If you are a business owner, chances are you have a website.  If you don’t have one, you might want to think about complimenting your business with a website.  Not all have to be extremely detailed. You can have a simple and elegant website that is there to help your customers find useful information such as contact information and the outline of your business.

With that being said, having a web designer design your new website or re-design your current one could be a good idea.  Having a well designed website could mean more business clients, and/or customers—which means finding the right designer for you is a must.

The first thing you need to do when looking for a web designer, is to decide ahead of time what type of look you are wanting to get designed.  Don’t let the design firm you are looking at dictate what you want, instead prepare some ruff ideas before meeting with any designer.  This could get their creative juices flowing, and you won’t feel like someone is trying to tell you what your company’s website should look like.

Also ask for a portfolio from the firms or freelance designers you are looking at.  Most designers have a style they are best at, so seeing samples of their work can give you a good feel for how they will want to design your website.  Also ask to talk to previous clients of theirs.  Ask these people how they like their website, and if the firm or agency worked with their wants and needs.

If you are stuck between two designers leverage that into benefiting your company.  If one company is a little more expensive than the other, you should be able to get the company that is more expensive to lower their price if they know you are talking to a competitor.  Remember it is your bottom line you need to look out for.

If a web design company you are interested in is right for you, they will be able to work with you and not against you.  Don’t let them bully you into something you don’t want or need. Simple can be more in some cases, so don’t let them charge you for things you don’t need.

The most important aspect to remember is to have your company’s website be manageable for your customers.  Make it easy to find information your customers might be searching for.  Think of traits other websites have you find convenient and play off of that.  Getting people to return to your website should be a major goal of yours.

Shannon Suetos is a writer based in San Diego, California. She writes extensively for Resource Nation, an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

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