Affordable web designers comes a dime a dozen, but how do you find the diamond in the rough that produces the best value. When looking for an affordable web designer, remember price is what you pay, value is what you get. At the end of the day, you want a website that will produce a return on investment, by being fully functional, easy to use, and convert your visitors in to leads and sales. Here are a few steps to follow to find an affordable web designer that produces top quality work

Get a List together – Identifying what your needs are and performing some research into what is needed to make a website effective is a good start, especially if you have no prior knowledge of getting a website design. By compiling a list of questions, features, and your requirements together, you will be in a better position to get a quote that suits your needs and a company that can address and fulfill those needs. Perform anOnline Search – Using keywords such as affordable web designer in a search engine such as Google will bring you back a list of web design companies. Contacting three to five of them would be a good start. Now would be the time to take out your list and key questions. Gather Quotes and Proposals – As you gather quotes and proposals, you want to look at how professional and how easy the proposal is to understand, whether it is in laymen or technical terms will give you a feel for what it might be like working with that company. Next if you had made a list of things you needed previously, the proposals deliverables should be similar, you want to compare the similar things and next look at any other recommendations made that will help you achieve your goal. Will this provide you with added value, or is it an unnecessary? Evaluate their Portfolio – A web designer or web design company portfolio will give you a good evaluation of the quality of the work that they can provide. See if they have worked with similar clients or industries, whether they work with small companies or larger companies. A company that typically works with larger companies will charge you a higher price than one that works with small companies, no matter if the scope and size of the project is the same. Review Testimonials & Case Studies– Next you want to review testimonials and case studies to see if this company has the experience and success that you need to feel confident in doing business with them. Are they capable of delivering the results and solutions that you are seeking?

Finally, you have done your research, spoken to the representatives of the list that you have selected. After you have received the proposal it's a good idea to schedule a follow up phone call. Your final decision should be based on how comfortable you feel speaking with the person as well as whether or not they provide the best value. Would that be the person you would be dealing with should you decide to go with the company? How responsive are they? Are they efficient in answering all your questions or concerns? Are they providing you solutions to your problems? If the web designer or company that you have narrowed your lists down to meets these criteria's, then you have a winner.

About the Author:

Nicole McCullum is the founder of Captivate Designs, a New York Web Design Company servicing clients throughout the U.S., Canada and UK. Captivate Designs offers Free Website Evaluation clients' professional web design that projects a professional image, establish credibility, and convert more visitors into leads and customers. For more information please contact her at info@captivatedesigns.com or for more helpful tips visit her blog at www.captivatedesigns.com/blog.