So, I hear you're ready.  You're ready to take the plunge. 

You've allocated your budget, you've thoroughly researched your options, you've consulted with coworkers, and you've even asked your friends for their opinions. 

Yet, between the countless websites you've visited, the infinite pages of fluffy copy you've waded through, and the endless, heavy-duty sales pitches you've encountered, you're about ready to say, "ENOUGH ALREADY!"  You still can't choose a web site designer. 

But the problem definitely isn't you.  After all, you've found lots of web site designers.  They all offer "web site design services" and most even claim to submit your site to search engines.  Fancy schmancy.  But, is that truly enough?  How do you ensure that the web site designer you choose is going to look out for your business and its needs?  Can a single web site designer even adequately do that?

If you're asking those questions, you probably need more than a web site designer.  What you're really looking for is a true solution provider.

While there are thousands of talented web site designers out there, web site designers often stop just there: at the design level.  You might get by with just a designer if you're wanting a website to show off the high school glee club, but typical business owners need more power.   

Each business has unique business needs in a website.  If you believe your business only needs a presence on the web, you may want to re-evaluate your competition.  More and more, businesses are using websites as an interactive sales tool for their products and services.  The web is much more than it was just a few years ago.  Only a true solution provider can provide the kind of services, reliability, and interactivity your business needs to stay a cut above the competition.    

Pigs with lipstick are still Pigs

Since many web site designers out there are one-person shows, it's not uncommon for the typical web site designer to produce shortcomings in some area of the final product.  This isn't to say all aspects will be horrible - but somewhere, inevitably, there will be a shortcoming. 

If it's not the design, it's probably the coding.  If it's not the coding, maybe it's the design.  If it's not the design and it's not the coding, it's probably search engine optimization.   Maybe it's all of the above!

To make matters worse, some "web site designers" do not design at all.  Some will resort to out-of-the-box solutions to meet your needs - possibly without your knowledge.  Yes, some web site designers will throw a template at your website and charge you for it!  Others skimp on the content management system. 

They may tell you these templates and systems are sufficient to meet your needs, but are they really meeting your needs?  Maybe - but more than likely not.

While a template will likely get you out the door cheaply, it is more than likely a very poor representation of your business.  A website should work in harmony with your business' image, and unless your website's design has been made with YOUR business in mind, it's probably not an adequate representation of your company's vision, values, and goals.

Moreover, while "one size fits all" content management systems do not require much development time, these systems cannot possibly account for every system you need.  To make matters worse, these often portly content management systems will turn your web server from a lean, mean, web-hosting machine into a slothfully-slow one. 

For some web sites out there, the lipstick definitely goes on thick.  Real thick.  It might even be a pretty shade.  But make no mistake: A pig with lipstick is still a pig.  Your customers will not be fooled.  These web sites are not the answer to your business needs.

If you're still not convinced, consider the advantages of a true solution provider below.

The advantages of a true solution provider:

• A true solution provider recognizes the importance of, and provides a full, end-to-end package.  Submitting a site to search engines is great - nearly everybody does it.  What many people don't realize is that it means nothing if there has not been end-to-end planning from the beginning.  Search engine optimization is about more than just keywords.  Without the proper design and development choices being made early on, even the best efforts to improve search engine ranking can be futile.  A true solution provider knows this and designs and develops accordingly. 

• A true solution provider has a staff with diverse backgrounds, carefully recruited for maximum effect.  That carefully selected staff forms a cohesive whole of end-to-end expertise in web technologies, trends, and design ethos.  The true solution provider's staff enjoys internal synergy, which in turn leads to your website's synergy: a website where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  A true solution provider never supplies you with out-of-the-box packages that are a poor fit for your business needs.

• A true solution providers' capabilities go far beyond the website it is developing for a client.  The true solution provider will actively engage in discussions related to the business needs of an organization.  Moreover, a true solution provider will develop ways to meet business needs by harnessing the power of the web.

It's your lucky day

If your website designer cannot provide solutions to the areas presented above, you may want to reconsider your choice. 

The good news is that if you do decide to switch, you won't have to look far for a true solution provider.  You're already here ...