* Finding a web designer
* How good are they?
* Are they right for you?
* Identifying what you need and getting quotes
* Working with your web designer
* Copyright and ownership
* The final decision

Finding a web designer

Bear in mind that there is absolutely no reason why your web designer needs to be situated in the same town, or even country, as you. Many very successful sites have been built by designers for customers they have never actually met. However if you really feel that face to face meetings are important then look locally first - just bear in mind that you are not confined to those you find there.

The first stop will probably be the Internet and a search. Even if you do go to the phone book first, be sure to check out the websites of those designers listed before going any further.

Search for local designers by entering a search phrase like "web design Columbus" or "web design Ohio. Visit each site and get a feel for the style of each company. They should have a portfolio page where you can see some examples of work they have done in the past.

Assessing a designer's competence

The best way to assess a designer is to look at their work.

All web design companies should:

* have their own web site
* have a portfolio of sites that they have built
* be able to write good English, use correct grammar and spell properly - be picky when you look at their sites!

When looking at the portfolio of sites created by the designer, you should check these points:

* Do a lot of the sites look similar?
A good designer should be able to create a unique and appropriate style for each site.
* Has the site been updated recently?
If not, it may not be the designer's fault, but a good designer will encourage and make it easy for clients to update their site regularly.
* Do you like the sites?
Design is a very personal matter, so if you don't like the way the sites in a designer's portfolio look or function, you will be better off finding another designer whose work you prefer.
* Do the sites perform well in search engines?
Try searching in Google using terms which you think should return the relevant sites.

Are they right for you?

If you do like the work that a web designer has done, then contact them to arrange a meeting or for a preliminary discussion about your requirements. Since you will be working with the designers over at least a few weeks and hopefully much longer, it's important that there is a good personal rapport between you.

Although it's not essential, it can be useful if the designers have some knowledge or understanding of your industry - even though they may not have built a site for anyone in your line of business.

How reliable are they - and can they stick to your deadlines? Here, the only way is to speak to some of their clients. If you have looked at their clients' web sites, you should have no difficulty in contacting them. Check out what their experience was with the designer.

Identifying what you need and getting quotes

You need to be able to compare like with like when getting quotes. This means being able to specify exactly what you want in your site, and telling the designers how you expect them to quote. Here are some of the features you should specify and get quotes for:

* Structure and Appearance
These should be in place before any content is added. Giving the designers the addresses of some sites you like will help them to know what effect you are aiming for.
* Cost per page
This can be meaningless: database driven sites can generate numerous different pages from a single database. However it is a useful way to compare quotes. Ask each designer how many pages they think you will need and then use this to estimate a cost per page in each quote.
* Functionality
Ask how they propose to add any functionality that your site will require and how much each item will cost.
* Graphics
Ask that the quote include the creation of any graphics that might be required. What charges are there for scanning and optimising graphic material? Can they take existing design work such as your logos, letterheads etc and work them into the design?
* Initial web site promotion
Does the quote include initial submission to search engines? Is the designer recommending paid submissions to any search engines or directories (more and more of them require payment)? What steps will the designer take to ensure that the site performs well in search engines?
* Maintenance
Ideally you should be able to do this yourself, rather than rely on the designer to make changes for you. Ask if they can include some training on how to do this. Also ask what efforts they will make to ensure that updating is as simple as possible.
* Hosting
Some designers will offer this service themselves. Check also that you will be able to access your web space with your own user name and password, so that you can make any changes to the site yourself in future.
* Marketing
Ask that an initial online marketing plan be included and priced in the quote

Working with your designer

If the project is to go smoothly, it's important to agree a timetable early in the project - who is going to do what and by when.

Have a clear understanding on how information (text, images) is to be transferred. Try to work electronically as much as possible, using email with text attached in word processed documents.

As early as possible, you should try to get together the following materials and ideas:

* Any images - logos, photos, maps etc - that you want on the site
* An idea of the main 4 - 6 areas of your site, those areas which will be linked to from every page on the site
* What keywords you would expect people to type into the search engines to find sites such as yours. Make a list of these
* Any materials for the site which are not currently in electronic form - try to get them into word processor or spreadsheet format. Web designers make expensive typists!
* If you plan to include a response form on your site - and you should - what information would you like to collect from your visitors in addition to name, email address and comments.

Good preparation on your part will contribute to a good working relationship with your designer, and make it more likely that you will end up with a web site which meets your expectations.

Copyright and Ownership

The copyright and ownership of the site work (software may be different) should revert to you as soon as the designer has been paid. Ensure that even those graphics which have been created specifically for your site are yours once the site is complete and payment has been made.  note that many graphics have rights associated with them.  So, if you are planning to use the grahics for your site in brochures, you may have to pay additional licensing.

It is also a good idea to ask about the designers' use of any purchased images, third party scripts, programs, plug-ins etc and what copyright restrictions, if any, apply to them.

The Final Decision

Finally you will have a number of quotes and a decision to make. First of all do not immediately plumb for the cheapest - examine the quotes carefully as this one may not in the end be the best value.

Maintaining a site will continue for a far longer period than creating it, so a quote that includes training or a system which simplifies updating may be better value than a cheaper ones which does not concentrate on these features.

Remember too that quotes are not necessarily the final word, it is a competitive market for web developers and they want your work. So if there is a quote you like but which seems a bit outside your budget contact the developers to see if there is anything they can pare off the quote price.

Finally, you will have to live with this site for some time, so do not rush into a decision.

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