9 Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring Your Next Web Designer: A Guide for Freeport Business Owners
Warning: Choosing the wrong web designer can cost you more than just money – it could cripple your business’s growth for years.
Just last month, a local auto repair shop came to us after wasting $7,500 on a website that looked pretty but generated exactly zero leads in 6 months. They’re not alone.
After 15 years of creating websites for businesses in Freeport and beyond, we’ve seen countless horror stories:
- A restaurant that paid $2,500 for a site they couldn’t update – requiring a $150 fee every time they wanted to change a price on the menu!
- A dental practice whose “budget” designer disappeared after collecting payment, leaving them with an unfinished site
- A retail store whose cheap website crashed every time they ran a sale, costing them thousands in lost revenue
- A manufacturer stuck in a 9-month project that should have taken 8 weeks
The good news? You can avoid these expensive mistakes by asking the right questions upfront.
Here are the 9Β essential questions every Freeport business owner must ask before hiring their next web designer:
1. “Walk Me Through Your Exact Web Design Process”
Why This Matters: Here’s what could happen without a clear process (and trust me, I’ve seen similar situations play out). Imagine spending $3,000 on a website, being promised a 6-week turnaround, but ending up in a 10-month email nightmare with a designer who keeps moving the goalposts. No clear timeline – just excuses. While this is a hypothetical example, it illustrates the exact kind of situation we help businesses avoid.
What To Look For:
- A documented step-by-step approach
- Clear milestones and deliverables
- Specific timelines for each phase
- Regular progress updates
π© Red Flag: If they can’t explain their process in plain English or say “We’ll figure it out as we go,” run.
2. “Show Me Relevant Examples of Your Work”
Why This Matters: A local plumbing company wasted 6 months with a designer whose portfolio looked great – but turned out to be stolen from other agencies. Real references would have revealed the truth.
What To Look For:
- Live websites you can visit
- Projects similar to your business
- Real client references you can call
- Before/after performance metrics
π© Red Flag: If they won’t provide current client references or their portfolio sites are “under construction,” that’s a problem.
3. “What Exactly Do I Get for My Investment?”
Why This Matters: A colleague has a client that was an area coffee shop and they had learned this lesson the hard way – their $5,000 “complete package” didn’t include mobile optimization. When 70% of their customers couldn’t read their menu on phones, they had to pay another $2,000 to fix it!
What To Look For:
- Detailed, itemized proposal in writing
- Specific number of pages and features
- Mobile responsiveness guarantee
- Content creation specifics
- Image and media inclusions
- Training sessions and documentation
π© Red Flag: Vague proposals or “we’ll include whatever you need” promises usually mean hidden costs later.
4. “How Will You Make This Website Generate Revenue?”
Why This Matters: I heard tale of a local boutique that wasted $4,000 on a beautiful website that generated zero sales. Their designer focused on pretty pictures instead of purchase paths. Within 3 months of fixing their site’s revenue strategy, they were seeing 3x monthly online sales.
What To Look For:
- Clear conversion strategy
- Call-to-action placement
- Lead capture systems
- Sales funnel integration
- Analytics and tracking setup
π© Red Flag: If they talk about design trends more than business results, they’re not focused on your success.
5. “What Happens After Launch Day?”
Why This Matters: Think about what happens when a website goes down during the busiest season of the year – like an accounting site crashing during tax season. With no maintenance plan or support in place, every hour offline means potential clients clicking away to competitors. It’s the kind of scenario that keeps business owners up at night, and one we help prevent with proper support systems.
What To Look For:
- Detailed support packages
- Emergency response times
- Training for your team
- Regular maintenance schedules
- Update procedures and costs
π© Red Flag: If they can’t clearly explain their support system, you’ll be on your own when problems arise.
6. “How Will You Make This Site Easy to Manage?”
Why This Matters: A local hardware store paid $150 per update to their “cheap” website because they couldn’t make simple changes themselves. A proper content management system would have saved them $3,600 in the first year alone.
What To Look For:
- User-friendly content management system
- Staff training sessions
- Written documentation
- Video tutorials
- Simple update procedures
π© Red Flag: If they insist on managing all updates themselves, they’re creating dependency, not solutions.
7. “What’s Your Real Timeline?”
Why This Matters: Think about a realtor waiting on their new website during peak buying season. What starts as a promised 4-week project drags into months… meanwhile, potential sellers are searching online and finding competitor sites instead. Every week of delay means missed opportunities. That’s why we’re upfront about timelines – your business growth depends on knowing exactly when you can launch.
What To Look For:
- Detailed project schedule
- Major milestone dates
- Your responsibility deadlines
- Potential delay factors
- Launch date guarantee
π© Red Flag: “It depends” or “as soon as possible” aren’t real answers – get specific commitments.
9. “What’s Your Revision Policy?”
Why This Matters: Picture launching a restaurant website and getting hit with surprise fees for ‘too many revisions.’ Without a clear revision policy upfront, what starts as a simple menu update can turn into unexpected charges. Menu changes, seasonal specials, new photos – these are normal parts of running a restaurant, not ‘excessive revisions.’ That’s why we spell out exactly what’s included before we start.
What To Look For:
- Number of included revisions
- Definition of a “revision”
- Turnaround times
- Additional revision costs
- Approval process
π© Red Flag: Unlimited revisions sound great but often mean rushed, low-quality work.
10. “What Do You Need From Me?”
Why This Matters: Ever had a contractor start a job without telling you they needed permits first? That’s what happens when website projects kick off without a clear content plan. What looks like a 4-week project turns into a standstill because nobody mentioned you’d need high-res logos, brand colors, and legally approved policies first.
It’s like showing up to build a house but forgetting to mention you need the blueprint. Rookie move. That’s why we handle this differently…
What To Look For:
- Required content list
- Asset deadlines
- Decision-maker availability
- Review schedules
- Payment timelines
π© Red Flag: If they don’t need anything from you, they’re not building a custom solution.
Ready to Avoid These Costly Mistakes?
At Communication & Design Inc., we’ve spent 15 years perfecting our process to protect Freeport businesses from web design disasters.
We answer all these questions (and more) now:
π Call 815-281-5152 for your free guide
π» Visit our download page
Remember: A cheap website costs more in lost business than a professional one costs to build. Let’s do it right the first time.
