Every day, businesses hire web designers that they should not be hiring. Web designers often oversell their ability, charge you a LOT more than they should and end up turning what should be your online shop window into an embarrassment and put your reputation on the line by producing sub-standard websites.

Commissioning your website is a DIFFICULT and STRESSFUL job. There are so many details that must be attended to. But here is the undeniable truth:

THE OVERALL SUCCESS OF YOUR BUSINESS WEBSITE HINGES ON YOU HIRING THE RIGHT WEB DESIGNER

I realize that you might not believe that right now but think about it for a minute. When was the last time you dismissed a company out of hand because of its website. Not to mention the companies you didn’t find at all on Google that missed out on a chance of your business.

The Web Designer is the "Key" to a successful business website. But here’s the problem.

Hire the wrong person and your website will be a flop. Hire someone who does not understand marketing principles and your website will not appeal to your visitors. Hire someone with no experience of online marketing and no-one will visit your site and your investment will have been wasted.

Lets take a look at some of the mistake business owners make hiring web designers.

Mistake 1. Assuming That Big Is Better

Many Business Owners assume that larger web design companies and agencies are going to provide a better service than smaller company. The main benefit of a smaller company is the personal service you should be able to get. With larger design companies your dealings are often with a salesman who "hands over" the business to the designer and then loses interest in your business.

Whatever the size of the business you choose, you need to be offered a personal service with a main contact who is interested in your business.

Mistake 2 Assuming All Web Designers Are Equal

Did you know there are different types of web designer based on their background and experience? Each has their pros and cons – you need to be aware of the differences.

Firstly, the print designer who also creates web designs. Print Designers are used to laying out words and pictures and getting them to work well together. The downside is that a web page is not the same as a fixed piece of paper and the ability to control the design is not as good as in print.

Next, the programmer who creates web designs. Programmers have a unique way of thinking. They are interest in logic and how to do clever things on a website. They are able to create websites that interact well with customers and provide a lot of interesting features. However programmers typically have not learnt about laying out designs correctly or essentials like which colours go well together or which colours appeal to different target audiences.

These are the main types but there are other who have their own problems.

All of these Web Designer types are often missing a vital piece of training. They have no knowledge of marketing a business online beyond creating a website. They may not understand the consequence of their design on getting visitors to your site to take the actions you require of them. So you might end up with a website that looks great but has no visitors or those that visit the site leave very quickly.

These are just the first two mistakes from the 7 biggest mistakes that business owners make hiring a website designer.