Once you have chosen to have a website designed, it is important that you choose your web design company carefully.
A properly designed website is the first step to achieving good results on search engines. It is a cost effective way of generating new leads and can save you money by getting it right first time.
A web design company should be able to listen to your needs and advise you on the best solutions for your company. Too many web designers ignore the actual business needs of their clients. Your website is your business and it should truly represent the image you want to project online. It is likely that if a web designer doesn't listen to your needs that you will not get a website that you are satisfied with. A good web designer will think like a business owner. They will understand that for any small to medium size business a website must primarily achieve the following:

• Be targeted to your market on the internet
  
• Clearly communicate your business message
  
• Make information easy to find
  
• Provide a call to action so that the visitor contacts you

It is also important that a web designer understands the importance of search engines and how they rank websites. Search engines are forever changing their algorithms and search engine marketing cannot be learnt from a book. There are also design issues involved, and if your website design is not search engine friendly then it is going to be even harder and cost more for you to achieve those all important rankings in the long run. See search engine no-no's.

You should also consider the web designers technical expertise.
Can they provide additional scripting for you in the future? It maybe that you are currently looking for a static HTML website but your needs may change in the future. Will they be able to carry out additional, maybe more complex work such as data management or e-commerce? What is their background in web design? Do they have a true background in web design and development? Take a look at websites they have developed - do they look professional? Would you be happy for you business to have a website of that quality?