DesignFirms Article - Stop Before You Hire a Web Designer and Read this Now

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By: Braydon at 5 Shades Media

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2006-08-03 -- These days, it seems like everybody's a website "designer". Sure, your brother's friend's uncle says he knows some stuff about websites and he'll design you a site for free; or you come across some "Design Firm" charging thousands of dollars or sometimes not much at all to build you a "professional, time saving..." website (you know the drill).

But by the end of it all, you're left with the ugliest and most useless thing you've laid your eyes on. We loathe when that happens because you always suffer, and more times than not, you're left with a heap of, well, crap.

When you're trying to find a firm to design your website, here's what to look for:

- A toll free telephone number for support.
- Portfolio links that work.
- A growing portfolio - check back from time to time!
- A company that can cater to your business's needs.
- A company that is willing to sign a contract.
- Provide you with a copy of all source files upon completion.
- A company that works with Macromedia and Adobe programs.
- A designer who is willing to work with your own ideas.
- A company that bills by the project (flat price).
- A company that enforces strict deadlines.
- A company that requires only a deposit up front.
- A company with lots of great testimonials.
- Most important! Call them and see if it's someone you feel comfortable working with.

Crucial Elements Of Every Successful Website!
We know that for a website to be successful and beneficial, we must achieve overwhelming greatness in these eight crucial areas of website development:

- Content (content is king, period!)
- Design and Creativity (second to content...attractive, proffesional industry specific designs)
- Awareness of website audience (age group, careers, stature)
- Purpose of the website (brochure/ informational, get more leads, sales/e-commerce)
- URL of the website (short memorable domain name)
- User friendly and ease of navigation (menus and links)
- Usability (smooth transition from page to page)
- Hosting (uptime, affordable, upgradeable, good support)