This is the 4th of eight articles about site design. In the last article, we debated web site name registration.

As an example, is the server you are considering Linux / Apache or Windows based? Will it support dynamic pages, or only static, and if they do support dynamic will they support both PHP as well as ASP? Or did they stick to one flavour of dynamic. Website designers have a tendency to specialize, so do not feel like you want to get someone that is capable in each side of site design. If you're not going to take orders online, then a static site, essentially for image purposes, is a good way to start. But if you want a dynamic database driven site, you'll need someone that understands PHP and MySQL. One who does ASP and Microsoft SQL won't be able to help, or maybe they can. There are numerous selections you can make here, but if cost is a major element, stick with PHP, MySQL and some kind of Linux. You may not know what they are, but when I say that they're free to use, it may give you good excuse to think that way. In my view, MySQL rivals any database system in the world for almost any use, and it is completely free for you to use.

This is one time, my mate, that you get more than you pay for.

The Yellow Pages are the best place to have a look for a designer. The scale of the ad may give you a concept of expertise and cost. A shop with many programmers is going to be costlier, but may save cash in the long term.

A web site designer should be ready to build a ridicule ups, or coarse demo, for you early on to offer you an idea of what the site may look like. They can put together some basic pages, add photographs and some common text to give you a feel for the site. Don't expect to see a last site before you fork over some money.

There are sometimes 2 ways to pay for a project like this, either a set fee or by the hour. If you know exactly what you need, then go for a set fee. If you do that don't expect to make plenty of changes or additions that you are expecting to be done at no charge. For many of us, an hourly based time and materials contract is best. Next time, we're going to talk about hosting your new site.