When you look to hire a person or company to build your website, you have a lot of choices:

• A freelance web designer / A web design company
• A graphic designer
• A PR agency
• A Hybrid SEO, Web Design, Graphic design shop

Why is it important that you choose one that is a specialist in web design and not in the many other facets of design or marketing?  The answer is simple: there is too much to learn, understand and master if that is not their sole profession.  To be proficient at web design, the person/company building the site must have the following tools and knowledge specific to websites :

• Knowledge of the Technical Components: an understanding of the coding behind the site and how it is structured and optimized.
• Usability:  an understanding of what makes a website easy to navigate and easy to find information with the least friction possible.
• Search Engine Optimization: a technical knowledge of what makes a site look good to Google and other search engines and ways to optimize the site to rank well.
• Aesthetics: a knowledge of what makes a website pleasing to the eye while being formatted for optimal usability.
• WordPress / Other CMS’s: the WordPress content management system is always improving.  It takes time to stay up on what those changes are and how to get the most out of them.
• Design Trends:  the person/company building your website should be up to date on the latest trends so that your website can not only look modern, but also have the longest useful life before it looks outdated.
• New Technologies:  Every day, new technologies are emerging that you will wish your website had if they were on top of the new trends.  Responsive design is a perfect example of this.

So how do you know if the person building your site is a website specialist?  Look out for people/companies that claim they do it all.  If they do logo design, brochure design, social media, SEO, and web design – they are probably not sufficient in any of those.  Each vertical takes a different skill set and bank of knowledge to be proficient.  It is best to find a company that focuses on websites, and only websites, that can also refer you to other professionals that are experts in their respective fields.