In today’s business landscape, small businesses will find themselves promoting their products or services without establishing an online presence. And although there are a variety of platforms to promote your business online, one essential tool that practically all ventures need is a small business website.
Unless you yourself are a Web designer, you will most likely need to enlist the aid of one in building your own website. But what should you expect from your chosen designer and the whole build process?
Before outlining the things that you should expect from a designer, it is worth mentioning the importance of the selection process. Building and designing a website is a collaborative process and the success of this endeavor hinges greatly on choosing the right professional to work with you.
In Web design, you’d want a professional with ample skill, knowledge and experience. On top of that, you’d want someone who can work with your own ideas 
instead of someone who imposes his own over yours. Ideally, the designer should have a substantial amount of good references as well as an impressive portfolio. A reputable professional will clearly outline the deliverables you can expect from him as well as a clear timeline for project completion. In short, you should set ample time for choosing the right professional to work with instead of opting for the first one that answers your call for one, or simply the professional that quotes the lowest price.
From your end, you should have a clear idea of the type of website you want built for your small business. Also, do take note that in terms of price, speed and quality, you can only choose two. If you want a quality website done quickly, be prepared to spend a huge sum of money. If you want a quality website but do not want to spend a sizeable sum of money, be prepared to wait. Finally, if you put a premium on speed and do not wish to pay much, note that quality may suffer.
When you have made a shortlist of potential designers to work with, schedule a consultation with each so you can get an initial quote and gauge whether a particular designer can deliver the things you have in mind.
Once a designer has been selected, you will have to talk about the nitty-gritty details which include the deliverables, payment structure and an initial timeframe. Here, it is worthwhile to have a legal professional pore over these details before making a final commitment.
Once the details have been ironed out, the designer can proceed with the actual build. At this stage, your designer should constantly communicate with the project progress while you should send feedback to him until you are satisfied with the output.
The testing phase follows the build process. Here, you should make sure that the website not only looks good, but also functions well.
Once you are sure that everything works fine on your website, you can now bring the project to a close. Your designer may offer notes on maintenance and related tasks. At this stage, make sure that you own the domains, Google Analytics and hosting. If not, make sure the designer hands off the vital information and ownership of these to you.
About Jeremy Littlejohn
I love web design and marketing and have a passion in helping business owners enjoy a results-driven online business. I am a loving father and husband, and legitimate business man with high integrity.
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