Chapter 7
Hiring A Web Designer Without Getting Taken
This is the chapter people should read first, and it's the reason I wrote this book.
There is an enormous amount of predatory behavior in this industry aimed specifically at contractors. Not because contractors are gullible — because the field is deliberately confusing, and confusion is where bad actors make their money.
You already know how to spot a shady operator in your trade. Guy shows up with no truck signage, wants cash up front, can't produce a license, pressures you to decide today. You'd throw him out.
Same instincts apply here. You just need to know what the tells look like.
THE FIVE WAYS YOU GET CHARGED
1. One-time project fee. You pay once, you own it, you pay small ongoing hosting. Cleanest arrangement. $2,000–$8,000 typical for a solid contractor site in 2026.
2. Monthly with no contract. You pay a monthly fee covering hosting, maintenance, small changes. Fine, as long as you own the domain and can leave.
3. Monthly with a long contract. "Free website!" then $250/month for 36 months. That's a $9,000 website with extra steps, and at the end you usually own nothing. This is the most common trap. Not always a scam — but always do the multiplication before you sign.
4. Retainer / marketing package. Monthly fee covering site plus SEO plus ads plus content. $500–$3,000/month. Can be legitimate and valuable. Requires reporting you can actually read, or you're just donating.
5. Hourly. $75–$200/hour. Fine for small fixes. Dangerous for whole projects unless there's a cap.
[FIGURE 7.1 — "Run the Multiplication"] Art direction: Side-by-side comparison card. Left: "FREE WEBSITE! Just $250/mo" with confetti styling. Right: the same deal shown as $250 × 36 = $9,000 + "You own: nothing." Stark, blunt, no illustration needed. This one should feel like a warning label.
RED FLAGS
Any one of these, slow down. Two or more, walk.
🚩 They won't put the domain in your name. Non-negotiable. This is the big one.
🚩 They own your hosting account and won't give you access. Same problem.
🚩 "You can't take the site with you." Ask directly: "If I leave in two years, what do I keep?" If the answer isn't "everything," you're renting.
🚩 Guaranteed #1 on Google. Nobody can guarantee this. Google doesn't sell rankings, and anyone claiming a special relationship is lying. Guaranteed rankings for searches nobody makes is the usual trick — "#1 for affordable emergency plumbing contractor Monroe WA area," which gets four searches a year.
🚩 Pressure to sign today. Discounts expiring in 24 hours. Your website is not a timeshare.
🚩 No portfolio, or a portfolio of sites that no longer exist. Ask for three live sites and three references in home services. Then actually call the references. Ask: "Did it come in on time? Did the phone ring more? Would you hire them again?"
🚩 They can't explain something in plain English. A good pro can explain what they're doing to a smart person who isn't in the field. If they can't or won't, either they don't know or they're keeping you dependent.
🚩 Cold call claiming your website "has errors" or "isn't Google compliant." There is no such thing as Google compliance. This is a scripted scam and it targets contractors relentlessly.
🚩 Vague monthly SEO with no reporting. "$800/month for SEO." For what? Get deliverables in writing.
🚩 They also want to run your Google Business Profile and add themselves as owner. Manager access is fine. Owner is not. You're the owner. Always.
GREEN FLAGS
✅ They ask about your business before they talk about design. What's your best job type? Which towns are worth the drive? Who's your competition? What's a lead worth to you?
✅ They talk about phone calls and leads, not "brand identity."
✅ They give you a written scope: pages, timeline, revisions, what happens after launch.
✅ They put ownership in writing.
✅ They show you real examples in home services.
✅ They tell you what they won't do. Honest people have limits.
✅ They're straight about timelines and SEO expectations instead of promising the moon.
THE TWELVE QUESTIONS
Print these. Bring them to every conversation. Watch how they answer as much as what they answer.
- Will the domain be registered in my name, with my email as the account owner?
- If I leave, what exactly do I take with me?
- Who owns the website files and content — me or you?
- Will I be able to update text and photos myself?
- What's included after launch, and what costs extra?
- What's the total cost over three years, all in?
- Is there a contract, and what's the cancellation term?
- Will Google Analytics and Search Console be set up in my name?
- How will you handle my Google Business Profile, and who's listed as owner?
- What's your average turnaround for a small change after launch?
- Can I see three live sites you've built for home service companies, plus references?
- How will we measure whether this worked?
Question 12 is the one that separates professionals from vendors. If they don't have an answer, they've never been held accountable for results.
HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU BE INVOLVED?
More than you want to be, less than you fear.
They handle: design, build, code, technical setup, structure, speed, launch.
You must provide — and nobody can do this part for you:
- Real photos of your work (this is the #1 thing that delays projects)
- Your actual service list and rough pricing
- Your license numbers and insurance details
- Your towns
- Your real answers to customer questions
- Reviews to feature
- Two hours of your time on a kickoff call
Get the photos ready before you sign anything. Every web project in history has stalled waiting on the client's photos. Take an afternoon, go through your phone, pull the fifty best before-and-afters into a folder. Do it now and your build goes twice as fast.
[PHOTO 7.1] Shot list: Contractor scrolling through his phone's photo roll at a kitchen table with a coffee, laptop open beside him. Homey, unglamorous, real. Caption: "Two hours of this saves you six weeks."
WHAT IF I ALREADY HAVE A SITE AND A BAD FEELING?
Do this audit today. It takes twenty minutes.
- Who owns the domain?
lookup.icann.org— check the registrant. - Do you have the hosting login? In your email, on your card?
- Are you under contract? Find it. Read the cancellation section.
- Is Analytics in your name?
- Are you the owner of your Google Business Profile? Check under Settings → People and Access.
- What's your PageSpeed score?
- What have you paid in the last twelve months, total?
Now you know exactly where you stand. If ownership is wrong, fixing it is usually a polite email — most web people will transfer without a fight when asked plainly and in writing. The ones who refuse have just told you everything you need to know.
DO THIS NOW
Run the seven-point audit above. Twenty minutes. Whatever you find, you're better off knowing.
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