Before you ask an amateur to design your site, ask them a few questions:

• Do they know all of the latest HTML tags and browser/platform compatibility issues?
• Can they create custom logos, illustrations and animations from scratch?
• Can they make your site interactive with DHTML, Java, JavaScript, QTVR, CGI and Flash?
• Do they offer other web services such as secure site hosting, web promotion and database programming?
• Do they know how to successfully market your web site and offer suggestions that will make or save you money?
• Can they perform image and code optimization for fast loading pages?
• Do they have thousands of dollars worth of the latest software and know how to use it to achieve the best results?
• Can they arrange information in an effective manner for intuitive navigation?
• Will they be around in a few months when you need to make a change to your web site?