The decision is made: you need a website. Do you create it yourself, or hire someone else to do it? How do you decide?

Here are a few simple things to keep in mind when making your website design choices.

If you choose to create your website yourself using a program that automatically creates pages for you, you need to know the dangers that can plague your website, from design issues to coding disasters.

Webpage editors such as Frontpage, Hotdog, Dreamweaver, and similar programs are great for first-time personal webpage creators, but don't settle for second best for your business. These editors have the potential to do more harm than good if you aren't aware of their pitfalls or don't have the skills to get around the problems they create.

You might think you're saving money by having an amateur create your website or doing it yourself, but you're actually losing unmeasurable revenue each time someone passes over your site because it's not professional enough, or is full of errors because your designer was not skilled in correctly coding websites.

The latest statistics show that you have no more than three seconds to engage your visitors before they'll click away from your website. If they don't see something appealing to keep them there, they won't stay. At first glance, an unprofessional website will permanently reflect on your company's image and will turn customers away before you've even had a chance to show them what you're about.

Okay, but these days it seems anyone can advertise that they are a professional website designer. How do you know who's really got what it takes to design your perfect, wholistic space on the web?

There are several important things to look for in a website designer. Spend time to research them each of your candidates. It will save you time and money down the road.

Probably the most important factor in choosing a website designer is the level of comfort you feel with her/him. The designer should have excellent knowledge of HTML/CSS and coding websites by hand. In addition to technical know-how, the designer should have creative balance and design sense. They should know the latest trends in search engine optimization, and be able to guide you through the synergistic process of creating a website together with integrity and groundedness.

For more tips on creating your wholistic website, we've created a series of articles at http://www.wholisticwebdesign.ca

Renée Deakin has been assisting holistic businesses in bringing their soul online in a professional, unique way for several years now. She gently encourages creativity, and uses the process of website development as a healing tool for her clients. http://www.wholisticwebdesign.ca