Choosing a designer for your web site

Here are just a few quick tests that you can perform. The assumption is that you want someone to build a site for the world to find. It should have a good basic design, easy to use navigation and be found via a search engine. These rules can be ignored for internal sites that only employees will use.

Examine client sites

The first test is a basic look at some sites the designer has already produced.

• Did it load quickly? People searching the web tend to be impatient and many of them still use modems. So it is important that the first page of the site load quickly or they will move on to one of your competitors.

• Do you like the look? If they consistently produce sites with colours or graphics that you don't like, you probably won't like what they want to create for you.

• Is it easy to find what you need?

  • Seriously test the navigation. Give yourself several tasks to complete on the site (Company profile, list of products, contact information, etc.)
  • Site navigation should be clear and simple without any instructions.

• If you turn off graphics, can you still use the site? This test is important for both basic accessibility and for search engines.

• Is it flexible? Not everyone has a large monitor, not everyone has great eyesight.

  • If you resize your browser window, does that break the design?
  • Is the design so focused on one size that it looks silly in much larger or smaller sizes?
  • Can you change font sizes? Some designer don't allow the user to change a font size at all, which will make the site unusable for some people.
  • If you can change font sizes, does that break the page? (You may have to refresh the page to determine this.)

• Does it work in Netscape and Internet Explorer? This is a bare minimum, there are a number of alternative web browsers out there, but these are the primary ones that will be looking at your site.

• Does the basic site design include pop-up windows? Many people associate these with advertisements, so will close the window as quickly as they can. Some even install software that will automatically reject any such window.

Search for sites

If you are serious about having a web site, it should be found using search engines. There are a large number of web designers who do not take search engine listings into account. So here are a few basic tests for search engines.

• Look for the site under the company name.
  Any site should be found under the company name. If several other companies have the same name, it may not be at the top of the list. But it should be before any companies that have a similar name. If two sites by a designer fail this test, move to the next designer.

• Look for keywords
  Depending on what the company does, you might have to get pretty specific with this. The keyword computer won't turn up the site you are testing. But the keywords computer sales Townsville should work for a company that sells computers in Townsville.

• How does the listing look in the engine?
  Remember that a search engine is a primary tool for people to find your site. If the search turns up a listing where the description is "You must have frames to enter this site" or "This site uses flash and you don't have it", is that how you want your site to appear?

Standards

Sites built to standards are more likely to work for any web browser. They are more likely to be easy to update.

• Will the page validate?

  HTML has a set of rules that should be followed. Validation is testing a page according to those rules to ensure that the standards are followed. Online validators are available from the W3C site and from the HTMLhelp group. Simply put the URL in the box and look at the results. If you get a few errors, that might be all right. If you get many errors, that is a definite problem.

• Does it pass Bobby?

  Bobby is a tool that tests for basic accessibility of the site. This is a test to see if the site can be used by a variety of disabled users. Sites that pass Bobby are also likely to be search engine friendly.

• Bad signs. If you want a fast loading site that works well under any condition, avoid designers who have on the homepage of a site:
  • This site best viewed in Netscape
  • This site best viewed in Internet Explorer
  • This site requires Flash
  • This site requires Quicktime
  • This site requires frames

Conclusion

There are hundreds of thousands of web designers to choose from. You don't have to use someone in your own town, though that can make consultations easier. You do want to find someone who builds sites that work. Going through these basic tests may help you determine if this web designer is one that you can trust to work on your site.

If the designer has a personal site, it is exempt from this test. Personal sites might not be maintained particularly well, or they might be test areas for new ideas or they might just be a place to play. If you like the personal site, that's great. But look to the client or the business web page for testing.