There are many web design shops that offer low cost websites. The reason they are able to do this is because they use templates, completely designed and coded website templates that they simply paste your content into. While this is a great alternative for a low cost solution, these templates generally do not conform to the the questions/considerations listed above.

Tables used to be the only reliable method of designing a layout for a website. Since the inception of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) however, tables have become the "bad" way of developing a site. Tables can often double the amount of code in a page, and does not keep content in a coherent whole. This causes a lot of problems with search engines and screen readers. Using CSS for layout makes the site efficient, wholly accessible, search engine friendly, and much, much easier to maintain and update.To determine the difference, look at this page designed with tables, and this page designed with CSS. There is always going to be code that you have to wade through, however, note the length of the pages, and how the actual textual content is kept together in the CSS version.

Many design shops use clip art, clip art being the 80's and 90's style of web graphics that you are familiar with from doing desktop publishing in Word, etc. Purchasing or creating modern and aesthetic graphics, whether they be icons, illustrations or photos, can be expensive, either in dollar amounts or in time and effort. Merlee Designs uses high end royalty-free images or custom made graphics for your site. You can see the quality difference by viewing my portfolio.

Along with the information from the previous question, keep in mind that you, as the website owner, are responsible if your site infringes on someone else's copyright. You need to be sure that the designer is not just grabbing images from just anywhere, but that they are conscientious about making sure you have the right to use them.

Many designers are visual designers. This means that they can do a great job of creating visually the website, but then depend upon software to generate the necessary code. The problem with this, is that code generators are inherently bulky. The code is not accessible to those who use a text based browser, or a screen reading device. Keep in mind that screen readers read the code....not what you see on the screen. To determine the difference, look at this page designed with tables, and this page designed with CSS. There is always going to be code that you have to wade through, however, note the length of the pages, and how the actual textual content is kept together in the CSS version.

Many designers develop sites only for Internet Explorer browsers, and many only for a single version. Internet Explorer renders code much, much differently than the rest of the browsers. And while roughly 80% of visitors will be using IE, do you really want to turn away 20% just because they are using a different browser? Merlee Designs tests each and every design on the following browsers: IE6 and IE7, Firefox for Windows and Mac, Safari for Mac, Opera for Mac and Linux. The differences are so vast, that oftentimes two stylesheets (CSS) have to be developed, one for IE users, and one for everyone else. Most designers skip this step because of the time and effort involved.

This is pretty much the same as to the questions "Does the designer use a table based layout or CSS?" and "Does the designer consider usability issues". It all boils down to how clean the code is. The more optimized it is, the more efficient, and the better performing your site will be.

Search Engine Optimization is generally a separate part from the design and development and many companies specialize only in SEO.SEO companies can be controversial, as there are many that are untrustworthy due to using "black hat" methods of optimization. These are methods that are very aggressive and can be underhanded, resulting in a ban of your site from a search engine if you are caught. While Merlee Designs does not do full SEO, we do make sure that every site has basic SEO included.

A complete branded identity is important to any business. Merlee Designs offers print, form and logo design to complement our website design services. This way you are assured that your identity is cohesive and consistent throughout your marketing materials.