How Not To Be Ripped Off By Your Website Designer

 By Brent Mulligan

Find out more about website design templates

---

How Not To Be Ripped Off By Your Website Designer
By By Brent Mulligan

As web designer my self, I have had the unfortunate luck of speaking to too many of my clients who have been ripped off by a web designer somewhere along the line. Whether it be that the designer never really finished the website, took the deposit and was never heard from again, or finished the website with less than promised quality.

No business, especially a small business, can afford to be taken advantage of by a web designer.

So what can you do? How can you prevent this from happening?

• Get everything in writing! You should never turn over a dime without a contract. Make sure to include a detailed list of deliverables as well as completion date.
• Never pay more than 50% of your project cost upfront! Never! Make them work for the rest of their money, if they are expecting a pay day upon completion of the website they will move to finish it much quicker.
• Beware of prices that are just too low. If your project has been receiving bids in the $1,200 range and then out of the blue you receive one for $300, it might be too good to be true.
• Ask for a reference, most reputable design firms will put you in touch with a recent client without hesitation.
• Make sure the designer agrees to show you mock ups of your website before the project is complete. This way if you don’t like the look or need anything changed it can be taken care of before the website is live.
• As obvious as this one sounds, check the portfolio! If you are

  Refinance As Low As 5.48% - Sponsored Link
  Ad - Compare Up to 4 Free Offers. Home Refinance Inquiries Only.
  Interactive Producer
  Extract not available.
  Contest to win a free SSL certificate
  By Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com Guide to Web Design / HTML since 1997 Add to: If you want to sell things online, then you need an SSL certificate to keep your purchase forms secure. Most people will not buy online unless they see the https:// and the
  So, You Want A Meta Command, Huh?
  Before we get started... This page uses things called 'meta' commands. What you will learn here is only a small part of what they can do. See HERE for a few more helpful uses. Use these to jump around or read it all... [Search Engine... What's That?]
  Senior Web Designer
  Extract not available.
  Polishing the Visual Presentation of a Blogger with the Code Igniter PHP Framework
  (Page 1 of 4 ) This series of articles is aimed at demonstrating how to build a blog application with the Code Igniter PHP framework, which relies on the functionality offered by the MVC approach to create full-featured PHP programs. Thus, if youre
  Ecommerce Web Designer and Coder
  Extract not available.
  Using Google`s Ajax Libraries API
  (Page 1 of 4 ) Google's new client-side API lets you download some of the most popular JavaScript libraries directly from its servers. If you're interested in dabbling with AJAX, there is no faster way to get your packages and get started. This
  My one recommendation for aspiring freelancers
  Jennifer's Web Design / HTML Blog By Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com Guide to Web Design / HTML since 1997
  Flash Designer
  Extract not available.
  Why are you a designer?
  By Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com Guide to Web Design / HTML since 1997 Add to: I am a designer because I wanted to solve problems in a beautiful way. I started out focusing purely on the way things worked - solving problems with my code. But as I created
  Flash Animator w/ experience in building dogear pages!
  Extract not available.
  Sr. Director of SEM
  Extract not available.
  Associate Brand Manager/ Market Research for CPG Company
  Extract not available.
  How well do you know XHTML?
  By Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com Guide to Web Design / HTML since 1997 Add to: My brother told me about this site called Python Challenge which is in turn a variation of the internet riddle Notpron. I was intrigued, and thought it might be fun to create a
  Web & Computer Systems Coordinator/Developer
  Extract not available.
  Homesite Help and Resources
  Resources to learn to use the Homesite HTML text editor and Web development tool. Homesite is my favorite text editor, and I've been using it for years. This page has tutorials and information about this editor. Do you use Homesite? What do you think of
  Front-end Developer / Production Artist
  Extract not available.
  The Drag'n Drop Online Website Builder
  Extract not available.
  Web Production Artist Needed for Boutique Interactive Shop!
  Extract not available.
  Flash Designer Needed for Boutique Agency
  Extract not available.
  Web Designer
  Extract not available.
  Marketing Project Manager
  Extract not available.
  Sr. Manager e-Marketing Services
  Extract not available.
  Poll: Do you set goals for your websites?
  By Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com Guide to Web Design / HTML since 1997 Add to: I don't mean goals for you when you're building a site, but rather goals for how you want your sites to perform. I believe that goals are an important way to achieve success, as
  Marketing Manager, Web 2.0
  Extract not available.
  Happy New Year! Welcome 2009
  By Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com Guide to Web Design / HTML since 1997 Add to: I am very excited by 2009, as I have a lot of plans for this website. I hope that you will enjoy some of the new ideas I look forward to starting in 2009. Some of the things I am
  Application Designer
  Extract not available.
  Flash Developer / Flash Designer / Flash Programmer
  Extract not available.
  Software Engineer -Oracle/San Migration
  Extract not available.
  Contract Flash Developers
  Extract not available.
  

  looking to develop a full web based application check if they have done this sort of thing before! If not, there is a chance the designer might get in over his or her head.

• Ask about the business, find out as much as you can! How many employees, where are they based out of, how long have then been in business, etc.
• If you can, get a referral from a friend, family member, or colleague who has had a great experience.
• Lastly, Google the business! Search for the business name in quotes on Google.com, you may just come across a forum post some where from someone telling you to beware!

Overall, you just need to be cautious when selecting your web designer. There are millions of design firms and freelancers who are willing to take on your project, the problem is finding the right one for you. Designing a website is a very fun and exciting time for a business and if you follow the tips above you won’t have any regrets!

Brent Mulligan is the owner of BCM Web Solutions, a Massachusetts based website design, web application development, and search engine marketing firm. BCM Web Solutions team leaders have had over seven years of website design experience. BCM Web Solutions specializes in working with small business clients, nationwide. For more information visit BCMWebSolutions.com.

More Web Design Ideas and Tips
Website Design Mishaps How To Avoid Costly Errors That Can Crush Your Chances Of Success By  Search EzineArticles.com  Designing your website can be a difficult task especially if you decide to do it on your own and you have no experience. There are many websites and web hosts that provide tools to allow you to Read more...	The Ideal Web Design Firm Choosing a web design firm isn't as easy as you think it is. Sure, you could get a firm to do your requirements and specifications as long as you have the money to pay for it. However, getting an Read more...