Whether you are revamping your current site or creating a brand new site, choosing an excellent and efficient web designer is very important.

Your website is how your customers will see your company on the Internet. Before you meet up with your potential customer, they might already be checking out your website! A good website can bring you more business while a bad one can turn them away, and hinder your chances of even getting a first meeting.

Here are some important points to consider when selecting a designer for your company website.

1. Find out what the company does.
Do they work on the graphical designs for your entire website? Do they do the actual programming of your website? If you need your website to be maintained by them, are they able to provide that service? Do they consider usability of the site? Is Internet Marketing included with their services? An excellent design company will be able to provide as much of the above services as possible.

2. Check out their portfolio.
Visit the company’s website and see their works. Look at all the sites they have designed and see if they fit to the style you like. Are all their sites based on the same look and feel or is there variety? If there is a range of websites with different styles, this means the company is flexible and are willing to explore new ideas you might have.

3. At the meeting with them, observe how interested they are in your business.
The design company should want to know more about your business so they can effectively design a website that will work for you. With more knowledge on your business, they might better understand what your target audience’s needs are as well.

An experienced designer will listen to what your requirements are, before providing more suggestions and ideas. They should also be able to advise on the next steps you will take after the meeting. In areas where you are unclear, the designer you want to hire will be able to explain the issues to you clearly and patiently.

4. You must be comfortable with the designer.
One of the most important factor for choosing your designer is that you must be comfortable with that person. Do you like the designer? Do they stay focused on the job, and are they professional?

5. Check references.
If you are able to contact the past clients who had worked with this design company, you can find out if they adhere to deadlines and met the clients’ requests. Are the designers detailed and do they respond quickly and suitably to your queries? From the feedback of their previous clients, you can get some hints on how this company will fare with your own website.