The same concept applies to a poorly designed website. It is not going to bring you any business, and also will degrade your company image.  Web surfers are now more sophisticated and judge you by the look and operation of your site.

In my experience companies make poor business decisions based on the following:

1. Trying to save a buck
The old saying, "you get what you pay for" is really true. I have come across many businesses that try to run their company on a shoe string. They don't want to spend any money, but they do expect to make alot of money.

I have witnessed small business owners spend an entire day or all week looking for the cheapest product available. I tell them that they could be better spending their valuable time by bringing in new business and making much more money than what they were trying to save.

Studies show that 90% of small businesses go under in the first five years. The main reason is that the owners are expecting to make alot of money without having to spend money." You've got to spend money to make money," as the saying goes.

If you refuse to spend money in your company, I guarantee that your company will never be the next Dell or Google or Starbucks.

2. Throwing a couple dollars to a friend or relative
Many people do not understand that there is much more involved in designing a website than just knowing how to operate web design software. A well built web site requires extensive knowledge in areas of branding, concept development, copy writing, search engine optimization and marketing, advertising, dynamic programming and databases. So if your cousin Joe's friend took a 6 week class and learned web design software, you will most likely have a website that damages your company image.

3. Do not know how to recognize and hire a good web designer
When hiring a web designer you should always to look at their previous work. Make sure that they have been in business for a long time. Web designers who are new in the field could go out of business and leave you with a half-finished website.

Make sure that your web designer is experienced in the following elements:

programming and technology selection
competitive market research
branding
visual and written concept development
user interface design
copy writing
search engine optimization and marketing
advertising
multimedia and illustration
dynamic programming and databases

If your web designer starts your site with a template or one of his routine styles without tailoring the site's design to your needs and target audience, then you won't be getting the best website that you deserve.