I realize web design can be very subjective – kind of hard to fault a web site when it’s succeeding on many levels and switching some elements won’t make a huge difference one way or another.

On the other hand….

I’m seeing way too many businesses that are totally misled by their web site designers. Sure, they have some nice colors. But they’re really failing all over the place. No phone number (always a huge thing for me). No calls to action (not even a “Learn More” about a major service). Horrible messaging (what is this business all about anyway?).

I guess the companies – and not just the web designers are to blame. The business owners get very involved in projects and lend all of their design expertise to the final web site. I guess that was sarcasm. How much experience to business owners really have designing web sites. Do they have a clue about web standards?

Sure, some do. But this is not their area of expertise. If you hire a lawyer, how familiar are you going to be with environmental law to weigh in? I think that’s why you pay lawyers. If you need a public relations specialist to get in front of the right journalists, then you’re agreeing that it’s not really your core strength (pitching stories and getting the favorable publicity). Why should web development be any different?

Here’s my suggestion: pay another web developer to make fun of the first one. OK, maybe they don’t need to laugh out loud at the other web designer’s work. Maybe they won’t even be critical. But get that second opinion just the same before you go too far in the wrong direction.