Finding a good webdesigner

How do you go about finding a good webdesigner?

Start by searching for local webdesigners. If you live in Hoboken, New Jersey, they search on Google, Yahoo and MSN for
"web designer" + Hoboken <<(exactly as shown)
Browse around the listings and write down some names, website addresses, telephone numbers and emails.
Then search for a slightly different term. e.g.,
"web developer" + Hoboken
"web developers" + Hoboken
Hoboken + "web designers"
Hoboken + "webdesigners"
Hoboken + "shopping cart" + web designer
etc..

Next thing you do will be to contact them by phone and set up appointments. You will be working with one of these web designers over a period of time and he/she will be an integral part of your business success. So you definitely want to meet him/her and get the feel, vibe whatever you want to call it.
BTW, let them decide the place to meet. You can tell how experienced they are by the place they decide to meet also. A webdesigner who doesn't hasn't met many clients will need time to think of a place to meet at. An experienced designer will tell you a place and a time in an instant. ..well not instantly perhaps...he/she might need to look up the daily planner.

Anyway, let's continue.


You are looking for the following in a webdesigner:

1. How compatible he/she is with you.
You shouldn't work with someone who you can't stand, even if he seems to be really good at web designing.
I, as a webdesigner qualify my clients. Of course, a long time ago, when I was just starting out, I took every customer I could find. But now, I am very selective. If I think a certain customer is going to be difficult to deal with when it come to payments, I suggest them to find another web designer (nicely of course).

2. Skills and experiences
You should try to find out his skills and experiences. The ones with experience will tell you. Still, their word is not good enough. You want to ask them a list of their websites, some done in the past and some recent ones. You also want to ask them if you can contact some of their previous customers. Ask them for the customer's name and telephone number and the website address.
TIP: Don't forget to match the customer name or address against the whois info for the domain name. If you don't know what that is, just email me at vijay@sainju.com or just leave a comment.

3. Prices
After your webdesigner understands what you want on your website, ask him/her for the price range, method of payment. The web designer might not be able to give you an exact price but will be able to give you a rough pricing.
Ask also about the method of payment.
Do they take credit card? Paypal? Persona check?
Try not to work with cash.
How much do they ask to start?
Most professional web designers (including us) take up to 50% up front.

...to be continued...