Red Flags When Hiring a Web Designer

Whenever someone comes to me frustrated with their website, one of the first things I do is scroll all the way to the bottom of it. There's usually a little "site by" link down there, so I click it to see who built it. And y'all, I cannot tell you how many times that designer's OWN website looks like trash.

The warning signs were sitting right there before they ever signed anything, but they didn't know what to look for. So, if you're shopping for a web designer right now (good for you for doing your homework first by the way!), here are the red flags I'd watch for, plus the green flags that tell you you've found a good one.

1. They're fuzzy about who owns your website.

I'm about to start working with a church that's stuck in a year-long contract with the company that built their website. They don't have access to their own site OR their domain, so they can't update a thing. There are still pictures up of people who don't even go there anymore, plus old links that go nowhere, and when they email the company, nobody responds. And because of that contract, they can't do anything about it for a whole year.

So ask it flat out: when this is done, do I own my domain, my website, and everything in it, and will I have full access? You want a clear YES with no pause in front of it.

Green flag: ownership is spelled out in plain words in the contract, and the site is yours the day it's done.

2. They want the whole thing paid up front.

A deposit is completely normal and fair, because a designer is blocking off time for you. But paying 100% before any work exists leaves you with nothing to hold on to if they slow down, disappear, or stop answering. It's one of the most common setups behind a half-finished website.

Green flag: payment is split, with a deposit to start and the rest tied to the website being done. (For me, that's 25% up front and 75% after the site is finished and launched.)

3. They promise you'll be number one on Google.

"Page one in 30 days" sounds amazing, but nobody can realistically promise that, especially on a brand-new website.

Here's a real client example: Search "Ohana Farms of Georgia," and Ohana Farms pops right up. Search something broader, like bunny farms in Georgia, and they probably won't be number one yet, because I just launched their site last month and that kind of ranking takes time to build.

SEO matters a LOT, but it isn't everything. And if a designer stuffs your site with keywords just to rank, the right people will land on it and leave, because it reads like a robot wrote it (another red flag!).

Green flag: they talk about realistic timelines and finding the balance between sounding like YOU and being findable on Google.

3. Their portfolio is all screenshots (or their own site is a mess).

Anyone can put a pretty mockup in a slide deck, so if their portfolio is all screenshots with no clickable links, you have no way of knowing those websites are real, that they still work, or that this designer actually built them.

And like I said up top, always go look at their own website too, because if it looks dated, loads slow, or breaks on your phone, that's a sneak peek at yours.

Green flag: they show you live links to real, working websites, and they can point you to a client or two you could actually talk to.

4. They're slow to reply before you've even paid.

The sales conversation is when a designer is trying the HARDEST to win you over. It's usually the most responsive they'll ever be, so if they're slow to reply, miss calls, or give fuzzy answers now, RUN, because it's not going to get better once they have your money.

Green flag: they answer quickly, explain things clearly, and tell you exactly who you'll be talking to and how updates will work.

5. They forget about your phone.

I see this one ALL the time. A website gets built and designed on a computer, looks great on a big screen, and then nobody optimizes it for mobile, so it looks totally unhinged on an iPhone. Since so many people will find you on their phone first, that's the version that matters most.

Green flag: they design for every screen on purpose, and they show you what your site looks like on a phone before it ever goes live.

6. They disappear the day it launches.

Some designers hit publish and you never hear from them again. Then something breaks a week later, or you realize you don't know how to change your hours, and you're on your own (websites usually have a few little things that pop up right after launch!).

Green flag: they stick around after launch to fix things and answer questions. I stay on for 14 days after every launch and offer webiste management after for exactly that reason.

The biggest green flag is a good person.

A strong list of deliverables matters, but so does the person (or the team) behind them. You want someone with integrity, who's straight with you and truly wants the best for your business.

I once built a client a coming soon page they never asked for, because I knew them and knew it would help their launch. That's the kind of person you want building your website, and you can usually feel it in the first conversation.

Before your next call with a web designer, screenshot these questions and ask every single one:

Do I own my website and my domain, and will I have full access?

How is payment split? What can you realistically promise about Google?

Can I see live links to sites you've built?

Will my site be designed for phones?

And what happens after launch?

For the money questions, here's what a small business website actually costs, and if you're still deciding whether to hire anyone at all, here's whether to build your own website or hire a designer.

Here's how I handle every one of these.

My Website Build starts at $1,000, and you'll know your exact scope and price in writing before you sign. You pay 25% up front and 75% once your site is finished and launched. I build it in my Wix account, then transfer ownership to you, so the site is 100% yours (and if you want me to keep managing it, I just stay on as an admin).

It's designed to work on every screen, written to sound like you with foundational SEO, and I stick around for 14 days after launch. For This Guy's BBQ, that meant a website that doubled Steve's organic traffic, grew his website clicks 14% a month, and left him with zero things to manage himself. If you want a web designer who doesn't set off a single one of these flags, let's talk.

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