Website Design
Any company can say they have great designs but we believe a company’s portfolio should speak for itself. To adequately judge a website you must look at:

Quality of Design

Ease of Use

Initial Impressions

How sites compare to others in the same industry

Consistent look throughout each the entire website

Navigation is located at the top or left side of the website

Technical Expertise
This aspect is much harder to judge unless you are familiar with web technologies. However, this can be just as important as a good design. A few things to look for and ask when looking for a web design company are:

Do their sites load quickly?

Does the company put an emphasis on Search Engine Optimization?

Does the company use templates?

Does the company test on Mac and PC?

Does the company have a testing environment and backups?

Does the company host their own sites or use an outside company?

Attention to Details
Sometimes the smallest things can make the difference. Look for:

Page titles – each page should be unique and descriptive

Terms of Use page – make sure it is present

Copyright statement on every page

Use of contact forms rather than published email addresses

Of course there are many other things you will want to find out, but the important thing is to go with your instincts. If you visit a “website designers” website and it isn’t one that you would like having, then why hire them to make your website. Hopefully this guide will help save you money and hire the right website designer the first time.