If you have a small business, then you should definitely have a website for it. Having a URL makes your business accessible to more people locally and worldwide.

Another reason to go online is current consumer habits include doing internet research for products and services prior to purchasing. Of course, you would want to be found by potential customers when they’re looking for information and turn those website visitors into regular clients.

But before jumping into creating a website, do you recall a time when you searched a product online and landed on a dubious looking website? There were no contact details, it lacked relevant information and to make things worse, the design was just bad — tacky or too glitzy, in every wrong way possible, just plain bad? If there’s one thing worse than not having a website for your small business, it’s having an ugly website for your business.

What you want is to maximise the benefits of having a website, i.e. gain customers, generate online sales and revenues, address client concerns and become easily accessible. But what an a bad-looking website will do is drive visitors away, leaving a bad image of your business in their minds.

A crucial difference between a successful business and a staggering one is the website — and not just any website, but one that looks legit, functions well and communicates competence.

To help guarantee a job well done in hiring a designer for your website, here are 3 tips when looking to hire a web designer.