9 Signs that you shouldnt hire that 'web designer'

1. He Calls Himself a "Webmaster"
Any web guy that calls himself a "webmaster" probably isn't a masterof anything. The term "webmaster" has become a translation for the word"amateur." The web has diversified into so many different realms thatwebmaster is no longer meaningful (was it ever though?)
2. He's a FrontPage Expert
Any developer / designer with a degree knows that MicrosoftFrontPage most definitely isn't a professional tool. FrontPage willpass for Mom and Dad who want to create a website dedicated to theirdogs, not someone who's trying to do business. I'd argue that a solidWeb Developer should work at code level.
3. He'll Submit Your Website to [Inflated Number Here] Search Engines
Submitting your website to hundreds of search engines would begreat...10 years ago. Websites are indexed by relevant search enginesby how rich their content and keywords are. Search engine optimizationis big business and submitting sites to search engines simply isn't theway to get to the top of Google.
4. He Wants a "Designed By ...." Plug on the Bottom of Every Page
You've paid this person to create a marketing tool for you -- not abillboard for him. Your website is a launch pad for your business andPoindexter McScooner is simply the man behind the curtain -- keep himthere.
5. He Created a Cool Website for [Insert Family Member / Friend Here]
Your business needs someone who's been there before. The most commonanswer to my "Who was he and what business did they work for?" questionis "Oh, he did a website for the CEO's daughter's [insert lameorganization here]." I honestly hear that friend-of-a-friend story allthe time. Choose someone with a sizable portfolio that can providereferences.
6. He Can Make You a Great Splash Page Flash Animation
Translation: "I can spend dozens of hours wasting your money tocreate something that will take too long to load and will be skippedmore times than dessert at a bad restaurant." Consistency and websiteflow are important to web design -- not meaningless animations thatwaste visitors' time and your money.
7. He Mentions He's a HTML Expert
Who the hell isn't? I would argue that dropping any language acronymon a customer (PHP, Ruby on Rails, ColdFusion, etc.) unless they ask ismeaningless fluff. A mechanic could use a banana on my car if it wouldfix it. Keep your tools, especially HTML, to yourself -- the customerdoesn't care.
8. He'll Fit a Cool Counter on Your Site
You'll add an ugly relic of the early internet on my site so that my competitors have an idea of my web stats? Sweet!
Counters make a website look as unprofessional as possible -- don't use them.
9. He'll Place a "Best If Viewed in..." Message on Your Website
Any real Web Developer knows that he doesn't make the rules. Followstandards in the initial build and then fix it in Internet Explorer --that's the flow. No responsible programmer would place a "best if viewin..." message on the front-end of a website.