Wanted: Dream web designer who understands my business, is inexpensive, offers a multitude of capabilities for my site, and updates and upgrades my site for free.

Selecting a web design company is similar to searching for any other service vendor. You need to consider costs versus quality, capabilities, and the level of service you will get (the total value set). Consider using a web design company who specializes in your industry. Building Online (www.buildingonline.net), who specializes in the construction industry, starts on building industry web sites with a very firm idea of who their clients’ customers are from the beginning. They will make websites for anyone in any industry but if you are in the construction business you have an immediate advantage in using them because in addition to their reasonable prices and excellent capabilities they have a team of professionals who have experience working with construction industry professionals. Further, they offer promotion for their clients and have developed an excellent network of client sites that link to one another – great for your SEO efforts. Some design companies that specialize in a given industry are:

• Building Online at www.BuildingOnline.net – Construction industry
• Scorpion Design at www.ScorpionDesign.com – “Professions” such as law, accounting, medical, etc.
• cvbTV at www.cvbTV.com - Travel and Tourism industry

Scan the portfolios of the companies you consider to see how they design sites. Check for mistakes (most companies will proof-read content before loading it), broken links, and graphics that do not load. Do not be afraid to call some of the companies in the portfolio to ask for opinions and references. Ask what success really means to them and if they are getting that from their website.

Ask if you will have a dedicated rep for your website projects – you will be glad to have a friend to call by name if you do not understand something, need to add an update, or are having trouble with a form. Make sure they have the capabilities you will require for your site. At a bare minimum, they will need to be able to create, manage, and implement the following:

• Forms – contact forms, newsletter signups, questionnaires
• Database and information capture – for capturing the information from your contact forms and questionnaires
• Java Script – fly out menus and information boxes
• Flash – in case you want to use it for slideshows or how-to illustrations
• Newsletter service – do they offer newsletter maintenance or at least work well with 3^rd parties so you can collect email addresses and send a newsletter?
• Changes – how fast can you expect requested changes/updates to take effect?

You will quickly learn how much costs can vary from one company to another. There are so many factors but my experience and education has always reinforced that you get what you pay for - especially when you starting asking, “can we do that thing I saw on [insert big website name]. It costs more money to pay someone who knows better programming and it costs more to have someone on hand to give you great customer service.

Another option is to send your design and programming work overseas. I have never personally worked with overseas outsourced designers but have colleagues who have had excellent experiences with Indian companies and realized significant savings for an excellent product.

Make sure you understand the total cost of your website from initial discussion to the design phase, through implementation, and monthly maintenance costs. How many hours of site work will be included in your monthly expense? If your traffic should skyrocket (hopefully), will you be charged more? Is there a charge for adding a new page (or ten pages) each month? If you decide to switch firms because of bad service, who owns the layout, content, and images on the site (you should)?

Understanding the total value of a design company’s offer – the costs versus what you can expect from the initial design through ongoing maintenance and upgrades will help you make the best decision about your website designers.

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