Firstly, speak to a few web design companies and meet with at least two or three.  These are the top things we are looking for when recommending web partners…

1. Someone you can work with and get along with. It’s important you build a great relationship with your web designer, as they should become a ‘partner’ in helping you achieve success on the internet.
2. A fantastic design service. First impressions are very important with a website, so you need a company that employs good designers.
3. Fabulous back-end, technical skills. Websites must be easy to navigate and the technical back-up and security behind websites is often over-looked.  But, it’s vital to a successful website, so ensure your web company has high-level technical skills to ensure your users have a safe, secure and simple route through your site.
4. Outstanding search engine optimisation knowledge. Creating a website and failing to optimise it is like printing 1000 brochures and leaving them in your office – it’s a complete waste of money.  Ensure your web team understand optimisation and ask them for examples of companies they’ve helped and how they changed their position – on Google specifically.
5. An understanding of marketing. A website is one small part of a promotional strategy.  And promotion is one quarter (at best) of the marketing mix – so it’s a very small part of your overall strategy.  Your web designer needs an understanding of where your website fits in your strategy and how it integrates with your other marketing methods.

As a result of these demands, it’s highly unusual to find them all in one individual.  Gone are the days when web designers could set up on their own, in their back bedroom and create fantastic websites.  You now need many more skills.  We therefore look to work with companies with all these skills under one roof – they usually have at least three staff; one of whom specialises in each of the key areas of web design.  (Look at www.ibexinternet.co.uk for an example of the company we choose for all our web design and support.)

I hope this helps you in your choice.  Whatever you do, please don’t use your ‘nephew’, unless he runs a very successful internet company.  If you can’t afford a properly designed website, question whether you need one at all, rather than spending money on something that won’t work.