Websites · before you hire anyone, me included
What should a small business look for when hiring a web designer?
Six questions to ask any web designer before you pay. Ask me too.
The first visit is free: 30 minutes at your place. You leave with the first three things I’d fix. No obligation.
Blake Porterfield, St. Clairsville Fisher College of Business, Ohio State, 2015. As seen in The Intelligencer and The Times Leader.
The short answer
Ownership, a fixed price, and proof you can check.
Hire the designer who puts the domain in your name, gives you a fixed price in writing, shows you live sites you can open and owners you can call, and tells you up front what it costs each month after launch. Walk away from anyone who guarantees the top of Google.
- One-page website
- $950
- Full website, 3 to 5 pages
- from $1,850
- Hosting and care
- from $40/month
- Edits to a site you have
- from $150
- Move off Wix, Squarespace or GoDaddy
- from $950
The six questions
Ask these before you pay.
- Whose name is the domain in? It should be yours. A domain in the designer’s name means you rent your own address.
- Do I get every password? The domain, the hosting and the email. If they go out of business, you should still be in business.
- Is the price fixed, in writing? An hourly guess grows. A written price for a written list of pages does not.
- Can I see live sites and call the owners? Screenshots can be borrowed. A live site and an owner who answers the phone cannot.
- What does it cost after launch? Hosting, care, edits. Get the monthly number before you sign.
- What happens when I need a change? Who makes it, how fast, and what it costs. Or can you make it yourself?
“My nephew built our website in high school. He’s 26 now and doesn’t answer my texts.”A caller · The Orphaned Website
Questions.
What is a red flag when hiring a web designer?
A guarantee of the top spot on Google, a domain registered in the designer’s name, or a price that is only ever an hourly estimate.
Should I hire a local web designer?
It helps. Someone you can meet, who knows the towns your customers search from, and who answers when you call.
How much should a small business website cost?
With me, a one-page site is $950 and a full site of three to five pages starts at $1,850. Whoever you hire, get the number in writing.
Can I keep my Wix or Squarespace site?
Often, yes. If it works, edits start at $150. Moving off starts at $950 when it makes sense.
Free visit
Tell me what eats your week.
30 minutes at your place or on the phone, anywhere in the Ohio Valley. You leave with the first three things I’d fix.
Blake Porterfield The person who shows up. St. Clairsville, Ohio.