This is right up our alley. Shoot me a PM.
A few tips to help you choose the right person/company right off the top of my head-
1) If they don't want you to sign a contract, they're not serious.
2) To create a high quality web identity, you need creative skills, technical skills, and communication skills. A weak point in any can derail the project. Look for firms that can provide all 3. Some firms only provide 1 of those 3, some provide 2 out of the 3, and the ones you need to work with have all 3 on lockdown.
3) Prices range from extremely cheap to extremely expensive. The extremely cheap side of things is usually very low quality stuff. The extremely expensive side are firms that are the best in the industry and only deal with big ticket clients, and complex projects. Your ideal partner is probably somewhere in the middle to upper end, but not on the extremes.
4) Look at their portfolio. This is a must, really take a deep look at their work, including how fast the website is, etc. Email a few of their past clients and ask them if they were happy with the experience.
5) Grill them about site performance and SEO optimization. There are a ton of designers/firms out there who can make things look pretty, but don't have the technical skills to build a fast website or optimize it for SEO.
A few tips to help you choose the right person/company right off the top of my head-
1) If they don't want you to sign a contract, they're not serious.
2) To create a high quality web identity, you need creative skills, technical skills, and communication skills. A weak point in any can derail the project. Look for firms that can provide all 3. Some firms only provide 1 of those 3, some provide 2 out of the 3, and the ones you need to work with have all 3 on lockdown.
3) Prices range from extremely cheap to extremely expensive. The extremely cheap side of things is usually very low quality stuff. The extremely expensive side are firms that are the best in the industry and only deal with big ticket clients, and complex projects. Your ideal partner is probably somewhere in the middle to upper end, but not on the extremes.
4) Look at their portfolio. This is a must, really take a deep look at their work, including how fast the website is, etc. Email a few of their past clients and ask them if they were happy with the experience.
5) Grill them about site performance and SEO optimization. There are a ton of designers/firms out there who can make things look pretty, but don't have the technical skills to build a fast website or optimize it for SEO.