Here are a few tips to people who want/need a website, web design, or type of web presence:

1) In your first meeting with a web design company please be prepared to express what you need in great detail for your small company, a personal site, or a new company. The web designers will need know your company in detail, your goals, your target market (and “EVERYONE!” is not a target market), budget, your current situation, and what you are expecting.

2) Trust the web design company  because they need to know the information. They will not (and shouldn’t) judge you in your lack of knowledge in the web and you are there to get a good understanding of what is possible and what isn’t possible.

3) Bring material to the meeting. This material should be information you might want to display on the site or what you want to express on the site. Also, logos and print material with design and color will give the web designer a better understanding on what you want in a site design.

4) The web design company should ask a lot of questions about your company and what you need; and if they don’t, this should be a red flag about the company. It is in your best interest to get a great website developed to work best with your vision and your market. If they don’t know what you need or want, then they are just giving you a site based on assumptions and that is bad.

5) Finally, don’t be afraid to call or email any and all questions. After the quote and proposal is presented ask more questions to make sure you are getting what you are buying because you might give the designers information that they did not know.

HINT: When it comes to web design, you are getting what you pay for, so cheaper is not better.

The plan for your web design should include a SEO and Social Media plan. This will give you a great start in building your brand because websites are a huge in the current economy.

If you have any questions please send them via email or comments.