How to avoid getting ripped off on website development

Every so often, I’ll come across someone who had bright eyed
dreams about launching a website as part of their business plan, only to have
those dreams go down in flames because someone they trusted with their hard
earned money failed to deliver the desired website on time, if at all. The
average losses they suffered in terms of websites that were half done or poorly
done has been about $400-900. How could this happen?

The problem comes into play due in part to greed on behalf
of the website developer, and lack of knowledge on the part of the customer.
Usually, the potential customer asks friends for referrals to web developers or
they post on the various social media sites looking for someone. Without doing
much research, they pick a developer who sounds convincing and seems “technical.”
The developer charges anywhere from $250 to over $1,000+ to do the whole
website without providing a lot of details about what’s all involved. They
usually pressure customers to pay the entire amount up front. A few customers
try to negotiate a lower fee or pay half as a deposit, promising to pay the
other half when the site is complete.

Regardless of what price is negotiated, the outcome is often
the same: The developer starts on the site, putting up a web page or two,
adding some photos and text, and few social media links here and there, and
then poof! They vanish. The customer tries calling, but no answer or the number
is disconnected. Hundreds of their hard earned dollars gone and they’re ready
to sue.

But wait. Is there anything you could have done differently to avoid losing so much money?