Let's start with the end result.
Quality is the most important criteria on your checklist.
Your online business is judged by appearances first, and functionality second. Your website has to look good, but it also has to work well, or your visitors will quickly leave your site, never to come back. And that is a waste of your investment in your website.

Next let's remember that we live in the real world.
Cost is an important factor that must be weighed against quality.
We would all like to drive the best car that money can buy, but we can't always afford it. Your website has to be affordable to build and maintain, and still look good. You know from experience that you get what you pay for. The cheapest priced product is often replaced many times, thereby far exceeding the original price of the higher quality product. Then you wish that you had just bought the higher quality product first.

The clock is ticking.
Your time is valuable, that's why you're hiring someone to develop your website for you, so you can focus on the most profitable aspects of your business.
The concept of hiring a professional to do the work you don't have time for, means that you need a professional service firm that doesn't waste your time and doesn't make it harder to work with than if you did it yourself.

And make it enjoyable.
Quality, cost effectiveness, and time saving processes mean nothing if the overall project becomes a migraine headache.
It's not an impossible request that you want all of the above, and make it enjoyable too. We live by the philosophy that work should support your goals in life. Life should be fun as you work toward the results you want. The process of interaction with your partner should be easy, the speed of response should be quick, and you should be happy with your partners efforts..