How to choose a web designer on the Outer Banks

Portfolios all look good, because nobody shows the bad ones. The way to choose a web designer is to ask questions that a portfolio cannot answer — about ownership, about the law, about what happens after launch — and to listen for whether the answers come quickly and in writing. Here are the ones we would ask if we were hiring someone other than ourselves.

The details

Who will own the domain? A domain is registered through a registrar, and the accredited ones (registrars accredited under the 2013 RAA), of which ICANN's public directory listed 3,019 when we checked — all let the registrant be your business. The right answer is 'you, in your company's name, with your own login.' Any other answer means the designer can hold your address hostage in a dispute, and it happens more often than anyone admits.

Who will own the hosting and the content? Ask what you receive if you leave: the files, the database, the images, the text. A designer who cannot give a straight answer is selling you a lease, not a website.

How do they handle accessibility? The Justice Department's position is that the ADA applies to websites of public-facing businesses. A good designer will talk about labelled forms, keyboard navigation, captions and text alternatives, and about testing by hand. A designer whose whole answer is a plug-in or a toolbar widget has told you they have not read the Department's caution about exactly that approach.

Can they back up their claims? North Carolina's deceptive-practices statute (G.S. 75-1.1 — unfair or deceptive acts unlawful) and the FTC's advertising rules require business claims to be truthful and supported. If a designer's own pitch quotes a dramatic percentage about lost visitors or revenue, ask for the study. If they cannot produce it, consider what they will write on your site.

Do they know the coast? Cape Hatteras National Seashore alone runs more than seventy miles from Nags Head to Ocracoke (Cape Hatteras NS — over 70 miles), and customers search by town. A designer who understands that Corolla, Manteo and Hatteras are different markets will structure your site that way. One who treats 'OBX' as a single keyword will not.

What does a change cost after launch? Get it in writing: included, hourly, or not offered. This single answer predicts your next three years with the designer better than anything in their portfolio.

Ownership in your name, accessibility done by hand, claims that can be proved, local structure, and a written answer on changes. A designer who passes all five is worth hiring; one who resists the questions has already answered them.