There are some website designers who focus more on the design and appearance, rather than the functionality. If you've read our previous post, you'll see there are real-world impacts. Ready to get serious about your website? Here are some basic questions to ask:

1. "How extensively do you use Flash?"

We tend to find that website designers who focus more on the look than the functionality use Flash extensively. This can be a detriment to your marketing efforts if used improperly because search engines don’t scan the content within Flash. We believe that Flash can be included, but your content should also be in a format that search engines recognize.

2. "If you build a website for me, will it have a Content Management System (CMS) that I'll have access to?"

You own the site - you should also have access and flexibility. If you decide you want to change some of the content or write a blog, you can do it yourself with a CMS, or have the website designer do so on his or her schedule.

3. "I need to include a blog within my site; can your CMS provide that option?"

Including a blog will provide more traffic if you’re providing information people seek. You’ll need this blog to be a part of your site, so your web traffic includes people reading the blog, and they're staying engaged on your site.

4. "Will you optimize my pages based on content, even when I change the content?"

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an ever-changing aspect to website marketing. In the end, you need to make sure that the words on your page match the SEO efforts made by your website designer. Be sure to communicate. If your home page talks about dogs only, your SEO for that page shouldn’t have the keyword of “cats” in the list. It all has to make sense to the search engines, and you'll need someone to keep track of those efforts.

5. "Will my website include social media links?"

Even if you’re not ready to dive in head-long into the social media thing, at the very least it can be used to promote your blogs, give people another way to find you, and build more traffic. And you never know, you may get more into it later, so build that flexibility in the beginning stages.

Although these are just a few questions, we hope they give you a starting point to interview your website designer. Are they more into the look, or more into the functionality? Shoot for the latter, and you'll be well on your way.

Have questions? Just comment, or give us a SHOUT!

Photo courtesy of Michelle Meiklejohn