What to Know Before You Hire a Web Designer

Even with a good web designer, you still need some basics

Here are a few things to think about:

  1. Domain name. The domain name is the word after the www in your internet address.
  2. Hosting. A web site needs a server, also called a hosting company, who charge you to serve or host your web site. The charge can vary from around $20 a month up into the hundreds of dollars a month depending on your site.
  3. Content. You will have to provide the information that the designer puts together in the website. This might be images, text, keyword ideas for search engine success or something else. You have to commit the time to put all this together.
  4. A goal. You have to be clear about what you want the site to do and be. Why do you need the site? Be ready to communicate this to the designer so that the site can be created to achieve that goal.
  5. A contract. Deal with someone who is a professional. Sign a contract. It gives both parties, you and the designer, a legal basis for doing business. Make sure you know how much you will be charged for the work. Some designers charge by the hour, some by the job. Many ask you to pay half or a third of the price upfront, so be prepared to do that.
  6. It's business. You are doing business with someone. Don't expect free services, such as examples of what they would do with your site before you'll agree to hire them or before you pay them any money. Imagine that you own a women's clothing store. Would you let me walk into your store and ask for eight or ten dresses free so I can be sure I like the way they look, because if I did, then I might come back and really buy a dress from you?