2. Websites provide events, organizations and businesses a
good outlet for promotions and marketing. Like other
marketing and promotional tools, websites require a
time and monetary investment. An individual can
assemble a website by himself or hire a web design
professional to do it for him.
3. A quality website takes time to plan. Figure out how big
of a website is needed. The need for one entity may
simply call for one web page. Some other entity may
require a website that has multiple pages and graphics.
4. The main component of a good website is its content.
Content should communicate to the readers the most
important information pertaining to an organization,
business or event. Filler or supplemental information is
also good to have on hand. Get together as much
content as possible prior to searching for a designer.
5. You can find a skilled designer online. A good place to
start your search is a general classifieds website. An
additional place to search is freelance exchange sites.
6. You can also bypass the internet to find a designer. Head
over to a local university and ask a school official if you
can post a job ad. You may be able to do this on a
bulletin board in a building that houses computer
classrooms. Or, you may have to go through the career
center. If you know someone that has previously hired a
designer and are impressed with their work, ask for
their contact information.
7. Any designer serious about his craft has a portfolio. A
portfolio is a collection of the websites he has designed.
Someone that is just starting out may not have an
extensive portfolio. Class projects might be included in
the portfolios of students. Look at the quality as
opposed to the quantity of sites by prospective
designers.
8. How much a website will cost you varies. If you are
contracting for a site with only one or a few pages the
cost may be small. You might also be able to find a
student that is willing to design the site for free in order
to build up his portfolio. A seasoned web design
professional may offer a bundle that includes hosting.