It might seem like it's saving you money to design a website yourself, but it will end up costing you more money and time in the long run. If you are busy running your own business, then it will be obvious that as a business owner, you don't have time to learn how to create good web design on the side.

The cost of a web design master (aka webmaster) is offset by the time saving he or she does for you. How much is your time worth? What could you be doing in all those hours? What sales might you cost yourself if you are away from your business for hours, days, weeks, or months?

HTML coding does look easy up front, but most people don't know that there are many other programming languages necessary in a business website. Do you have all of the time you need to create an attractive, functioning and secure website? If you think your business needs and deserves more than a shoddy, pre-fabricated website, you should hire a professional web designer.

A web site designer should at least be proficient in the four best-known web programming languages, which are HTML, SHTML, Java, and CSS. Most professional designers with a lot of experience can work with many more languages, which can help you get a better website, but the more training a person has, the more the design will cost.

If your budget is tight, you can always consider hiring a student to create your web design. Many professional and 2-year colleges teach computer courses, and many will have design students in their classes who need to build portfolios. Some of the students will even work for free. Other students will work for low fees, but they will definitely ask for a reference.

Next, you need to consider what your site is going to be and what you need it to do. The more features on a site, the more room and bandwidth it will eat up on your server. You need to consider your space limitations when designing your website.

If you need programs for your website, such as a shopping cart, a programmer is often very expensive. It may suit your needs for you to buy a software program that is pre-made to meet your needs. This kind of software can be found for important features such as your store's online shopping cart. It is absolutely critical for you to harbor a secure online cart that has no errors so your website's customers will feel that their information is safe.

The most important consideration is hacker safety. Neither you nor your customers want your site or the private information on it to be stolen. Be sure that your webmaster offers support, and be sure that your budget allows for those emergency calls that are sure to come.