Choose a web design partner
The Web designer you decide on must be able to communicate and relate to your business, They must also have sufficient business acumen in their own right to understand that there is always a trade-off between design and functionality (form follows function). Pretty sites attract interest, but rarely produce business unless it is for the web designer so make sure your web designer is one that can make a site work for the visitor and avoid the pitfalls of designer ego or allowing your view to superimpose itself over the need for results. Just remember you are not the designer, they are but also make sure that it is the customer you both focus on.
Decide on objectives
The site must have direction and objectives if it is going to actually achieve anything worthwhile. If it going to be a corporate brochure, then attention to graphics, images and appearance are going to weigh heavily. If an ecommerce site, then simple, clean and easy to use shopping carts are the main consideration. A blog, obviously you want to stamp your personality heavily on the front-end and if you want a web brochure the whole thing has to be slick and perfectly laid out.
Identify your target audience
You will need to consider who you are going to market your site to. Is it academic, leisure, gaming, adult, business, health & beauty, upmarket/downmarket, etc., and having once identified your market then you will need to ensure that the site is on a level with the audience you want to attract. Having a cheap and cheerful site is not going to pull in celebrities, while a technical site is not going to impress the ladies looking for organic beauty products.
What type of Website
If you are looking to change content readily and often then you are looking for a CMS (Content Management Solution) such as Wordpress, Joomla, or more heavy style Drupal etc., However, if you want the site to only be updated one or two times a year then it would be better to have a static site and pay for the changes as required. This will make the site load quicker because there is no database to fire up each time and can be generally more appealing because the designer knows it is all going to be 'fixed position'. In the case of ecommerce then it is going to need additional decisions to get your choice of solution down to a single component.
Structure the project
Make certain that the designer and you are both on the same wavelength. you can do this by ensuring that the project is broken into tasks with milestones and expect stage payments along the way. We generally request either 50% upfront and balance on completion, or into 3rds on milestones. Small projects are almost always upfront payment. Whichever method you choose make sure you are both clear on the criteria for payment. don't be shy about clarifying this aspect and get it in writing (even an email with a reply confirmation will stand in court).
Keep to the Agreement
One of the biggest problems with relationships between customer and designer is the changes in process as the project proceeds. You are paying for A,B,C so ensure you keep yourself and the designer to A,B and C, if you introduce D,E & F then don't expect the designer to keep to the agreed price or schedule. Be prepared to say how much extra will this cost and get the response in writing. If included, great you got a bargain, if extra at least you can say yes/no or maybe.
Be Professional
I don't mean get qualified and wear a wig, but act in accordance with the relationship you have purchased client/customer and supplier/designer keep the relationship relaxed but not too friendly. Don't allow things to slide into a muddle because you get on well and have a laugh. Respect is something you should give and receive. Make sure you don't drop the ball in an effort to be nice. You are the customer and are paying for the work so make sure you get what you pay for.
Beware Slippage
The worst thing that happens is a project drags on too long, the designer loses interest or gets sidetracked because you have not provided timely material or decisions. Keep the enthusiasm up, the information flowing and keep an eye on the timescales. Ask the designer 'How long will this take you' and get the response in writing or write it down date, question, answer. Keep a project diary and keep it up to date. When things slip push hard to bring them back in line (read the previous two paragraphs again).
Pay Attention
Most of my clients don't pay attention to me when I am discussing something important about their site, it may be I'm not good on explanations or it might be their eyes glaze over when techie stuff gets discussed but..don't go off thinking it doesn't matter because you will soon find out it does and if you have not paid attention you will find you are not getting what you thought yeu were getting and guess what... Its your fault. So, if you don't understand keep asking questions until you do, even if it makes you look stupid. The only stupid people are the ones who don't ask and just assume that because they don't understand it will be alright.
Give Testimonials
The one thing besides money that your web designer loves without stinting is a good quality 'happy customer comment' for his website so, don't be daft and throw this at him on the first oooh! or aaah!! of your website instead be patient, pay close attention to the previous pointers and when he has finished and dotted all the i's and crossed all the 't's then, and only then do you pay him the outstanding balance and give him a testimonial. I have often had to work very hard to get my testimonials, much harder to get the good ones and I value them highly because of it. Make sure you get your moneys worth and then give value where it is deserved.
Upkeep and Maintenance
Whether you have a CMS or a static website you must put in place some form of agreement in absence of your own skills, to manage the wellbeing of your website and its security from hacking, viruses and malware and even just general accidental corruption. You should do two things.
The first is ensure that as soon as the website is complete that you are given a full set of back-up copies of all the templates, designwork and images/graphics to the site. These are yours and should remain with you.
The second is to make sure that the domain name is in yours and not the web designers name. It might be a friendly arrangement but you MUST ensure that your future is protected. It is advisable to not host with your designer, or if you do at least ensure they are separately managed and paid for. This coupled with your independant domain ownership will offer protection from any mismanagement later through disputes over money or contracts. You wouldn;t give the builders your house keys on permanant loan so don't hand over the main keys to your business to another party either.