Consider Using Web Design Templates

Web design is a complex process which, at times, involves a good number of people. For those who have a moderate level of experience the use of Web design templates might be the way to go. A web design template cuts out the step of CSS development while leaving a lot of room for customization of the website. The use of design templates is one ethical option for designers as long as certain rules are kept.

Web Design Templates Save Time And Money

The wise old saying tells us to avoid Inventing the wheel every day. It is much faster and more efficient to build a website out of previously constructed blocks. Web design templates give us a framework to build on. Web designers often keep a few different templates to use as the basis of their work. When they need to build a one column site or a site with a left sidebar they have a template on hand. They may follow this rule regularly unless they receive an order for a custom designed website. After you have chosen a template you can make your minor changes in a hurry through the style sheet. This allows the designer to offer an effective design to a customer at a lower price. This gives the business person with a reasonable level of skill the chance to make a site without the lengthy and complicated process of design from scratch.

A person with the proper knowledge to update a template finds great options at his finger tips. Why not use different templates to give a different look to the various sections of your website. Some marketers use different looking sites for each different product they sell. Templates make this a workable solution.

Web Design Templates Bring A Consistent Structure

It is possible to fall into a number of design traps if you are not completely comfortable with web design. Those who have at one time used Microsoft FrontPage are aware that it is possible to build certain constructions that look the same but have different construction. This may look good when viewed only with Microsoft Internet Explorer. The same page view with Firefox or another browser may find that it is all out of shape and balance. The design skill that goes into the building of a good template will save a person from this danger. The template will have proper structure and consistency in its design. It will probably have commented areas which show where to type in the text. This consistency makes a good website and saves us from the pain of getting negative comments on our work.

A Web Design Template Gives The Webmaster Fast Access For Changes

If you make frequent changes to your website you are likely in a hurry for them. Changes made through a web design firm may lag behind your schedule. When you have your site based on a good template and understand that template it is easy to make changes quickly. With some skill it is possible to change ads, add articles and change prices.

A Web Design Template Gives A Structure Engineered For Good SEO

Good web design is not just about good looks. The effective site must have a structure that is good for SEO. The search engine spiders give the most credit to the text that they find first. Your most important text must come before the less important things in the sidebar or the site will suffer. Good web designers know how to design HTML so that the page will get the best SEO advantage. This is very important in a world where competition is fierce. Find and use a good template that has SEO optimization and you will be out in front of those who do not.

What You Need For Using Design Templates

It is not necessary to have a lot f software to use design templates. You will need a text editor to modify the template. Anything from Notepad found on Windows computers to Adobe Dreamweaver will work. Notepad is very simple and offers no help in understanding design. Dreamweaver is a top shelf WYSIWYG editor. Dreamweaver will aid in modifying the template with very little skill required.It is very expensive, however. You may want an image program to edit images. You will need an FTP program to upload the finished pages and images to your server. That is about all you will need.

Web Design Templates Have A License

There are both free and paid templates available for your use. With a few exceptions the free templates will come with a licence that gives rules for its use. Creative Commons licenses are often used by the creator of free web design templates. The rules may require that you use the template for only certain purposes. Attribution is often required which means that you must give proper credit to the author and not claim the design for yourself. The license is often included in the template download. If the license is not included in the download or the website you may assume that there is no license.

Paid templates have licenses also. They may restrict the template to one use per fee. It it usually stated that you may not repackage the template and sell it for yourself. The license of the paid template usually allows you to use the template and claim the design as your own. One service that I have seen sells templates under a more liberal license which gives extended uses and greater privileges. Be sure to follow the restrictions in your template's license for your own peace of mind.

Web design templates offer persons with moderate HTML skills the opportunity to put together nice websites. They are quick and effective. Usually, the use of a well designed template will give a higher quality design than that which comes from Quick Design Wizards. If you have a basic level of HTML skill, the web design template might be your best bet.

by Greg Nicholl - Certified Web Designer

Web design is a complex process involving many important steps. Online and desktop wizards help you make a nice looking site without taking care of the important hidden factors. The hidden features add all the power to your site. The hidden factors, which are unknown to most beginners, help you get more traffic to your site and more customers. Imagine the frustration of learning how to make a website and finding that it wasn't reaching its goal of getting customers. Since your site is such an important part of your business you should have a professional give direction and quality control to your site before launching it.

Greg Nicholl is a qualified Website Designer offering Great Linux Hosting.

How to Design a Website - 7 Tips for Successful Web Design and Promotion

If you're thinking about having a website built, it's important for you to have a clear idea of the process before you begin. Your website could be a profitable business venture for you, but only if you've really done your research ahead of time. Many people begin investing in their new websites before they've really thought out each step and end up wasting money on sites that never see fruition. However, with some simple planning and research, you can set yourself on the right track toward developing a successful website. Here are seven tips for web design and promotion to get you started.

1. Survey the Market and Research Your Competitors

Before you get ahead of yourself and begin hiring a web designer, take some time to survey the market and research your competitors. Look at what other types of websites are out there and see if anyone is doing something similar to your plan. Consider how many people are running similar websites, as well as how professional their websites look. This will help you to determine whether or not it's worth setting up your own site, before you've invested too much in it.

To help ensure the success of your website, you should begin finding a niche market that you can target. You may be tempted to attract any and all customers that you can but you'll actually have greater success targeting a very specific demographic. Think extensively about who your potential audience members are and what they would be most interested in. Then, you can begin to develop your website around these ideas.

2. Brainstorm Design Ideas and Figure Out What You Like

Once you've thought a little more about your site's purpose, you should now think about your ideas for the design. You'll need to consider the best way to present your message or to feature your products to audience members. Keep in mind that people tend to skim websites looking for something interesting or eye-catching, so make sure that the most important elements of your site are featured prominently.

The best way to figure out what you like is by looking at other websites. You can make a list of things you do and don't like, in order to show your web designer. Look at the designs and colours of other websites, as well as their use of text or images. Think about the pages functionality, as well. This type of list can help you to get clear on what you're looking for in your website and will also help your designer to implement your vision.

3. Determine Your Budget

Figure out what you can reasonably afford to spend on your website design and begin to look for designers in that price range. It's best to contact a few web design companies ahead of time, in order to get an idea of general pricing. If the designers you talk to are telling you that your budget is too low, you may need to raise more money or lower the scale of your vision for the site.

Keep in mind that quality web design is not cheap. Too many people don't put enough money into their web design budget and their sites suffer for it. If you want a website that will look professional and that will really engage your visitors, it's important to set your budget realistically.

4. Research Your Options and Choose a Web Designer

Now you're ready to begin searching for a web designer. Research your options and look for a web designer that has experience in building similar websites. Most web design companies keep an online portfolio where you can see examples of their past work and see their design styles. You can also check out reviews of designers on third party websites like Which Web Design Company. Again, it's important to remember that quality web design requires an investment on your part. Web design is an area in which you truly get what you pay for.

Before hiring a web designer, make sure that you can communicate well with him or her. The designer will be an important part of your team as you work toward building your website and beyond. It's also important that you and your web designer are able to see a similar vision so providing a detailed specification will be extremely helpful but we will cover that in a moment.

5. Work With Your Web Designer to Set Clear Expectations

Once you've hired a web designer, you should begin working together to develop a very specific idea of what the website will look like. Give the designer your list of what you do and don't like, as well any particular elements it's necessary for the website to have. Though the designer should be able to give you feedback about your design ideas and can offer great advice, it's also important for you to directly communicate what you're interested in. Some designers may try to persuade you to do things their way but stand your ground.

You should begin by giving the designer ideas about the general look and feel you want the website to have. Make notes about any specific colours or design elements you want, as well as the features it needs. Think about how many pages you'll need for the website, as well as any content you already have or will need to develop. Working with a clear set of expectations can help the web designer to implement your vision quickly and on budget.

6. Launch Your Website and Begin Marketing Heavily

It's a great idea to have your marketing strategy in place before you're ready to launch the website. When launch day arrives, you'll be ready to start off with a bang and begin receiving traffic instantly. You may want to write press releases to feature online or through local media. You can also utilize social media to spread the word about your website naturally through Twitter and Facebook.

You may also want to consider using Google AdWords and other pay per click advertising sites to build traffic to your website. Plan to spend around £300-£500 per month for the service so you get a good influx of traffic which will be essential to getting those orders flowing. It will help you to receive traffic instantly, which can help you greatly as you work to spread the word and promote your website. Even if the visitors you pay for don't buy anything they may well tell others who will. If you want your website to be successful, it's essential that you receive as many visitors as possible. If you're having trouble getting traffic to your website, it will be difficult for you to make any sales.

7. Allow Time and Money for Search Engine Optimisation

Google AdWords is a great way to help you get started but it's also important to use search engine optimisation, or SEO, to build organic traffic to your site. While AdWords will automatically place you at the top of search engine rankings with an advert you will have to continue doing that for ever. SEO can help you get to the first page of rankings naturally and eventually you will receive lots of traffic for free. This is important to increasing your traffic and building your site's legitimacy and authority on your subject.

Be sure to budget the time and money for SEO. It's not cheap and it can take 6-12 months to get your page to the first page of rankings for a number of keywords but it will generate a great amount of free traffic when you get there. It may cost about £300-£600 per month but SEO is truly the best way to start bringing in consistent traffic. Over time, your SEO efforts can help you build a reliable customer base and increase your sales. You're website will now be a true competitor in your niche market and well on it's way to success.

Lee Samson owns Samson Web Design, a website design company. Samson Web Design also offers ecommerce web design, web development & bespoke websites and search engine optimisation services for clients across the UK.

Web Design 3.0 - Preparing Your Web Site For the Future of Internet Search

Q: What is Web 3.0 and what will it mean for businesses, the Internet, and your website?

A: A fantastic customized search experience for searchers, and more web traffic and visibility for you, if you web design with Web 3.0 in mind.

Web 3.0, according to some Internet experts will allow you to do less and your browser to do more. You will be able to search more specifically-your browser will then gather, analyze, and then present the data to you based on the detailed or narrow parameters of your search. Web 3.0 has a greater understanding of all information present on the web, and can efficiently and more effectively deliver it.

When using search engines today, you still have to work with them or "guide" them to display the best search results-they still don't fully "comprehend" what you are seeking. Search engines scour the net for web pages that contain the keywords or phrases you've searched for. Web 2.0 browsers can't confirm to you that the page displayed is relevant to your query, it can only confirm a keyword match. (For instance, if you're searching for pictures of a jaguar, Google will display an almost even mix of cars and cats).Web 3.0 will be able to understand context and deliver a more appropriate search results, along with a match for the keywords you've entered.

Let's say for instance you want to go on a vacation, perhaps a cruise around the Mediterranean. With Web 3.0, you'll be able to type "Mediterranean cruise under $4,000" and receive a variety of results related to your query, beyond typical cruise results including restaurants, activities, ticket prices, and other suggestions. Web 3.0 puts the entire Internet-and all contextually related information-at your searching fingertips.

Web 3.0: What to Expect

Most Internet experts agree that Web 3.0 will possess the following general traits.

An overall "rich" and "relevant" browsing experience.

The possibility of a unique browsing experience, based on what you've previously browsed for-you could be entering the same keywords as someone else, but will receive different results based on previous queries and profiles. (Think of Pandora, the music genome project. Pandora relies on trial and error to provide individualized content and music selections based on previous likes and dislikes. Web 3.0 may be similar to this, but perhaps more efficient.

A tailored web experience based on browsing habits and individual tastes.

The overall transformation of the web into a database of information, with content made available by non-browsing applications as well.

Overall focus on usability: search engines returning fewer and better results, with less spam and online scams.

What Will This Entail for Web Design?

We're already communicating, publishing, shopping, and sharing more quickly and easily, as data, content, and people are far more accessible then ever before. Web 3.0 will take that to the next level-it'll match information exactly to where it's needed.Web designers will have to design with that new experience in mind.

Web Design with Web 3.0 in Mind: The Future of Web Design

Test the source of all web pages for semantic richness-content should be readable by both humans and web applications. The clearer your content, the easier time search engines and other applications will have indexing and then displaying those results to users.

Web design 3.0 means web design for mobile devices, such as iPhones, Blackberry, iPads, and other computing devices. Test existing web pages for compliance with all computing devices to ensure all users to have accessibility to your content. Web design should always take mobile devices into consideration for Web 3.0.

Have your web designer verify that all HTML web pages do not use outdated or ineffectual table tags and coding.In addition, verify that all content as free of errors for optimal search engine indexing and search. This will ensure you are Web 3.0 ready.

By now, most web designers know that Flash and Search Engines aren't compatible. Web design with web 3.0 in mind will avoid using flash for content-related purposes. If you must use flash, do so only for accent purposes, if at all. The future of flash-compatibility with Web 3.0, iPads, and other devices are unknown.

Web design for Web 3.0 should involve the customization of website templates. Creating the optimal look and feel for users and search engine entails optimizing a template that complies with the W3C, search engines, and provides a superior user experience.

Web design with SEO in mind.Your web designer should work hand-in-hand with a SEO specialist to ensure that your website will rank highly in the Search Engine Results Pages, providing you the visibility that you want. Effective web design will achieve heavy traffic to your website, and web design combined with smart SEO will deliver the bottom-line results you want, even as the internet continues to change.

Erica Ronchetti is works for Boomtown Internet Group, providing Web Design Philadelphia & Internet Marketing in Philadelphia. We have years of experience in SEO, SEM, web design, Web site construction, e-commerce, content management systems, flash animation, and information architecture. Learn more about how Boomtown Web Design can get you Web 3.0 ready by visiting our website.

Good Web Design - Why There's So Little

Most small website owners rely almost entirely on themselves or their web developer to create a good website design without them actually knowing what good web design is. Based on my 8 years experience in website design and optimization for visitors and search engines, I can say with a good deal of assurance, many web developers don't know what good web design is either.

My views are based on the detailed evaluation of hundreds of websites which in many cases look good on the surface to the untrained eye, but when evaluated more closely, are either average to poorly designed websites, bad websites, or just simply suck.

After all, anyone can call themselves a website designer after just creating one website, either their own or for a friend or relative. Most website designers are self-taught and have no qualifications of any kind that relate to the job. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with being self-taught, but a lot depends on where and from whom you learn and what length of apprenticeship you serve in web design.

Bestwebgallery.com a showcase website typical of many showcase sites for good website designs has defined what quality design is to them (according to the statement on their site):

Quality web design = Visual + Technical + Creativity.

The problem with a definition like this is it focuses on the creative and visual aspects of design which is really only of interest to other website designers aspiring to create something that pushes the boundaries even further in the same direction. It also completely ignores whether the website is fit for the purpose for which it should have been designed. Most websites don't need to be stunningly beautiful to serve a purpose and they don't need to be "technical" either.

Many web developers think they have to be "creative" and set out to design a website never seen before, or one that behaves in an entirely new and original way. This often leads to an overly graphical and sometimes technically complex website design with an unconventional layout and navigation, that actually creates more problems than it solves.

All these "quality web design" features may impress another designer, but it generally wins no prizes or favours from the public website visitors who generally don't come to a website to admire the design. Many web developers seem intent on re-inventing the wheel instead of observing the established design conventions that visitors to a website are familiar with. They also seem to have forgotten the basic K.I.S.S. rule of design which is Keep It Simple Stupid.

So, having said quality or good website design is not about Visual, Technical or Creativity just what should it be?

Good Web Design = Satisfying Visitors

There are two distinct groups of visitors to a website that a good website design needs to satisfy and they are people and search engines. Some website designers will argue that designing a website for the search engines is not necessary, or a waste of time. Although I prefer to design websites with search engines in mind, I don't have a problem if other web designers don't, providing they have an alternative plan.

If a web designer doesn't design for the search engines, then they need to have an alternative plan to get traffic to the website and they should explain this plan to the site owner. There is no point in designing the greatest website ever, if there are no means for attracting visitors to the site.

A good web design also needs to satisfy the people who visit the site. If a web designer creates a website that attracts visitors through search engine optimization ( SEO ) or other methods, this will be wasted if the site fails to satisfy enough of those visitors when they arrive.

By satisfying visitors, I mean providing visitors with the information, products or services they came to the website looking for and doing it in way that is satisfying to the visitor. If the website is meant to sell products and/or services the design should also be designed to convert enough visitors into sales or leads to satisfy the site owner.

If it doesn't do all this then it's NOT good website design!

When deciding what is, or is not good web design, I use two checklists. One checklist is for evaluating a web page and the other checklist is for evaluating the whole website. The web page evaluation checklist examines over 150 aspects of good page design and the website checklist examines over 120 aspects of good website design.

In an effort to find some good quality website designs in 2011, that meet my standards for good web design, I launched a good web design award with a $500 prize for the winning entry.

To find out more about the good web design challenge or to nominate your website design for the 2011 award and $500 prize visit the competition entry page at good web design award. Tony Simpson carries out website optimization, conversion improvement and website audits at websiteauditexperts.com

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

How to Choose a Cheap Web Designer - Top 7 Questions to Ask

Choosing a web designer can be like choosing a tradesman. Who do you trust? Which ones are genuine and which ones will leave you feeling out of pocket? I have compiled a list of questions that we feel you should always ask before commissioning a website. It shouldn't matter whether you're going for an expensive site that is all singing and dancing or a simple site - you should still expect and receive a great service.

So here are the top questions that we think you should ask your web designer or check on their website. Please don't be put off! There are thousands of honest, fantastic companies out there who want nothing more than to make their customers happy. However, as I search on Google, some companies aren't perhaps quite what they appear...

1. Do the examples of their work click through to a website?

I have noticed that on some web designer's sites, examples of work are displayed, but it is not possible to click through and actually view the site they are claiming to have created. I cannot think of any reason for this, other than:

a) They haven't actually created the site - they have simply taken a screen shot of any website and added it to their "portfolio".

b) They have created the site, but it isn't very good and so don't want you to see it.

c) They have created a site with a fantastic looking homepage, so that they can add the screenshot to their "portfolio", but they can't show the rest of the site, as it doesn't exist!

If you can click through to the site, I recommend the first thing you do is scroll down to the bottom of the page. Most web designers stipulate in their terms and conditions that the website will have a "Created by... " link at the bottom of the customer's website. This is the norm in the industry. If then, you scroll down to the bottom and you don't see this, I would be suspicious that the company who claim to have designed the site, possibly haven't.

Also, if you can click through to examples sites, double check that they are genuine! I have seen "portfolio examples" that are clearly fabricated. Perhaps the telephone number of the web designer's "customer" is 01234 5678910, or the domain name is a sub domain, rather than a real domain name. Be vigilant - it will be worth it!

2. Do they offer testimonials that can be verified?

As with tradesmen, often the best way to gauge a web designer is on testimonials from previous clients. I care about the work I do and I want to ensure that my customers are satisfied. On completion of their site, all my customers are sent a short questionnaire about the quality of my work, service, price etc and I am proud to display these on my site. Your web designer should be happy for you to contact previous clients, as this is truly the only way that the testimonials can be verified.

3. How much do they charge for hosting?

When you get a web design quote, you will often find that hosting is included free of charge for the first year. You must ensure that you know exactly how much your hosting is going to cost after this time. For example, I had a customer who had a great website that had cost GBP50, but they were being charged GBP30 per month for hosting! This is far too much (and in my opinion unethical). Their cheap web design ended up costing them a fortune.

You should expect to pay anything from GBP30-GBP60 per year for your hosting for an average site. More than this and I would walk away. Conversely, if you are told that hosting is "free forever", then I would also be suspicious. Perhaps you will be charged a high fee to renew your domain name instead...

4. Will they accept payment from you, without having discussed your needs first?

I have seen some websites that send you directly to a payment page. I would never recommend making a payment for a website without having first discussed exactly what you want - either via telephone or email.

Before parting with any money you need to ensure that your web designer understands what you want from your website, how many pages it will be (you need to know what constitutes a "page"), what you need to supply and what they will source, what would be the best domain name etc etc etc. There's a whole list of factors that should be decided before parting with your money. If a company is happy to receive payment before this, be wary.

5. Do they have Terms and Conditions?

You are entering into a contract with your web designer and as such, you should firstly ensure that they have T & Cs and secondly read them! They are there to protect both you as the customer and also the web designer themselves (yes, sadly sometimes the customer tries to rip the web designer off also). If they don't have T & Cs and say not to worry, it is all based on trust, then be wary.

6. Whose name will the domain name be in?

This is really important. The domain name should always be registered in your name, not the web designer's name. This means that you own the domain name. For example, an unethical designer may register the domain in their own name. If your business is successful (which hopefully it is!) and the time comes to renew your domain name if the domain name is not registered in your own name, the web designer can charge you whatever they like to use the domain name. This is not a situation you want to find yourself in.

Luckily, I think this practice is fading out but I still have the occasional customer who doesn't own their domain name - their previous designer does. How do you check this? If the company's portfolio is genuine, you can visit the website http://www.who.is, type in the domain name and it will tell you who the owner of the domain name is. The owner of the domain should not be the web design company (although they are often listed as the administrators, which is fine)

7. How much will you be charged to makes changes to your site in future?

This is a tricky one. Having your website designed is usually just the first step in. Once your site is up and running, you often want to make changes to it, add special offers, new pictures etc. Obviously it would be unfair to expect your web designer to carry out this work for you for nothing (although some customers do think that web designers should do updates for free!). On the other hand, you want to know that you're not going to be ripped off every time you want to change your site.

You can expect to pay around GBP25 per hour for updates and this is around the norm for most ethical web designers. It's possible get a lot done in an hour, so it generally works out pretty well for customers. Some companies will charge GBP25 per change however, so watch out for this. For example, a designer might alter some text for a customer, add 2 photos and an extra PayPal button. It could usually do this in approximately half an hour let's say, so it would cost GBP12.50. If you were being charged per change, this would be GBP100! Again, just be aware of all the costs before committing.

Something else you may want to look at, is whether or not you have the option to be able to update your own site in the future. This means that you can log into your website and make changes to your own site as and when you like, without worrying about the cost each time. As technology becomes more user friendly, this type of service is becoming increasingly popular.

I hope that helps in your quest for a web designer. Please don't be put off by any of the above. Like all industries, you will hear both good and bad stories and as long as you do your homework, trust your instincts and follow some basic principles, you will end up with an appealing, user friendly, navigable, SEO friendly website.

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