| An effective website attracts customers to your | | | | When designing a website for a client, they select an |
| business, generates sales leads and closes sales - | | | | appropriate stock template and customize it from |
| multiplying your profits in the process. Professional | | | | scratch to meet client-specific requirements and |
| web design firms must combine uniqueness and | | | | ensure uniqueness and freshness in design. |
| innovation in design with state-of the-art technology | | | | 7. Intelligent Web Professionals Distinguish Design and |
| and maintenance support to create a powerful | | | | Hosting |
| website that produces results. Before hiring a web | | | | Many website design firms offer complementary and |
| designer, consider the following ten factors: | | | | low cost Web-hosting solutions, usually as part of |
| 1. Effective Web Designers communicate well | | | | their maintenance packages. Quality firms provide |
| Experienced web-designers support multiple modes of | | | | excellent uptime, reliability and service. Compare the |
| communication for interacting with their clients. These | | | | cost and benefits of an in-house hosting solution and |
| include phone, email and live chat. Depending on your | | | | an independent web-host before making your |
| requirements, you can use the communication | | | | decision. |
| method that suits you best. | | | | 8. Creative Website Designers Let Clients Handle |
| 2. Website Design Budgets Should Focus on Results | | | | Minor Updates |
| Effective web-design teams often combine the | | | | Experienced Web designers develop architectures for |
| method of flat fees with hourly billing for software | | | | Websites including publishing platforms that simplify |
| design and installation. It is never advisable to enter | | | | the process of making changes. These plans are so |
| into open-ended billing relationships with Web | | | | effective that they allow you to make minor updates |
| designers until the maintenance phase of the project. | | | | in-house or with the help of a less expensive Web |
| 3. Smart Web Designers and Developers Make Billing | | | | professional. These web designers often save their |
| Easy | | | | skills for launching or re-launching websites and major |
| An experienced web-design company usually charges | | | | revisions requiring considerable work on design, |
| twenty to fifty percent of the project fee in | | | | templates and graphics. |
| advance, and accepts payment through checks and | | | | 9. The Best Web Developers Understand Standards |
| major credit cards. | | | | and Accessibility |
| 4. A Web Design Company Shares Its Work | | | | The designed website should comply with both web |
| Professional design companies encourage their | | | | standards like standards for interface design and |
| designers to maintain portfolios representing their | | | | browser accessibility, and state and federal guidelines |
| best work, client information and testimonials. You | | | | such as providing accessibility features for the visually |
| can request portfolios to assess the effectiveness of | | | | impaired and people suffering with other medical |
| the company's web design solutions. | | | | insufficiencies. Experienced Web designers should also |
| 5. Flexible Website Designers Use Time Saving | | | | ensure SEO optimization of your website and |
| Technology | | | | prevent it from become inaccessible and unusable. |
| Quality web design teams support the use of | | | | 10. A Good Web Design Company Gets Honest |
| inexpensive and time saving technology. This includes | | | | about Rates and Turnaround Time |
| open source publishing and e-commerce tools like | | | | Even the most efficient Web designers can combine |
| WordPress for handling Weblogs and corporate | | | | only two of the three features (High quality, speed |
| information pages, osCommerce for online shopping | | | | and low cost) when designing your web-site. |
| features and Zope for building customized content | | | | Professional web design teams will provide you |
| management and customer interaction tools. These | | | | accurate estimates about their rates, speed and |
| tools enable businesses to achieve professional | | | | turnaround time. Firms that are more expensive |
| standards while saving time and money. | | | | often have smaller waiting lists. If sufficient time is |
| 6. Efficient Web Design Professionals Blend Stock and | | | | available, you can get a high quality website at a |
| Scratch sources | | | | lower cost. Select a Web design firm that meets |
| Efficient website designers always maintain a set of | | | | your requirements. |
| stock templates and images to speed up work. | | | | |