This article is written for those of you who are in the process of looking for a website designer. One of the good things to do when you’re shopping, is to look through the web designer’s portfolio. Most folks looking through a portfolio of websites will notice the obvious, like what the websites look like. This article was written to hopefully help you notice something a big less obvious: whether the web designer is using “real” domains, creating “sub-domains”, or “directories” for his website clients.

When you’re looking in a web designer’s portfolio, don’t just rely on the images they provide. Click in the URL (web address) of the websites they claim to have designed. (If you find a lot of broken links, this is not a good sign). Take a good look at the URL, it’s at the very top of your browser and begins with “http://”.

First, let me explain what these three things are and how to tell them apart.

1. Domains: These look like “http://www.yourbusiness.com” or “http://yourbusiness.com”. Domains are registered and owned by YOU, the small business owner.

2. SubDomains: These look like “http://www.yourbusiness.yourwebdesigner.com”. Once someone buys a domain, they can make all the subdomains they want, for free. Sometimes web designers will create subdomains for their clients - but they are not owned by the business owner - they are owned by the web designer. You as a small business owner have no rights to a subdomain on some else’s website.

3. Directory: These look like: “http://www.yourwebdesigner.com/yourbusiness/”. These are simply directories that the web designer has created to put your files in.

You want to see a web design portfolio where everyone has their own domain name, like #1 above. This is the only professional, and in my opinion, ethical way, to do website design for other people. Since domain registrations are so inexpensive ($10 per year), there is just no reason why a small business owner couldn’t afford to get their own domain.

Why do some web designers use subdomains and directories? Laziness? For profit? Since it costs them nothing, maybe they’re charging folks for “web hosting”. Maybe they don’t know search engines work. Let’s talk about that next…

How important is search engine traffic to small business websites? Super duper critical. Google knows the difference between domains and directories. In order to rank well, you want to have all of your content be just about your business, not mixed in with who knows how many other small businesses on who knows how many other directories. Domain age is another factor in ranking, and the sooner you get your own domain the better. Eventually, if you’re a serious business, you’ll get your own domain, and all that time you’ve spent living on someone else’s won’t count.

Don’t you want control over your own website? I can’t even begin to count how many people contact me with “my website designer has disappeared” stories. Over and over again. The only way to have complete control over your website, is to own your own domain.

And the same goes for web hosting: You will also want to control your website hosting (read this article on how to select a website hosting company) and I don’t recommend that you let your website designer do your website hosting. These are really very different skills - and you can get very good website hosting for very low rates ($10 per month). Would you let your housing contractor own the land that your home is built on? Of course not. Don’t do the same with your website.

Be Independent! By following this advice, your website designer can disappear, and your small business website will be just fine. You just need to find another person to make modifications, but your website will remain up and running in the meantime, and no one will be able to steal your website files or your domain name.

Take Home Message: When shopping for a web designer, look at their portfolio. Visit the websites they claim to have designed. Look at the URL and make sure the business owns their own domain (not a sub-domain of the designer, not a sub-directory of the designer’s site). Pick a web designer who is ethical and responsible enough to allow the small business owner maximum control of their website. In the end, if that web designer disappears, you’ll be glad you did.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 7:35 am and is filed under the 1st Steps, Rants category. Read other Aldebaran Website Design Blog articles by returning to main blog page. Need a blog added to your website? Click here to read about blog installation services or click here to contact Aldebaran Web Design.