Effective Website Design

Effective website design is a dedicated task to create stunning and attractive website with a solid user friendly facilities and structured system. With technological advancement, digitalization and integration of various platforms a number of websites is increasing day by day. Just having a website would not do, it should be so charming and user friendly to attract the user.

Effective website design is most important to attract your visitors so that they stick to your website and also find solutions on your website. I believe for effective website design basic knowledge of web design and web development is essential. In this tech savvy world, we require expertise and pragmatism in web design, graphics, search engine optimization and content as well.

Layout and design of a website is accountable for its effectiveness. Moreover, these are the key points on which a website's popularity depends. Effective website design includes text type, text size, font size and font color, navigation system, color scheme. Web page with lots of graphics, images, flash banners may take time to load; visitors may get agitated and leave your website.

All of us know that design is what creates the first impression of a website in the minds of the visitors. Effective website design is supposed to be its voice and should be able to express the message clearly. That’s to say that the business idea of a website owner should come alive through the designs that the website incorporates. Now flash being such a powerful tool that can be used by a skilled designer to create rich and interactive graphics, spanning through animation and videos.

For effective website design use colors or images that look good on any color specification, so that the common user is not deprived of any goodies that may be a part of your web page design. Do not design a web page that looks like a whole lot of items cluttered over an amount of space. Organize your items logically. Do not use a background that is so showy that it actually takes the attention of the reader away from the actual text.

Effective Website Design

Website Development Company

Website Development Company provides not only designs the website, but also develops it in accordance with the latest online trends. Whether it is static or dynamic website, a professionally managed Website Development Company first takes the overview of your business strategies, and after discussing the strategies on an extended platform, the stage of designing is set into action.

Once the web designers have completed the design process, the Website Development Company goes to next higher stage, which is the web development. However, there's remarkable difference between designing and developing the business website professionally. A professionally developed website should take into various aspects in your mind that'd help your business to increase! These aspects comprise crisp and good flowing content and much more.

A professional Website Development Company would make use of advanced technology in website design and development process. A website development company would always strive to provide the best in web development services to ensure his client’s website is most glamorous and appealing too. With rising demands and drastic increase in competition, more and more website development companies are entering into the market. However, choosing a website development company that can best meet business requirements is an immense challenge that most businesses have to put up with.

Hence, a website development company has to look into the quality aspect of various web modules ranging from e-commerce development, website design, and web content development to client-server scripting and web server configuration etc. Web development platforms are many but to obtain the most stable and to benefit from it is what is known as the work area of a website development company. Web development is a strategically process which requires professional services and expertise to make its mark in the mesh of competitors. Developing a website with new technology tools and sources to stand top in the market is a big challenge for a website development company. It also requires qualified and experienced mankind strength at affordable prices.

Website Development Company

Flash Website Design

Flash website design is now inculcates a surplus of web design services for SMEs and large industries. All business segments and verticals now are covered by these professional Flash firms and success rate has been quite amazing. Logo designing, banner making, Flash intro and movie making, Flash game development are some of the other exploits of these firms besides those web development, flash website design and graphics works.

HTML is a basic web development factor, but for that added charm and appeal, you would definitely seek something more, and flash website design is amazing in this respect. Highly regarded for its graphic designing, animation and web development capabilities, flash is now being used the world over for a variety of projects. Whether you want a truly interactive site or you just want to make your site more appealing with graphic and design works, Flash design comes real handy for you in that matter.

Through rich and interactive animations and videos flash has made it possible for businesses with online presence to draw the attention of prospective clients comfortably. Professional flash website design is a highly sought after service today and if you can hire some talented flash web designer you can sure make a great impression with your website. A flash website design incorporated website has more appeal owing to the vibrant designs that make it dynamic and professional. Not only can you use flash to impress the visitors with spunky videos and animation, you can even lure game lovers with flash games, which can be really fun to play due to its interactivity.

The flash website design market has consequently become quite active today leading to more and more professionals coming forward to try their hand with this awesome design talent.

Flash Website Design

Static Website

A static website is primarily developed in html or xhtml and web pages stored on the server in the format that is sent to a client web browser. Static website is a simple form of websites, such as a five-page website or a brochure website because they present pre-defined, static information to the user.

A static website may include information about a company and its products and services via text, photos, Silver light or Flash animation, audio/video and interactive menus and navigation. The maintenance of a static website is easy as the website owner may make updates periodically; it is a manual process to edit the text, photos and other content and may require basic website design skills and software.

ADVANTAGES OF A STATIC WEBSITE-

There are a number of advantages of static websites over a dynamic, content managed website:

• Less cost involved
• Simpler to create and host
• Handy management
• Quick to download on lower bandwidths

The basic disadvantage of static website is the content like text, graphic, and multimedia content are usually stored in HTML pages and not in databases. Changing the content on multiple web pages will be tedious and time-consuming. There is also the risk of file overwriting and the possibility of important non-content areas like security code of the site getting corrupted. All static website owners have to be abjectly dependent on web professionals whenever any changes become necessary.

Static Website

Dynamic Websites

Websites can be created in mainly two formats - dynamic or static. The basic difference between them is about the programming languages being used and the management of website. The act of designing a dynamic website is one of the most difficult acts that one can undertake. The underlying process of coding for a dynamic website is no piece of cake and is an extremely complicated process.

Designing websites is quite a challenging activity. Dynamic website designing and development, irrespective of the method being used entails many endeavors that are capable of being done in the proper manner only when a certain level of expertise is present. The major benefit about dynamic websites is the exclusion of interference from the web master when it comes to managing the resources present on the website.

The phrase “Dynamic Websites” refers to those websites whose interfaces change automatically time to time depending upon the requests of different users. Dynamic websites have many advantages. Here are some of them:

* Dynamic websites are trouble-free to update and maintain.
* These websites are managed with the help of content management systems (CMS). So, one can easily manage website.
* Dynamic websites enable in easy incorporation of interactive features, thereby improving its functionality.
* One can easily manage the e commerce website. It used to facilitate with easy payments, bookings, maintenance of customer database, product database, etc.
* Dynamic websites can be managed and operate from any location so one can do the changes very easily at the earliest.

Dynamic websites can be created by using programming languages like JSP, ASP, PHP, and ASP.net and so on. Dynamic Website has successfully redefined the concept of website design. Apart from adding a new dimension in the website design industry, Dynamic website designing has enhanced the visual appearance of a website by making it more interactive and user-friendly.

Dynamic Websites

Ecommerce Solutions

E-commerce Solutions require a methodical approach towards the online application`s perceptive, planning and execution. In recent years the importance of e-commerce websites has reached new heights as business on the Internet has flourished. In order to effectively provide a comprehensive shopping experience to your target audience online you will be required to gear up your online business with e-commerce solutions.

Ecommerce solution has been widely used for easier website maintenance and online customer assistance, and allows regular updates to be installed on a daily basis for further features enhancement. E-commerce web development helps to facilitate a number of different operations on an individual as well as complementary basis.

An ecommerce solution features a vast variety of easy online shopping cart accessibility allowing online business owners to build, operate, and maintain online stores with little effort and with no additional costs, added fees, or limits. Online merchants need to set up an e-commerce website in order to facilitate the buying and selling of products over the Internet.

Security is one of the major issues when it comes to selling products and services online. This is because e-commerce websites are engaged with the transfer of funds of cash or credit cards. Gaining the confidence of the target audience and getting them to spend money on your website used to be a very challenging task. However with the advancement of e-commerce solutions you can now base your online business strong fundamentals and comprehensive business models in the online world.

A successful e-commerce website services must have the abilities to give appealing looks to the portal through ecommerce custom design, Scalable ecommerce website development for easy future updates, strong and well customized shopping cart, a robust CMS. Apart from this it also needs to have the competitor`s websites to know the marketing challenges, a strong SEO, Internet Marketing Strategies and their Implementations and non-stop updates to match the new trends and future market.

Online businesses have a large number of e-commerce solutions to choose from. However your aim should be to find and incorporate the most effective solutions based on the nature of your business.

Ecommerce Solutions

Corporate Website

To run a corporate website is very important for global market needs. Whether you are selling services, products and have any other business corporate website is must.

Corporate website design is a relatively new field of study within our constantly growing and changing internet environment. For corporate website only unique design is not important you should also have informative content in your website to attract the visitors. Your design may be simple or flashy based on your brand image, but the only thing you should keep in mind is that it should provide important information in an easy-to-find manner. Whether you are selling products or services SEO is important to stand your business globally. The main function of a corporate website is to collect leads that could be converted into prospects.

Today, corporate internet site design produces unique page packages that announce who the corporation is instead of attempts to direct ecommerce interactions into this particular Web location. Now a day’s big ecommerce stores are available on the internet for online shopping and they are also a big part of corporate website.

Be simple and direct with your content and design. Have a professional approach and advertise strategically. Expert website development is also important for corporate website. If your website is not user friendly visitors will not stay there. While making your corporate website always keep this all in mind.

Corporate Website

Website Maintenance

Web applications and websites maintenance support as your requirements are dynamic and the online business needs to grow and outperform the competitors. Apart from online applications, e-commerce and website`s maintenance and services are very important factor to running smooth business.

Every action has a beginning phase where you launch your activity, a middle period in which you must sustain and develop it and a conclusion. Website maintenance is the final part so that machine moves smoothly and finally the result comes. The beauty of a website is that it is not static like a brochure or printed document. You can change it to reflect new products or new developments in your enterprise so every time its need website maintenance services.

Here are some website maintenance and support services depending upon business needs:

• On-going Support (bug fixing, problems analysis and resolution, on-call support)
• Enhancements (modifications to support business or technical requirements' changes)
• Upgrades (new functionality/features/Design implementations)
• Technical Improvement (optimization restructuring/rewriting)

If you want to have a successful web presence and make sure your website achieves its prime goals and objectives, it is important that you maintain it well and keep it up to date. Only if you keep it updated, will your visitors keep coming back.

Website maintenance includes revising, editing, or otherwise changing existing web pages to keep your website up to date. The periodic addition of new web pages is also part of maintenance services. The value of a practice website is the ability to maintain current information online at a reasonable cost. We assume that you will want to revise some or all of your web pages over time, as well as adding additional web pages according to your business needs.

Website Maintenance

Content Management System

Content management system (CMS) can be defined as a system used to manage and create documents and content for website. In terms of web applications a CMS is used for managing websites and web content which in many cases requires a backend system for editing and creating documents. The content managed may include computer files, image media, audio files, video files, electronic documents, and Web content. These concepts represent integrated and interdependent layers.

Content Management Systems come in all shapes and sizes. Chances are if you've put up a Web page on a free Web page server or ISP you've had access to a rudimentary content management system.

Content management tool facilitates a lot of things:

• provides Web access to Web page content owners directly
• allows for faster updates of Web pages
• provides an easy-to-use interface where content owners don't need to know HTML
• creates accountability, as most content managers can track logins and changes to various pages within the site
• upholds standardization rules

In most companies, the Web Developers don't write the content for the pages. They simply put it up in a format that is Web ready. With a content manager, the content owner can access the parts of the site that they own and publish them, often directly to the Web site or staging server.

To summarize the market for content management systems remains fragmented, with many open-source and proprietary solutions available. As we all know, managing a dynamic Web site can turn to a real nightmare. Make sure that your requirements are met when choosing a solution.

Content Management System

Custom Website Design

Custom website design offers a high level of flexibility and attracts users to by its stunning design . It makes a website more competitive as well as user friendly. A custom website design can represent your business and carry its uniqueness to your prospective customers. This is because the ultimate goal of custom website design is to build your site around your business. It also projects your website in a unique and extraordinary way to the customers.

Uniqueness often attracts the attention of people but to some being unique is weird. Being unique sometimes means going against the flow or taking the road less traveled. In custom website design a work that is different from others can be a great strategy to get notice and impress an audience and potential customers.

There are several factors which make custom website design effective and attractive. For instance, graphics is an important key factor for create appealing website designs. The images featured on the design should also be clean, picture-perfect and in sync with the site and the business it represents.
The website designed should be simple as well as informative. The design should fulfill several usability factors. The design and functionality of a website plays a vital role in converting a visitor into a potential customer.

A Custom website design provides an attractive format for your business. If such a design looks professional, it will usually cost more. The best way of selling the products and services can be done through a custom website.

Nowadays, people have started to come up with new ideas to make their websites more and more attractive. Professionals design websites in such a way that, they look not only look attractive but are user friendly and easily navigable.

Custom Website Design

Landing page design

Landing page designs are a better way to welcome visitors that simply making them arrive on the website. This is because when you know where the visitors are coming from, you can address their specific needs and offer customized solutions for the same. By giving visitors exactly what they need, you can captivate their attention and acquire a following of loyal audiences.

A landing page is the first page a user lands on after following a link. It can be the home page of the website or any webpage specially designed to welcome the visitors. Landing pages are designed to provide additional information on the text followed in the link. Any internal page providing more information on the queried search term would be a landing page for the visitor.

Landing pages can provide customized sales pitches for visitors. By designing great landing pages you can seek to engage visitors more effectively and increase your conversion rates. While designing a landing page website design professionals keep certain parameters in mind so as to maximize the full potential of the page. Here are some tips to design effective landing pages that will engage visitors and provide higher ROI.

1. Relevancy

your landing page content must be relevant and concise to what people were looking for when they applied the click through. The content of the landing page should work to promote something specific. It should focus on one appealing message that is sure to attract visitor attention.

2. Focus

Dedicate one landing page to only one product or service. Don't try to promote multiple products or services on one page. Create separate landing pages and campaigns if you have multiple products or services to promote. Focus on one product or one product group on each landing page.

3. Call for Action

A prominent Call for Action should be well highlighted. It should directly take the user to the conversion page. This should be in synchronization with the goal of the site. There should be consistent and relevant and whatever you choose should deliver value in exchange for the user's action.

4. Keep it neat and simple

Landing page design should be very neat and extremely easy to read. It’s important to have a clean and professional look and feel so that buyers feel safe making purchases.

5- Make it Visually Appealing

Make sure your support your content with relevant images that illustrate the quality of your products or even services. Keep in mind that for direct marketing it's the words that sell. Graphics and images serve only to enhance your text communication, not cloud it.

6- Use Catchy Headlines

If your headline is able to catch the attention of visitors, only then they will read further. When visitors arrive on your landing pages, make sure they see clear and direct headlines. Make sure your landing page text should be simple and easier to read that tell visitors what needs to be accomplished.

7. Grammatical and Spelling Errors

Check through your text and correct all grammatical and spelling errors on your landing page design. Otherwise it gives your website visitors a negative impression.

Designing an effective landing page that holds a user’s attention and clearly helps him understand what is expected of him can contribute a lot to improving conversions. Don't distract your visitors with advertisements, links to other web pages. A good landing page design will always sport good conversion rate as compared to a poor one. Take the time to think and rethink, work and rework your landing page design.

Landing page design

PHP Programming

PHP is a scripting language initially designed for producing dynamic web pages. It is widely used for website development and can be embedded into HTML. There are many database applications but PHP programming is very popular due to easy management of website as it is based on CMS.

It is server side scripting language (PHP Hypertext Preprocessor) that facilitates the creation of dynamic Web pages by embedding PHP-coded logic in HTML documents. It combines many of the finest features of Perl, C, and Java, and adds its own elements to the concoction to give Web programmers great flexibility and power in designing and implementing dynamic, content-oriented Web pages. PHP programming was originally designed for use in web development, but today, it has rapidly grown as a robust language, which can be changed as per one’s requirements, both for development of system software and development of web based applications alike. This is because it supports different databases like MySQL, Oracle and Sybase.

Although most people use PHP programming language primarily as a Web development scripting system, it possesses all the characteristics of a proper general-purpose language that can be useful in a variety of other environments.

PHP can be run as either a CGI application or as an integrated Web server module. Regardless of its mode of execution, the PHP interpreter has the potential to access virtually every part of the host -- the file system, network interfaces, IPC, etc. Consequently, it has the potential to do (or be forced to do) a lot of damage.

PHP programming has achieved a stable and solid presence on the Web in the last several years, and its popularity as a server-side scripting language is only increasing.

PHP Programming

Flash Development

Flash is a multimedia platform and become a popular method for adding animation and interactivity to websites. Flash when used optimally is the most efficient tool to generate user friendly and eye catching information to the end users. Flash, or more technically Abode Flash, is a set of multimedia software currently developed and distributed by Abode Systems, which is extensively used by Flash development services for adding animation and interactivity to web pages.

Any website that is developed on flash gives better interactivity to the website when interactive animation is added on it. In addition to this, Flash provides facility to incorporate sound as a background element. A flash site can be loaded in a one go, and once it gets loaded it is easy for any visitor to go through different areas of the site without reloading.

The use of flash in movies, games, website development and 3d animation is increasing rapidly. It is not just a part of website, but has covered a long way and is now considered as a web template. You can find flash templates on the internet easily to develop your interactive flash website. Flash template is differing from html templates as html web templates are plain and flash web templates are more interactive. It’s very easy to develop flash website by using templates and it’s have very user friendly and amazing effects. Today where the time taken to make some decision or go through any website is getter shorter and nobody has enough time to go through the entire web-content a flash template can give them a better idea about the company.

It is very important to develop websites that are well designed and have enough functionality to hold its visitors for longer time. Flash web design solutions or Flash development plays an important role and further gives an edge.

Flash Development

Logo Design

Evolution is a process of change or development. Nowadays nearly all the businesses realize that a logo design is the first step towards brand establishment. Logo designs have become the visual representation of the company brand, which is what people think about your company and their experiences with it.

A logo is the image which represents a company or its product. Its function is to create a memorable, recognizable impression on the mind of a potential client or customer. A logo is essentially at the heart of a corporate identity. Your logo says everything about your business. Without a great logo design, you have no identity.

A custom logo design catches the eye - it makes the observer curious or engaged, if only for a short moment. Once a form for the logo has been defined, color needs to be considered. Again, color for a logo should remain simple. You can always get fancy with the web version, but a good logo must work well in one color and gradients of that color. By experimenting with fonts, size, shapes they seek to find an interesting way to represent the company using the form of letters. Again, simplicity is extremely important - this is not the time to use fancy decorative fonts.

A logo design should be simple and abstract, not be complicated or confusing, and again, all elements must be discernible when reproduced in small sizes. Having a good quality product doesn't necessarily assure the success of a business. A professionally designed custom logo can be very powerful in representing the company profile, the nature of job they do and the attitude of the company. Good logo design helps to build the identity of the company and distinguishes your service from your competitors in the industry.

Your custom logo design is used in various mediums and at several other places. So a custom logo should be designed keeping in mind that it will be used on your corporate website, banners, business cards, brochures, in the press, and on other marketing material.

Logo Design

Banner Ad Design

Online banner ads design are very popular for online marketing and these are very effective now a days. An effective banner ad design can make the difference between an unsuccessful and successful banner ad campaign. Though it’s a part of web designing but its main theme is online marketing. This is newer ways of advertising on the internet; many online entrepreneurs are still promoting their online businesses through banners.

Your creativity plays a big role in successful banner advertising. However, be careful not to copy other people's advertisements. Design is an integral part of banners just like in outdoor advertising. If you have a lousy banner ad design, people will not really bother to take a look at your advertisement. The designs that you will employ must be simple yet relevant to the nature of your business. Furthermore, aside from paying attention to your banner ad design, you also need to give emphasis on the benefits of your product whenever you write your advertisements. People always want to hear what they can get from what you are selling. A banner ad design should be easily downloaded with soft animation. Its color and size should be attractive. The banner content should be very simple and attractive.

Some important things regarding banner ad design are-

1-Call to action element is very appealing for banner ads. It attracts the users to know what is behind it.
2-The product and any service you are offering through, it should always be highlighted or seen carefully. It catches the user attraction.
3-If banner is linking from any other site, it should be very clear and correct.

An effective banner ad is a blend of imagination, innovative ideas and of course attractive designing. After you work on every aspect to produce an efficient and effective banner ad it will work surely.

Banner Ad Design

Web Site Development

Web site development is a broad term for any activity related to developing a web site for the World Wide Web. As a broad term it includes e-commerce business development, web content development, application development, database development and client & server side scripting. It is about building an interactive, enduring online presence and a buzzing activity centre for your clientele who enhance customer interaction with your brand, products and services.

A web site can be accessed by the entire World Wide Web. Web site development refers to both the technical construction and creative design of websites. It covers visual and graphical arrangement and layout, information structure and presentation, functionality and interactivity, as well as usability and accessibility. Much broader than straight web design, web development is about the complete product, and must address both the practical and aesthetic purposes of a website.

Web development platforms are many but should be used most stable and secure. Web site development is a strategically process which requires professional services and expertise to make its mark in the network of competitors. We can see new websites emerging on daily basis and vanishing soon. The reason for this is easy availability of the web development platforms but the unprofessional completion of the web development tasks.

Some important elements of a successful web site development-

1.Clean and Strong Coding- Development of the website should be clean and strong in coding. It is very important to build a website with quality code structure without bugs.

2.User friendly interface- Website interface should be kept as simple as that users find it easy to browse through and navigate easily.

3.Elements and features- The features and elements you include in your website should be visible to the users. Font size and style should be readable and good looks.

Always focus on clearness, bug less and easily understood web site development to please your audience.

Web Site Development

Ecommerce Web Development Firm

Ecommerce web development firm are doing business online through the internet, it’s the new way of doing business preferred by the majority of business community. Ecommerce, or popularly known as electronic commerce, is a kind of advanced business carried via online to cater targeted audience globally.

E-Commerce Web Development firm is a well-organized way of promoting businesses, bringing in good-looking profits and delivering improved services. E-Commerce Web Development firm is the center of the whole E-Commerce Web Development process and requires team hard work, significant knowledge and skills. It is what makes your website go exist and ensures online achievement.

E Commerce is a growing and evolving activity which is driven by the changing consumer needs and development of technology. The Ecommerce business solutions providers try to keep pace with this rapid change to expand the business frontiers. The three main categories of Ecommerce are B2B-business to business, B2C- business to customer and C2C-customer to customer. The Ecommerce web development firm can integrate latest technology and techniques that are designed to promote online businesses to long and successful enterprises. In order to conduct any ecommerce business, an attractive and highly functional ecommerce web design is very essential.
Professional E-Commerce Web Site Development and Web Design Companies open up new doors and opportunities to any business. It gives the consumers what they wish for correct now, with no wait and queues at the checkouts.

Ecommerce Web Development Firm

Flash Web Design

Flash Web design is the expertise of designing hypertext presentations of content through the World Wide Web to the end users by using Stunning graphics, motion, music etc. A web site is a collection of information in a well groomed style on any particular subject. A web site can be developed in flash and with the combination of Flash and HTML both with any other supportive languages like CSS, XML, Java script and VB sricpt. There are many aspects in the process in reference of flash web site design and due to the rapid growth on the internet, new aspects may emerge.

Few of the basic elements of flash website design are-

a) Usability
b) Appearance
c) Relevancy
d) Visibility

Flash web site design can be used to produce eye-catching and useful Web sites containing prosperous multimedia, enhanced interactivity, and a high scale of personalization without the need to write a lot of code. Flash designs includes dynamic flash with CMS, complete sophisticated Flash web site design, flash animation presentations, flash banners, flash animated logo design and flash Intro pages services.

Flash web designs capture the mind of the viewer and invite them to explore further. The use of flash in website design is a tremendous way to draw attention to your website. The flash designer uses different types of tools for quality animation creation.

Apart of flash qualities bad flash web design does not help your site appear in search engine results. If website first page contains heavy flash presentation, site will never be indexed by any search engine. Flash presentations take time to make so it should be use with HTML combination.

Using flash is never a dreadful move unless one carefully plans how to make it valuable in directing traffic to ones site and keeping the visitors attention fascinated on the content.

Flash Web Design

Web Site Design

A customized and new age Web site design has become a vital part of all the online and e-commerce businesses. Eye-catching custom web site design elevates the brand image and leaves a long lasting impact on the visitors and compels them to return on the web site in future.

There are numerous websites launched everyday and so the completion take a difficult shape. Most of the websites do a great job without a great web site design, however; they are certainly beaten by the competitors after sometime due to lack of high user experience and rough navigations.

A successful and performing web site design is not just about beautiful colours, high end images and use of too many design elements, however; it is all about how comfortable it makes the users.

Here is how a great web site design is visualized;

1. Well studied industry and high performing competitor`s website.
2. Expert wire-frame development
3. Unique color combinations for the web site design.
4. Original images and button designs.
5. Professional Company Logo design.
6. Appropriate Fonts for Heading and body text.
7. Placement of important objects at the strategic locations of the web site design.
8. Cross browser testing of the HTML.

An eye-catching web site design connects your business to a great user experience.

Now the challenge is how to hire an affordable web site design company that can help you with solid web site designs and meet your business requirements.

Here is how you should select your web site designers;
a) Ask for the web site designer`s portfolio and tools expertise.
b) Seek web site design samples done by the website designer in your industry
c) Seek 2 to 3 references where you can call up and verify.
d) Ask for a simple wire-frame and mock up design.

People often form their “first impression” about an organization or an online business from its Web site. Your web site designs therefore ought to be visually attractive, easy-to-use, fully optimized and compliant to industry standards (clean and W3C validated HTML).

Web Site Design