Stan has realised that his current website isn’t working for him. He’s also realised that it’s not going to be able to be made to work for him in the long term. So he’s decided it needs an overhaul.

Stan now faces the problem of how to choose a suitable new website designer. He’s made a few speculative enquiries and is confused that he’s been given ball park figures which range from a couple of hundred pounds to tens of thousands of pounds. How on earth does he decide which way to go?

What Stan needs is my patented ‘Website Designer Interrogation Cheat Sheet’.

Ok you’ve got me again…it’s not patented but like my website planner it is extremely useful.

The Interrogation Cheat Sheet consists of all the questions your chosen web designer should have a good answer to. Some of the questions may not be relevant to you at this moment in time but don’t disregard them. Think of your website as a living breathing part of your company’s marketing plan. It should be able to evolve with your business. Just because you don’t want to be able to take payments online right now, doesn’t mean you won’t want to in a year or so’s time. Any future expansions and additions to your site should be able to integrate seamlessly. Be sure and check this is the case.

Using the cheat sheet Stan interrogates several web designers and whittles them down to three. One is several thousand pounds more expensive than the others so Stan rules him out. Then he checks out references from past clients on the other two. Both seem to be very good.

As for the final decision? Well all other things being equal we would advise anyone to go with the web designer they feel the most comfortable with. Your website is going be a central part of growing your business for years to come so your relationship with your web designer is crucial, and hopefully it will be a long-term one. They should be a valuable source of help and advice as you learn to make the most of the web.