It's not an enviable task to find a good web design company who can deliver exactly what you need, for the right price, and on time. There are thousands of companies out there, all striving for your business, so how do you know which one to use?

Firstly, take a look at their own website. What's your first impression? If you don't like their website, then how can you be confident they will deliver on yours? What is the quality of the websites listed on their respective portfolio page? If you don't like these either then walk away.

It's best if you take a look at a number of the websites that they have produced for their customers. Do they give a feel of quality? Do they load fast? Are they easy to navigate? Do they stand out from the crowd? Most of all, would you be happy to have one of the sites as your own?

How many sites are listed on the company’s website? Under 5? If so then why so few? Maybe the company are new and therefore don't have many clients under their belt. Over 10? This is better, but make sure that all sites are of equal quality. Every web design company has one stand out site, but you want to have 100% trust in their ability to produce a knock-out site each and every time.

Ideally, for an established web design company, in our opinion they should have 20+ top quality client websites for you to look at and judge. Take your time in looking around, after all you want to know you're spending your hard-earned money in the right place.

Try and get a shortlist of 3-4 companies which you are happy with.

Next, get in touch with them. Send them an email, or give them a ring. Explain to them what you want, and try to give as much detail as possible. If you decided to email them, then how quick did they reply to you? Customer service is equally as important as getting a fantastic website, so be confident that they will go out of their way to not only get your business, but treat you well, deliver more than what you require, and therefore keep your future business. Ideally this will be a long-term relationship, so having a friendly point of contact that you can talk to regularly helps immensely.

Upon explaining exactly what you want, shortly after (a couple of days or so), you should receive your custom quotation. Compare prices from your chosen list. You should expect to have a fairly large range of prices. Don't go for the cheapest (unless you're comfortable with your choice), but at the same time you can probably avoid the most expensive option too. Middle ground is usually the best, though the old adage of "you get what you pay for", is usually true in the web design world.

Happy hunting!