1.  Do you like their work?  Ask to see examples of the work they have done for other clients. Is it easy to read, easy to get around the site, easy on the eyes?  Do you like the color and design schemes they have chosen?  Keep in mind that a designer is creating a product for a customer, so some of the choices may be those of the customer!

2.  Is there anything about the sites that annoy you?  Do you have to scroll from side to side to see all of the text?  Do you get lost and can't find your way back to information you really wanted to reread?  Are the backgrounds distracting and the text unreadable?

3.  Talk to the designer (or email), can you understand what the person is saying or do you get lost in the jargon and gobbledygook? At the end of the day, do you feel comfortable with entrusting this person to follow your wishes and create an internet image for you and your product?

4.  Ask around.  Talk to other web site owners.  What do they like about their webmaster, their web site design, their whole web experience?  Are there things they would have done differently.

5.  The most expensive parts of web design are graphics.  If you want lots of flashy opening graphics and animation, expect to pay more for it.  If you want an elegant site that suits your needs without all of the latest technological doohickeys (which usually take a long time to load on non-DSL or cable modem sites), then stick to your guns and don't let the designer talk you into something that will annoy your audience.