So you’ve made the decision to have a website created. Now you’re probably asking yourself where to start. The first step for many is usually to search for web designers on a search engine or freelancer website. There is more to it than that, however. Obviously you need to make sure the web designer can design web pages, but web design really goes beyond just graphic design. While many people can create a design which looks like it would be made into a website, there are many things designers do not always take into account which could cost you later.

If you’re looking for someone who can actually design a site and make it into something functional that people can use, you need to be looking for more than just a designer. What you need to be looking for is actually a web developer. The terms sound similar, but they are different. Typically web developers are capable of both website design and the programming required to make the site usable. Web designers are usually just designers with limited technical capability.

Say the site you want created needs to have a photo gallery implemented, or a discussion board. For these things you’re going to need a programmer. The functionality of these elements also needs to fit in with the design. However when you have both a programmer and a designer working on the same project when one doesn’t know what the other is doing, it can get messy. It’s best to find one person who can do both jobs.

There are other considerations to be aware of, but these are probably two of the most important things to realize when choosing a web designer. To minimize your development time and costs, it’s best to find someone who is good at both design and programming. While that person might cost a little more by the hour, you should save money in the long run. While some web designers know a little HTML, a well rounded web developer will know some programming languages like PHP and Ruby along with some knowledge of database technologies such as MySQL.

Just remember there is more to a website than just designing it. Look for someone who is capable of not only making a pretty graphic, but has some technical know-how as well.

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