The job of a web designer is to interpret your vision for your online presence and bring to life the ideas that you want to convey to your visitors. No designer works well in an information vacuum. No matter how gifted a designer may be, misunderstandings frequently abound. It can be as vital to spell out what you do not want your site to be as defining the features which it must contain.

Once you’ve selected a web design services provider, your job as a client is to communicate your needs in a way that saves time and money for you both. The relationship between a web designer and client is a delicate one, as often times you will be working at cross-purposes.

Here are a few tips to make sure you and your designer on are on the same page.

1. Know what you want. This is perhaps the most important aspect of effectively utilizing your hired talent. What are the goals of your site? Is it an “image storefront” intended to answer basic questions and help customers locate your brick-and-mortar business? The home page for a non-profit? A new enterprise which will be completely online? Do you need a support forum, live chat, a dynamic system to collect e-mail addresses from newsletter subscribers?

2. Create a complete web design brief, outlining your plans for the site, including the features you will require, the type of coding and content management system you prefer, target date for completion, preferred color schemes and any other information about the project. Informed designers work more quickly, require fewer revisions, and are far easier to work with. Don’t assume because your designer is a professional, that they do not need direction. On the contrary, professionals prefer to know exactly what is expected of them in advance.

3. Supply sample sites which are similar to what you are trying to achieve. No matter what you are looking for, there are probably a few sites, in or out of your niche, which have features or a look which is close to your vision. Include links to several of these in your brief, explaining exactly what it is that you like about the site and how you would prefer to see that principle applied to your design.

4. Keep open lines of communication. Inaccessible clients are not only difficult to work for, they often get a finished product that doesn’t reflect their preferences. Remember, questions are a sign that your special needs are being considered, so take time to answer them. If you give carte blanche and a blank check to a web designer, don’t be surprised if the result is different than you imagined.