After doing your basic due diligence in checking the individual or the company itself with the Better Business Bureau to see that it has a good reputation and that there are not outstanding complaints against the company or webmaster, your next step is to check to see if the pages that the webmaster designs are W3C compliant.
A webmaster's home page is like their resume or "sample" of the work they do. If their own home page is not compliant, chances are that they will not create yours that way, either.
What is a good way to check for compliance? Beyond the obvious method of just plain asking, it's very simple to check up on a particular web page to see if it is compliant.
Validate Their Home Page
One way for you to do this is to validate their home page. You can use the W3C validator at validator.w3.org website to see if the webmaster's home page and other pages are compliant. All you have to do is enter the URL of their site and the validator will let you know if that page complies.
Are Other Client Pages Compliant?
Another way that you can check up on the webmaster is to look at other client pages and check them for compliance. Enter their URL in the validator as described above and check them out. If other client pages are compliant, you can feel more assured that yours will be compliant as well.
Most webmasters or web design companies will show samples of other sites they have created. They may list some as references for you to check out their work. Take this opportunity to check out their previous clients and the pages that have been created. In addition to running a check on the client pages, you might actually be able to speak to previous clients and ask them about their experience with the webmaster you are considering.
Remember, your website represents your company or business. It is worth the time and effort to do your research and choose the right person for the job.
