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OK so let's assume you have no website and little or no knowledge of website design, or even the internet for that matter!

It can be a mind boggling experience for the even the very best of us when faced with the task of planning a website. The smallest of brochure websites can succeed or fail on simple planning mistakes that are made right at the start. There are several things you need to know before choosing a website design company to work with.

Do I need a Dynamic website?

Will your visitors need to be able to interact with the website or will all the information be static. If nothing at all is going to move around or change you probably don't need a dynamic website.

Do I need E commerce facilities?

Do you want to sell things via your website? If the answer is yes then you are going to need E commerce built into your website. There are many great off the shelf E commerce packages out there to choose from. I recommend looking around for one that is proven to be search engine friendly. If you can't find the right one your website design company may be able to create a bespoke package for you.

Do I need a database driven website?

If you need to store lots of product information or details of your clients then you will need a database with your website. For example if you intend to harvest email addresses or other personal details from your visitors you will need a database to store all this information quickly and easily.

Do I need SEO?

If you want people to be able to find your website in the search engines then you are going to need some SEO (search engine optimisation). The best thing to do is choose a website design company that also offers SEO. When choosing an SEO provider, make sure to check out their previous work so that you can be sure of success. SEO is a cut throat business filled with bogus companies that exist only to relieve you of you money, and will probably get your site banned from the search engines.

Ok so with those questions answered you now need to plan your website out fully page by page. Draw pretty pictures if it will help get your idea across to your web design company. Find any photos you may want to use on your site and also write out the text that will be included too.

Make sure you plan every last detail before approaching a website design company, this will help them give you an accurate quote straight away and will avoid any confusion which may lead to parts of your site that don't look the way you originally intended.

About the Author

Niall O'Meara enables you to make a well informed choice on your website design company with this short article inspired by personal experience.