Your business website is often the first thing your prospective customers see about your company.
It is important to make sure your site leaves a good impression and is user-friendly. You do not just pick-up the phone and hire someone like a web designer in the Raleigh area based on one conversation alone. Perhaps you have no idea about what you have to keep an eye out for in this process.
Even if you are not completely sure of the project scope, sit down and make a list of what you think you want. They will understand if you are new, but you still have to provide input and direction for them. Either make a list to get you going or even a mind map of the important pages and categories. Another approach is to look at websites in your niche around Raleigh. They would be the sites of your future competition. If you do that, then you will be in a much stronger position to talk to a designer. It doesn’t matter what kind of site you aim to create, the more you’re sure of your ideas at the start, the better.
Maybe you are thinking that a good designer will have a fast turnaround time, and you will be in action in just a few days, or even a week. We know this is not what you want to hear, but the best designers will be busy which means you must be patient about the process. What you will discover is a huge number of designers here in Raleigh, NC and so if someone will take too long; then simply keep looking for someone with shorter turnaround time. Only you will know what is acceptable or not, and so obviously we cannot suggest anything other than to perform a good search.
There is a valid argument with only going with those who specialize in web development rather than trying to sell all the services, etc. Be careful that you do not get talked into doing something you are not totally comfortable with. After all, your website could be the forefront of your business so you want to be sure it looks good and professional.
Once your website is up and running, you can expect there to be changes that will need to be done in the future. We recommend keeping in contact with your Raleigh web developer who helped you out, so you can call them up and hire them for a few simple changes every now and then.