With website designers near and far charging a range of prices, it makes the selection a tricky process. Which technologies will you need for your website? How proficient will the designer need to be? Do all web designers know the same things? And how should a designer's proficiency be tested? These are all important questions, especially as it relates to the amount of money you'll ultimately pay.
When it comes to choosing a website designer, there are many factors that should be taken into consideration, but none is as important as communication. This is why choosing a local web designer is imperative. When you hire someone to create your company's online visual identity for you, you're not just taking on a painter to paint your house, you're entrusting in that person your business ideas and your methods for interacting with your customers. This person will have to have a very clear sense of what type of feel you'd like to convey and what type of market you're targeting.
The hiring of a website designer is akin to the starting of a relationship. By communicating with each other and bouncing ideas off of each other and being able to count on each other to try new tactics, you'll be able to represent your brand as effectively and clearly as possible. This is best achieved by meetings in person rather than distant phone conversations or emails. After all, you'll want to count on this person if your site needs an update. This is why it's good to go for someone local as opposed to someone far away.
Chris Beaman is a Boston-based web designer and front end developer. Find him online at: http://chrisbeaman.com or on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/cgbeaman
