A note before you read on: I am a web designer based in Oswestry, so I have an interest here. The questions below are the same ones I would want you to ask me.
Local
What working with someone local changes
- You can meet. If you would rather talk it through over a coffee in town than fill in a long brief, that is easy when you are a short drive apart.
- They know where your customers are. A business in Oswestry often draws from Chirk, Llangollen, Ellesmere and Welshpool as much as from the town itself. Someone local will think about that when planning which pages you need.
- Reputation travels. In a town this size, a designer who lets people down hears about it. That is not a guarantee, but it is a nudge in the right direction.
Not local
What local does not change
- Quality. A designer down the road is not automatically better than one in Shrewsbury, Wrexham, or one you never meet in person. Most of the work happens on a screen either way.
- Where you rank in Google. Your designer's address has no effect on your search results. What matters is a fast, well-built site, a complete Google Business Profile, and the same name, address and phone number everywhere you are listed.
- What it should cost. Being local is not a reason to pay more or less. Compare quotes on what they include. If you want to know what drives a quote up or down, I have written up where the money in a website goes.
Checklist
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Can I see three sites you have built for businesses like mine, and are they still live?
- What exactly will I pay, up front and every month, and what is not included?
- Who owns the domain and the site files, and can I take them if I leave?
- Is the site built on a template or a page builder? If so, which one?
- How long will it take, and what do you need from me to keep it on track?
- After launch, what can I change myself, and what has to come back to you?
- If something breaks in a year's time, who fixes it, and how quickly?
A good designer can answer all of these plainly in an email. You should not need a sales call to find out who will own your website.
Watch out
Red flags
- The domain is registered in their name. Your domain is your address online. It should be in your name, on an account you can log into. Here is how to buy a domain name and keep it in your name.
- A monthly fee nobody can break down. A monthly fee is fair when it pays for hosting, changes and someone looking after the site. One that covers vague "management", ties you in, and leaves you with nothing if you leave is rent on something that should be yours.
- No live examples. Mockups and screenshots are easy to make. Ask for links to sites that are running today.
- Search guarantees. Nobody can promise you the top spot on Google by a date. Anyone who does is guessing or selling something else.
- A price that moves once work starts. Scope can change, and that is fair, but you should agree any change in writing before the work is done, not find it on the invoice.
- Jargon in place of answers. If you ask a plain question and get a paragraph you cannot follow, ask again. If it still does not make sense, keep looking.
Finding one
Where to look
- Sites you already like. Find a local business whose site works well on your phone and check the footer, or just ask them who built it.
- Reviews on Google. Look for reviews that mention specifics: how long it took, whether the price held, what happened after launch.
- The designer's own site. Open it on your phone. If it is slow, cluttered or hard to find a contact form on, yours may end up the same.
Questions
Common questions
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Does my web designer need to be in Oswestry?
No. Anyone in Shropshire or the Welsh border can meet you without much effort, and plenty of good work is done entirely by email and video call. Local is a bonus. Choose on the questions above first.
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Will a local web designer help me rank in Oswestry searches?
Only through the work itself. Local search depends on your site, your Google Business Profile and consistent contact details, not on where your designer lives. A good one will set those up properly whether they are down the road or not.
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How long does it take to get a small business website built?
For a small brochure site, a week or two of build time is realistic once the content is ready. The usual hold-up is waiting for the words and photos. Having those ready before you start is the quickest way to get live.