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10 things you should know about web design:

1. A CMS is now almost essential for any business wanting to perform well in the major search engines.

2. Most web design companies expect their fees to be paid upfront - this means if your website does not perform well in search engines you will incur additional costs. i5digital offer a no-risk investment by splitting out payments - if the website does not perform to expectations then you are free to terminate the agreement.

3. On average 80% of a websites traffic is derived from search engines.

4. The most significant factor that effects a websites performance is the quality of code written to produce the website. W3C Standard compliant websites ensures Search engines such as Google can read and index your website correctly.

5. "website builder packages" or "template based websites" are simple, fast and cheap. However, we are yet to see any template based website perform well in search engines. Use these only if you require a very simple static website and not interested in being found in the major search engines.

6. A major factor that effects a websites position in Google is how frequently your website is updated. This is why many websites include blogs or news pages with regularly updated content.

7. Websites look different in different browsers. Make sure you check that your website looks good in Internet Explorer 7 and later, Firefox and Safari. These are the 3 main browsers used on the web.

8. Most companies grow or close. Assuming you have a growing business it is likely that your website will grow as well. You should therefore ensure that your website is modular and can easily be expanded without having to invest heavily in web design fees.

9. Local businesses stand to gain the most from having a well optimised website that is specifically built with the intention of attracting visitors from a defined geographic area.

10. There are good web designers and bad designers - You have been warned!