rief? You need to be sure of your key objectives for having a website. Do you want people to buy a product or service online, or are you trying to encourage them to call you? Perhaps you are happy with a site that just contains additional information about your products and services and your measure of success will be to see visitors to your site looking at your content? A good web designer will help you through the briefing process as they should not begin a job without being cIf you’re a small business finding a good web designer may seem an expensive and daunting prospect. Where do you start, what do you look for and who can you trust?

Personal recommendation is always a good starting point, but if you’re reading this then you’ve probably drawn a blank with family and friends. You need to keep in mind the following factors:

1. What is your budget?
This will often determine where you can afford to go to get your website designed. Using an agency to design your site may mean you are subsidising expensive overheads and paying over the odds for your website. And remember that expensive does not always mean good. Check the rates and try and agree a fixed cost before any work begins.

2. Agency or freelancer?
An alternative to appointing a web design agency who may have several people involved in the design of your site (for example a creative designer, a technical developer and an account manager) would be to find a freelance web designer. This would probably work out cheaper. Freelancers can be found by just running your own internet search, or by using one of the many freelance directories available such as http://www.freelanceuk.com/freelancers-directory.

3. Look at the portfolio
It may seem obvious but then the best advice often is! If you can’t rely on personal recommendation then you can trust your own judgement. Make sure you have a good look at the portfolio and check if you like what you see. Is it clear what the sites are about? Is there a strong call to action? Would you click further than the home page? Has the designer worked with similar businesses to your own making them more likely to understand your needs?

4. Prepare your brief
A good web design is a meaningful web design and how can you expect to have a meaningful web design without a clear brief? You need to be sure of your key objectives for having a website. Do you want people to buy a product or service online, or are you trying to encourage them to call you? Perhaps you are happy with a site that just contains additional information about your products and services and your measure of success will be to see visitors to your site looking at your content? A good web designer will help you through the briefing process as they should not begin a job without being cr

website designed. Using an agency to design your site may mean you are subsidising expensive overheads and paying over the odds for your website. And remember that expensive does not always mean good. Check the rates and try and agree a fixed cost before any work begins.

2. Agency or freelancer?
An alternative to appointing a web design agency who may have several people involved in the design of your site (for example a creative designer, a technical developer and an account manager) would be to find a freelance web designer. This would probably work out cheaper. Freelancers can be found by just running your own internet search, or by using one of the many freelance directories available such as http://www.freelanceuk.com/freelancers-directory.

3. Look at the portfolio
It may seem obvious but then the best advice often is! If you can’t rely on personal recommendation then you can trust your own judgement. Make sure you have a good look at the portfolio and check if you like what you see. Is it clear what the sites are about? Is there a strong call to action? Would you click further than the home page? Has the designer worked with similar businesses to your own making them more likely to understand your needs?

4. Prepare your brief
A good web design is a meaningful web design and how can you expect to have a meaningful web design without a clear brief? You need to be sure of your key objectives for having a website. Do you want people to buy a product or service online, or are you trying to encourage them to call you? Perhaps you are happy with a site that just contains additional information about your products and services and your measure of success will be to see visitors to your site looking at your content? A good web designer will help you through the briefing process as they should not begin a job without being c

developer and an account manager) would be to find a freelance web designer. This would probably work out cheaper. Freelancers can be found by just running your own internet search, or by using one of the many freelance directories available such as http://www.freelanceuk.com/freelancers-directory.

3. Look at the portfolio
It may seem obvious but then the best advice often is! If you can’t rely on personal recommendation then you can trust your own judgement. Make sure you have a good look at the portfolio and check if you like what you see. Is it clear what the sites are about? Is there a strong call to action? Would you click further than the home page? Has the designer worked with similar businesses to your own making them more likely to understand your needs?

4. Prepare your brief
A good web design is a meaningful web design and how can you expect to have a meaningful web design without a clear brief? You need to be sure of your key objectives for having a website. Do you want people to buy a product or service online, or are you trying to encourage them to call you? Perhaps you are happy with a site that just contains additional information about your products and services and your measure of success will be to see visitors to your site looking at your content? A good web designer will help you through the briefing process as they should not begin a job without being c

ment. Make sure you have a good look at the portfolio and check if you like what you see. Is it clear what the sites are about? Is there a strong call to action? Would you click further than the home page? Has the designer worked with similar businesses to your own making them more likely to understand your needs?

4. Prepare your brief
A good web design is a meaningful web design and how can you expect to have a meaningful web design without a clear brief? You need to be sure of your key objectives for having a website. Do you want people to buy a product or service online, or are you trying to encourage them to call you? Perhaps you are happy with a site that just contains additional information about your products and services and your measure of success will be to see visitors to your site looking at your content? A good web designer will help you through the briefing process as they should not begin a job without being c

rief? You need to be sure of your key objectives for having a website. Do you want people to buy a product or service online, or are you trying to encourage them to call you? Perhaps you are happy with a site that just contains additional information about your products and services and your measure of success will be to see visitors to your site looking at your content? A good web designer will help you through the briefing process as they should not begin a job without being crystal clear of what they are expected to deliver.

5. Evaluate the response to your brief
Send or give the same brief to more than one agency or freelancer. You can often tell a lot about them in the way they respond. Do they respond promptly? Is the response clear, concise and professionally presented? Do they cover all the points you raised in your brief?

6. Check the workload
Is the freelancer or agency available to take on your project? You do not want your project squeezed in to the tired, uncreative end of day slot. To achieve a good web design you need to make sure this project will have the full attention of whoever you appoint.

7. It’s a personal thing!
Do you click with the person or agency? Do they seem enthusiastic to take your project on? You are going to have to work together with this person or group of people so make sure you choose someone you feel you can have a good rapport with!