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There is no shortage of companies or individuals who will take on the task of developing your website. The hard part is finding someone who is not only talented enough to get the job done, but will do it for the right price. The cost can vary greatly, depending on the complexity you are looking for within your site. Great site design shouldn’t break the bank, but if you choose to go with a bargain special, then expect equally bargain-basement quality.

One thing to keep in mind is that you are not the expert, they are (or you would be doing it yourself). Here are a few pieces of knowledge that your web developer should be aware of right from the start.

Quality Number 1: How to Design a Website

Anyone who claims to be a web developer should obviously have a plethora of knowledge on how to build a website. If you are looking to have a corporate site implemented, it will need a developer capable of giving it a highly professional appearance.

The first thing that ever gets noticed about a website is its visual appeal. They should also have experience with finding the proper colors and fonts for a site. A site with strong colors, or fonts that are too small or large, will send visitors packing.

Usability is also extremely important. They should know usability best practices, as proposed by the Usability Professional Association.

Quality Number 2: Coding and Structuring

A good web developer should have a vast amount of knowledge when it comes to structuring and coding a website. They should steer clear of layouts that are strictly table-based.

A table is a very old and heavily coded way of site building. Their experience should be with CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) layouts. This paves the way to having a more complex website, which will have a high level of functionality and visual appeal.

Quality Number 3: Knowledge of Proper SEO

Any decent web developer should know how to implement proper SEO (search engine optimization). Websites that use a lot of flash applications look great, but do not rank high on results pages with search engines. To get desirable search engine results, your developer should use proper coding and maintain H tag rules.

Off-page SEO isn’t required but preferred. That way the web developer will know how to design sites that will get natural links (like lists for example, take this useful article on how to search people, featuring 25 free people search engines which got over 120.000 visitors from StumbleUpon).

Quality Number 4: Knowledge of Programming Languages

There are many programming languages, and while a developer doesn’t need to be versed in every one, they should have an in-depth knowledge of at least one of them. The knowledge of one of these will allow the developer to create many user-friendly interactive features.

Quality Number 5: Client/Customer Services

In today’s internet crazed world, there are more web development companies than you could imagine. A reputable company always keeps in mind that their customers are what drives their business, and should treat their customers accordingly. A web developer should be willing to stay in constant contact, and develop a great working rapport with their clients.

Have you found this article to be helpful? Let me know!

Author bio: I am the founder of FinderMind.com, a website on finding and re-connecting with people online.