So you need a website but you don't know the first thing about how sites or made or what it takes to make them. In this article I will explain the process of finding a web designer and the pitfalls and scams used by some of the less professional members of the web design industry.

A website can be designed either by writing what is called the 'source code' by hand or by having a 'what you see is what you get' (WYSIWYG) editor help you out. Source code is written in programming languages that tell your computer how to display the information on a website. A WYSIWYG editor allows you to lay the web page out as it would look on a computer screen and creates the 'source code' for you. Either method of website creation is acceptable professionally and both can create great results.

So how do we find the right designer for your site. The best starting point is to ask friends, relatives or colleagues if they have used a designer and what their experience was like with them. A good designer will have very positive feedback from past clients. This has to be the least risky route to finding a good designer as they have already been used by someone you know. Should this method draw a blank, you can find a designer on the search engines, yellow pages or they may even ring you if you have an established business.

Let's assume that you have gotten in touch with a designer and either the designer or their representative is sat in front of you. No doubt they will want to show you their previous work. Have a look at it and make your own mind up as to the suitability of their work in regards to what you want, but then listen carefully to what they say and listen for alarm bells whenever these phrases pop up.

1. "We will get you number one position in the search engines."

Absolutely 100% rubbish. There are people out there who are experts in the field of search engine optimisation - the process of helping a website rank highly in the search engines. These people do time and time again get 'good' results in the search engines. Note how I said good. These professionals will never guarantee number 1 position because each search engine uses complicated methods of ranking sites that are beyond the control of all but the people who work for companies such as google and yahoo. Do not trust this designer.

2. "If we can put our link onto your site we will give you a massive 80% off."

Think about it. If you are quoted a price and the designer is willing to slice 80% off just by putting a link to their site, do you think that the designer is being up front. Your site will have very little visitors initially due to it being new. Your site is an unknown quantity but the web designer wants to knock a bucket load of money off because he is saying that he will get lots of work from your site. Rubbish. It is a classic sales technique to make you think that you are getting a good deal when really the designer is knocking no money off the deal. Can you work with someone using such tactics?

3. "We will get your pictures for the site from Google images."

Beware, beware, beware! Just because an image appears on google images does not mean you have a right to use it. These images may be subjected to copyright laws. Some designers have been fined $2000 per image for using this method. It is worth noting that this site belongs to you and some web design contracts state that the designers are not responsible for the content. Beware, beware, beware.

4. "You can collect data from visitors on your site and use it to 'spam' them about special offers."

This guy obviously forgot about data protection and laws on spamming. This is not advisable.

These are just a few examples of things that may be said during a sales pitch for your website. Do not employ anyone that is coming out with the type of suggestions above or you will end up in trouble one way or another.

You may be wondering where I have heard the examples I have used above. I also have another business completely unrelated to web design. The site for this business is actually number 1 on the search engines for many of the keywords we bid for. We were called by a 'web design company' that had not even bothered to check if we had a website. This amused us so we ask for a visit to see what they had to say. Well, they said a lot of things including every single one of the points above. Watch out, these guys are out there.