Do you have a portfolio that I can review?

An experienced web design company will have a solid portfolio of web sites that they have created for other clients. Ask for links to other site the design company has created and review each one. Do you like what you see? Do the sites have a style that appeals to you?

3. Do you have any references?

In addition to reviewing web sites, ask for customer references. Contact their clients and ask them about their experience with the web design company. Were they happy with the results? Did they get what they paid for? How much did they pay? Would they recommend them? How long did it take? What didn't they like about the company? How responsive was the company when they had questions?

4. What are your prices?

The most important step in pricing is to make sure the potential design company outline all of the prices associated with the work and puts it all in writing. Never enter into a deal unless all of the costs are well understood up front.

Ask them a bit about how they manage payments. If they respond in a very business-like and professional manner, this is a good sign. If they throw out answers like - "Don't worry, we'll manage" or "Whatever you are comfortable with", don't be fooled. This is trouble waiting to happen. Get the price in writing before you begin the project.

5. Do you have experience with search engine optimization?

Most small business owners do not have it in their budget to hire a separate marketing firm to work on search engine optimization (SEO), so it imperative that your web designer have experience in SEO. A good designer will know that design and SEO go hand-in-hand. Designing a web site for search engines with "clean" code that utilizes cascading style sheets is essential to getting your content indexed in the leading search engines, such as Google and Bing.

6. Do you have experience with social media marketing?

Many marketing firms do know the first thing about social media marketing. These firms are stuck in the past and are not as effective as they pretend to be. Be sure that you work with a designer that knows how to setup a Facebook fan page for your business and design a customized Twitter profile. This is important because you will want your social media properties to mesh with the design of your web site. The web site and social media pages should complement one-another.

7. What is your process for designing or building a web site?

Make sure you ask your potential web design company about the process that they use? Do they design a web site or do they build a web site? An experienced Internet professional should understand the difference between these two concepts. If they don't, they're probably not as experienced as they claim to be. Building a web site is a highly technical process, while designing a web site is a highly creative process. Many advertising firms specialize in web site design which does not necessarily require any web development skills whatsoever. At the same time, many firms design web sites, yet out-source the creative portion of the project. Find out from the beginning what the process if for the firm that you are considering.

8. How long will it take?

Perfectionism can be a huge stumbling block in the fast paced world of the Internet. Some designers are unable to compromise between quality and time to market needs. Test: See how long it takes until you receive a proposal.

9. What type of support is offered after web site launch?

If your design firm does not offer web site maintenance, you might want to continue looking. Most reputable design firms will offer "post-launch" maintenance for companies that do not have an in-house webmaster.

10. Which web hosting providers do you work with?

If your design firm does not know the first-names of the contact at their favorite web design firm, then this should raise a red flag. Most reputable web designers know not to choose a web host simply because they are the most popular or because they offer the cheapest web hosting. A reputable web design firm should know who to call and how to get results! Does your web designer work with a green hosting company? Environmentally-friendly web hosting is becoming more and more popular for business web sites looking to implement an eco-policy.

Getting a little recognition on the W3 is hard, even in a niche market (especially in a niche market). You have less than 10 seconds to convince a site visitor to stick around long enough to learn about the quality of your services, your products or your message. Web surfers are jagged out on information overload. If they don't see what they want to see on your home page or a landing page, they bounce. So, making a statement about your corporate culture and your business' core values has to happen in the blink of an eye. Visitors will never even see the "About Us" page if you don't create a good impression - in 10 seconds. So, go green! An emblem or banner proclaiming that you employ green hosting makes an immediate statement about your on-line business. It says you care about the environment.

Do your homework when choosing a web design firm.

Good designers are creative people that need to think out of the box. Finding a good web designer is getting harder and harder. The good designers are being snatched by agencies and large projects. They are overloaded with work and often, you won't know about them because they don't have time (or need) to market themselves. Doing your homework and asking the right questions is important to decide if they are right for the job.

Ms. Rosendahl has over 19 years experience in systems analysis, hosted applications, and management as well as 13 years experience in web hosting and Internet marketing. Ms. Rosendahl has a Bachelors from Houston Baptist University with a double major in Computer Information Systems and Business Management. Stephanie is the founder and CEO of Austin, Texas firm - GreenHostIt.com green web hosting.