Check out NetMarketing's Web Price Index at http://www.netb2b.com/wpi for more information on what it costs to build and maintain a web site in various markets.

Spending money to create a quality site can make sense for many practices. "If you put out a bad brochure, it goes away. If you create a bad web site, it stays with you," says Mitch Ahern, chairman of the Association of Internet Professionals at http://www.association.org.

In hiring a consultant, choose among independent site developers, web design shops, technology consulting firms, traditional advertising and public relations agencies, and interactive agencies.

You can save money by hiring a student or hobbyist. Contact your Internet service provider for referrals. But you'll prevent problems by teaming up with a pro. Some consultants, typically individual designers, charge by the hour. Others, typically design firms, charge by the project.

One way to find a web developer is to use the web. Say you come across a site that you find particularly compelling. At Who Built It? (http://www.whobuiltit.com) you can type in a site's address to see if the site is among the 10,000 included in its database. If so, the contact and other information about the developer is available.

CNET's Ultimate Web Design List, at http://www.webdesignlist.com, can provide contact and other information about web designers located near your practice with the expertise you need. Click "Find a Designer" and specify your state and the areas of expertise required.

Aquent Partners (http://www.aquentpartners.com) is a temp agency that specializes in short-term web work and other technical fields. It has offices in 31 cities across North America.

Before you talk to anybody, clarify the practice goals for your site. A good consultant will help you develop them. Do you want to enhance your image? Attract new clients? Sell products or services on-line? Obtain referrals?

When talking with designers, ask to see a list of sites they have worked on. Check them out using a conventional modem and both Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Talk with those responsible for these sites. Look critically at the designer's own site.

If you want to enhance or overhaul your existing site, ask for a critique. To save money on the redesign, first weed out outdated or otherwise extraneous material from your site.

Do not get snowed by a slick pitchman who throws around buzz words. Meet with the consultant's key players--not only just those in marketing or new business development.

Ask about the consultant's experience in each area. A consultant talented in a one area, such as programming, may not have much experience in another, such as marketing. Some consultants handle the entire process, including site hosting and promotion. Others outsource.

Get an estimated time frame for completion of the project. It typically takes from several weeks to several months to build and test a site. If your designer works by the hour, request to be alerted if the project is going over budget.

Ask about arrangements for maintaining the site. A consultant can do this for you or provide the tools and training for you to do it in-house. "The most common mistake is focusing too much on initial development and not enough on long-term maintenance," says Ahern.

Finally, make sure the consultant you hire listens. Your site should be crafted to meet the specific needs of your practice--you don't want a cookie-cutter site. Good consultants ask as many questions as they answer.

Reid Goldsborough, a syndicated columnist and author of Straight Talk About the Information Superhighway, can be reached at reidgold@netaxs.com or http://members.home.net/reidgold.