Hiring a Webmaster is a difficult decision. What’s worse is there are some out there who want to scam business owners who have little knowledge of design. Here are some ideas collected from long hard research, and various people offering tips.
Figure out what exactly you are looking for: do you need someone to do a One Time design? Do you need continuing maintenance and updates? Do you need someone who can create graphics and logos? Are you looking for search engine optimization (there are specialists for this)?
Often you can get good referrals from friends or other business owners. Use a search engine on your own and look around. Look for a company that clearly has a “philosophy” stated on the site, so you get a feel for the way they do things. Make several phone calls and get many second opinions. Your Website is an investment in your business so you should treat it that way!
Be careful of pushy “sales” attitudes or pitches that sounds too good to be true. No Webmaster can give you everything.
Webmasters who approach YOU and tell you that you need them probably have a hidden motive. Nobody helps for free or for reduced rates…. There is always some type of “price” involved.
When a Webmaster looks at your page - don’t listen to claims of how horrible your code is or how much better THEY can do your site. The Webmaster should simply tell you how they would DO your site. You are not hiring someone to critique your work or anyone else’s. You should only care about what they can offer you, and for what price they will do it. Often a Webmaster will try to talk you into more than you need or want by using this tactic.
Find out about the Webmaster’s experience. Are they certified? Can they refer you to other former customers? How long have they been doing their work? What type of training did they receive? Ask questions and lots of them!
Ask the Webmaster if you may see samples of their work. Take special note if everything they do seems to be the “same” style. Basically the Webmaster you hire needs to accommodate YOUR style and not their own. Don’t take their word for what you need - do your own research and decision-making.
Talk to several webmasters and get price comparisons. Be cautious of being grossly over charged for simplistic work. A template design will run anywhere from $15 to $150 depending on the amount of content included: java scripts, flash pages, image maps, buttons, logos, graphics, blank template pages, and so on. Hiring a Webmaster to design a original page may cost a flat fee or possibly an hourly rate and will be over $150, quite possibly a lot.
Have on paper EXACTLY what you are paying for. Get a contract for what work is to be done. If you are purchasing a template then get a license for it and the terms for use. Do not consider a verbal agreement to suffice - memories can fade and different interpretations can often cloud the matter. Make everything traceable on paper.
Find out if the Webmaster has done any work for a similar business in your particular industry. If so, how will your site be different? Will the Webmaster cause any conflicts of interest with your competitors? Will the webmaster reuse your design on a competitors page? And if so, are they willing to accept the blame if your site turns out to be identical to a competitors?
Use your own text content - do not even let the Webmaster write it for you. They are web designers not specialists in your field of work and that being the case, they could possibly steal ideas, text, meta tags, and the like from others. Often this occurs due to ignorance rather than malice - but it happens more often then you might think. Make sure ALL content including photos are legal and licensed.
Do not accept legal advice from a Webmaster on your site. They are not qualified to do that. When they inform you of anything legally that you aren’t sure about - find out if an attorney represents them in their work. If not, ask yours and think about finding a better Webmaster.
Never forget that YOU control your Website and all of it’s content - not the person you hire to do work for you. If you do not like something they have done; say so and ask that it be changed immediately.
A really good and honest Webmaster will go above and beyond their duty to keep a client satisfied. A professional Webmaster knows that they aren’t “wasting their time” on your questions or your site - they understand that they are making their client happy and that your job matters.
Do pay your Webmaster in full. When you hire them to do work: they are to receive payment. Just because you may not have liked their “performance” doesn’t mean they worked for free. You can terminate the relationship with a shoddy Webmaster very easily and quickly - but read the terms of their contract carefully… you may still owe them money.
Never ever barter with a web designer. It never works out in the end, and they will not work as hard for you as the Webmaster that received a payment. Trust you gut instincts and make sure you are completely comfortable with who you hire… it DOES make a huge difference.
There are many hard working, creative, and honest webmasters out there running excellent businesses and many offer very comfortable rates. The scams are really the minority, but they do exist. Arm yourself with knowledge and you will never fall victim to them! Most webmasters DO want to do a good job for you - their customer!