With more businesses than ever before choosing to either start a website or update their existing site to fall in line with their competitors, it’s little wonder that there are more web designers than ever.

For every good web designer who is more than capable of doing everything they say they can, there are just as many who are unable to fulfil their promises and it can often seem like an endless task for a business who simply want a good web designer to find the right fit.

With that in mind, there are a number of tips which any business looking to find the right web designer for them should consider during their search.

Cost

Although the search for any professional service often begins and ends with the cost, getting the lowest price possible isn’t always a good thing. As is the case with many services, low cost often means cheap and although this might seem like a good prospect at the time, it can be a bad thing in the long run.

The key is to think of the website as an investment. The stronger the site, the better the chances of it working and appealing to customers, therefore if it is to do the job it needs to then it must be strong. With this in mind, companies should consider that the price they are paying is a good or reasonable investment rather than a low price.

Promises

The majority of businesses offer certain promises to their customers. They may claim to be the cheapest, the best, the fastest or the most effective, and web design companies are no different. They may claim that they can deliver fantastic results in the shortest possible time but the business who is looking to hire a web designer needs to consider where this promise comes from and if they are capable of delivering it.

They should look at their previous work and their previous customers to see the true results they are able to give and consider whether they will be able to match their promises based on their actual portfolio and the quality of their work.

Understanding the brief

Part of the creative process involves the creator understanding what is required of them and in web design this is hugely significant. Many business owners treat their businesses as though they were children. They have built them up from nothing and have spent many hours, even years in some cases, developing and planning their future. Therefore, it is essential that any external provider of services is not only able to understand what the business owner wants from them but why.

Any web design company which tramples over the wishes of their customer is a sign of a “bad fit” and the chances are that the business owner will be disappointed with the end product.

That being said, the business owner should be prepared to consider the expertise of the web designer and incorporate their knowledge into the website. The best relationship is one which is built on the compromise.

Paul Clegg is a web design consultant and blogger.