The best way to familiarize yourself with a web designer is to spend time at their own business website. As you review the work of a web design company, ask yourself:
- Do their links work throughout their own site?
- Are the graphical images and photos they're using in focus and in color?
- Is the idea behind their web design original or does it look like a template?
- Can you view the web designer's portfolio?
It's not just about the price - it's also about originality in concept and successful search engine placement. Research their ranking and review their client designs. If you don't like what you see and you can't find any of their web sites online, the web designer probably won't be able to do much better for you.