All right, admit it. You are not 17 years old. You may have a working knowledge of the web and have a gut feel of what your web site should look like. However, you have no clue about how to get it to the way you envision it. Does this sound like you?
If you are of a certain age, it may be down right daunting. Who do you choose to design your site: your 17 year old nephew that can do it for a couple hundred bucks; a friend that does it as a way making extra money on the side, when he can get around to it; or a team of true professionals? The correct answer is, It depends! Like any of your marketing endeavors, it boils down to who you target market is and how much you have to spend.
Like using a CPA or an attorney, this activity may be one of those things you may have to leave to the professionals. There are software packages available that allow you to do it yourself. However, the end results are generally pretty amateurish.
Your website is going to be your salesman to the world. What image do you want to send to your current and potential customers? If you want to present a professional images showing competence and implying that you are worth every dime you are going to charge, it needs to be done professionally.
Hopefully, the following links will give you some insight as to what to ask when choosing a web designer.
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