Imagine spending a small fortune on a new car, only to find that the power windows don't open, it won't drive in reverse and the brakes don't always work. Or imagine trying to find your teenager when the kids are let out of school after a half day.

Building and upgrading a website can be a combination of these frustrations for many businesses. The secret is to know what the pitfalls might be and take precautions to avoid them before your internet marketing budget is squandered.

Rochester-based Gleason Public Relations (www.GleasonPR.com) has seen its website design business boom over the past two years by coming to the aid of companies in need of Web Site Rescue. That's a phrase I coined to describe the process we conduct to get businesses up and running after they've collided with disreputable web designers and web hosting companies.

The internet is still the Wild West for a lot of companies, fraught with horse thieves and con men selling elixirs and tonics. Small businesses are still devising ground rules for constructing a competitive presence on the worldwide web. Finding the right web design firm or individual is akin to finding the right auto mechanic. Git 'er done, git 'er out and don't surprise me with all kinds of added expense. It shouldn't be too much to ask.

Unfortunately, it is. Many of the people designing websites are young, just a few years removed from studying for their SATs. They are creative, tech-savvy and totally in-tune with the trends of the day. Conversely, they don't know how to run a business and underestimate the importance of deadlines. They lack business acumen, discipline and life experience. Many others are more experienced and know how to take advantage of their unsuspecting prey.

The most common danger is designer abandonment. One client came to me with a typical lament. "We hired an 18-year-old computer whiz to design our site, and we really liked his work. But as soon as he made enough money to get his car back on the road, he disappeared." Bigger companies abandon projects also. If they land a bigger fish, they sometimes do not have the diligence to complete the projects for their smaller clients. These are the same companies that usually resort to high-pressure sales techniques and fool clients into thinking they need to pay a small fortune. One such company approached a client -- my very first internet client back who is also a good friend -- asking him why he would advertise in a church bulletin when he could be in the New York Times. Fortunately, the client took offense to the salesman's brazen claims and remained loyal to us. His website, and all its incarnations, has achieved all his objectives for generating new business and informing his employees. Since then, I have also been called to rescue websites for a few of that company's victims.

Not all website malfunctions are the designer's fault. Many clients believe the site will be created magically, without any input or work on their part. Often, designers get caught in delays where the client does not provide artwork, copy or direction in a timely manner. Other times, the client changes their minds so often that the job is no longer profitable for the poor designer, who has no choice but to charge more, or drop the project.

At times like these, websites need rescue because their owners fail to manage the process. Granted, they often do not understand the process, and feel insecure calling the shots, but each day, corporate leaders manage functions they do not fully understand in order to get the best product, the best price or the best return on investment.

I tell many business owners that their website is the only living, breathing marketing device they have, short of their employees. It demands attention. It will grow and prosper, but it needs to be fed along the way. Just as you would not go out in public wearing the styles you wore in the '70s (would you?), your website needs makeovers, too. Internet age is like dog years, at least seven for every human year. Your website strategy should evolve, as technology allows and web-browsing pattens demand.

This checklist will help any business manager hire the right web designer for the company website:

Referrals and References

Ask other business colleagues or even strangers for a referral if you like their website. They will be flattered. If you don't get a personal referral, be sure to request at least three references. Call and ask questions.

Accountability

Is my design team or person going to be with me through this project, and through my future growth? Establish a rapport with your web designer that includes multiple means of communication: e-mail, phone, fax and by all means, get a mailing address.

Array of Services

Does your webdesigner provide the entire array of services you need for your site? If they don't, be sure they can recommend other pros before you sign a contract.

Tech Savvy

Make sure your web designer is tech savvy, and not just a salesperson handing the project off to a sub-contractor. Find out what tools are being used to design your site, and ensure that the designer knows how to use them.

Grammar & Punctuation

Truth be told, few of the computer geeks holed up in the basement of the science building ever bothered to learn proper grammar or spelling. Request a written proposal. Check their work. You are not out of line to request writing samples. Grammatical errors can denigrate your reputation, and you probably don't want to use valuable staff time to correct every page.

Business Savvy

Does your designer understand your business, or are you confident in their ability to learn it quickly? In order to communicate your business and products, a web designer must understand it clearly.

Business Approach

Expect and demand a business approach to your website design. Yes, many people design websites in the wee hours of the morning hopped up on Mountain Dew and coffee. Nothing wrong with that. They should provide written proposals with a timeline and a plan to present progress reports. If they do not, it raises a red flag.

Personality Mesh

Does this person or group fit in with the people they will work with to create your site? Would you hire them to your staff? Use your sixth sense and measure the integrity of the person you hire.

Get A Contract

This is the most important tip. Without a contract, you have no recourse if something goes wrong. Your web designer should provide clear billing rates in writing, and provide a contract to be signed by both parties.

DO EXPECT to pay a deposit, up to 50% of the total.

DO NOT ever, ever, ever pay in full in advance.

For large website projects, set up checkpoints or stages, and pay as you go. Any reasonable design firm will abide by this process. We all know that add-on fees may crop up, and these should be approved by the client before the expenses are incurred.

It's a Wrap

You will get spoiled by a good web designer. Your revisions will be made quickly and your site will shape into the vision you had. Then, perfectionism will creep in. You will make minute changes, and go back over every word and every pixel, and of course, you will want to make MORE changes. There comes a point when your designer is done, and will charge you to make those changes.

As I said, a website is a living, breathing organism, so you are not done. You will never be done with your website. But the process is much easier to repeat once you've found a talented web designer you can trust.