Hey, How do I find a webdesigner?

Once you have a domain name, you now have to either find a webdesigner in order to have your page designed or you can design it yourself.

When you go to get a page designed the first question you should ask a designer is, "may I see some of your work". A webdesigner's portfolio is the most important thing when choosing someone to design your page. If you don't like the pages they have designed then keep looking around.

Make sure anytime you get a webpage created you ask for a copy of the webpage burned onto a cd and sent to you. Again, I know of many instances when someone decided to leave a server and the webdesigner just erased the webpage and the client was left with nothing. Webdesigners should help you move your page to the new server, but like any other profession on occasion you will run across a few bad eggs.

What should you be paying for a webpage? The price ranges depending on the skill level and experience of the webdesigner. You can pay anywhere from $100 to $1,000 depending on what you type of webpage you want. If you want flash and/or custom graphics the page is going to be more expensive than if you just buy a run of the mill template. Scripts can add significantly to the cost of the site, they also require a certain amount of expertise to install and manage, which either your webdesigner will know or you will have to pay the script developer to implement. Scripts include chat software, bulletin boards, blogs.

When it comes to webpages most the time you get what you pay for. If you pay $75.00 for a website you can't expect it to look like a $1,000 site.

If you see an authors website you adore, scroll down the bottom of the site. Most webdesigner have a link somewhere on the bottom of the site to their page or a contact email. Ask them for a quote. They will want to know exactly the type of webpage you have in mind. It helps if you go around and find similar pages to what you are looking for. It gives the webdesigner an idea about your taste and likes.

Be leary of anyone who asked for all the money upfront for a webpage. Most webdesigner will ask for a percentage or half before starting the project. Then upon completion they will ask for the remainder of monies due.

I have met a few people who paid hundreds of dollars up front for a webpage and never got the page they were promised. It's difficult tracking people down on the Internet. Most people don't live in the same state as you do and it's hard to try and get your money back via email. So be smart and keep partial until you see the end result.