You've decided you need a website. Every portfolio looks great, and the prices are all over the map.
You don't need to know code to choose a web designer. You need to know what to ask and what to check before you sign.
This is what I'd tell a friend in Louisville who's hiring. It includes the questions I'd want you to ask me.
What Matters in a Portfolio
Pretty designs are the easy part. Look for these instead:
- Sites like yours: If you're a plumber, look for other service business sites. A portfolio of only restaurants may not show how your customers find you.
- Works on a phone: Open their portfolio sites on your phone. If they're hard to use there, that's a problem. Many of your customers will see your site on a phone first.
- Results they can explain: Ask what changed for the business. Clearer calls to action, faster pages, better service pages or more local search visibility. If they only talk about the look, keep asking.
- Live sites, not just mockups: Ask for links to client sites that are live today. A mockup shows what someone can draw. A live site shows what they ship.
Ownership
Who owns the domain, design, copy, accounts and finished website?
Ongoing fees
What repeats monthly or yearly, and what work is included?
Proof
Can you see real client work and results with enough context to check them?
Accessibility
Will the site support keyboard use, readable contrast, form labels and useful alt text?
After launch
Who handles updates, backups, fixes, hosting and future changes?
Clear scope
Are pages, features, responsibilities, timeline and price written down?
Use my client work page as a model for the proof to ask for. Every number there says where it came from.
On Smither Psychiatry, "psychiatrist louisville ky" moved from page 3 to page 1 on Google. That's measured in Search Console from April to August 2026. Then compare what you'd get against the current website packages.
Watch how they communicate before you hire them. A designer with solid skills who answers you will beat a technical genius who disappears for weeks.
The Questions to Ask
Skip "What platforms do you work with?" These tell you more:
1. "What's your typical timeline from start to launch?"
A timeline only means something when they explain what's behind it. That's the scope, the content deadline, the review rounds, account access and the launch checks.
Ask what has to happen and who owns each step. For reference, this is how long a website build takes with me. I handle the client conversations and the technical work myself, so there are no handoffs.
2. "What happens after launch?"
This is where a lot of designers disappear. You need to know:
- Who handles hosting and the domain?
- What happens if something breaks?
- How do you make changes later?
- Do they charge hourly for updates, or is it included?
If they hand you a site and walk away, you're on your own when something breaks.
3. "How do you handle SEO?"
Nobody can guarantee you the top spot on Google. But they should know the basics: title tags, meta descriptions, pages that work on phones and page speed.
If they say "SEO is separate, we don't do that," be careful. Basic SEO should be built in from day one.
4. "Can I see live client sites, and talk to a client?"
Reviews help, but they're not the whole story. A newer local shop may only have a few Google reviews yet. Mine is one of them.
So ask for two things you can check yourself:
- Links to client sites that are live right now
- One client you can call or text
If they hesitate on both, that's a red flag. When you talk to that client, ask:
- Were they easy to reach?
- Did they do what they said, when they said?
- Did the site help the business?
- Would you hire them again?
5. "Who owns the domain, the content and the design?"
Get this in writing before you pay. With me, your domain and content are yours from day one, and the design is yours once the build is paid. If a provider registers the domain in their own name, moving away later gets harder.
Want to Talk It Through?
I handle the site, hosting, updates, local SEO and support. Pro is $399/month with $2,500 setup.
"But I Found Someone Way Cheaper"
A Fiverr or Upwork build can be fine for a simple site you'll run yourself. The risk comes after launch. If something breaks and they're gone, you're stuck with a site you can't update.
What small business websites cost with me in Louisville:
- Louisville Web Guy Pro: $2,500 setup + $399/month
- Custom builds: Starting at $7,500 when the site needs advanced features or a bigger scope
- Website Rescue: $250 diagnostic if your current site is broken, slow, abandoned or hard to get into
If someone quotes far below that range, ask what's missing. It works the other way too. If your current site needs a $500 fix and not a rebuild, I'll tell you that.
Red Flags Before You Sign
These are the warning signs I'd walk away from.
They Can't Explain Their Process
Ask them to walk you through how they work, from the first call to launch. If they can't, your project will be hard to predict.
Slow Replies Before You Even Hire Them
If they're slow to reply now, it won't get better after you've paid them.
Vague Proposals
A good proposal tells you what you own, what you pay, what gets built and who answers the phone after launch. It spells out:
- Number of pages
- Specific features (contact form, photo gallery, booking system and so on)
- Timeline with milestones
- What happens after launch
- Total cost breakdown
- What's included in monthly support
A one-paragraph quote with a dollar amount leaves too much unsaid.
They Don't Ask About Your Business Goals
Your website's job is to bring in customers. If they only ask about your favorite colors and the look, they're missing that.
Good designers ask:
- Who are your customers?
- What do you want visitors to do?
- What problems does your business solve?
- How do people find you now?
No Proof You Can Check
Everyone starts somewhere, and a new shop may have few reviews. The red flag is when they can't show you any live client work or put you in touch with one client.
For my own proof, I keep a work page with real client projects and plain notes on what I did. Look for proof like that: specific enough to check.
What a Good Project Looks Like
A good web designer keeps you in the loop from the first call to long after launch:
- Discovery call: They ask about your business, your goals and what the site needs to do.
- Clear proposal: A written scope, timeline and cost.
- Regular updates: You're never wondering what's happening.
- Your input matters: They listen to your feedback and explain why something works or doesn't.
- Support after launch: They handle the technical side, show you how updates work and stick around.
Local matters too. If you're in Louisville and would rather meet in person, I'm happy to. Most of my client work still happens by phone, text and screen share.
Three Questions to Decide
- Can they show you live work and results, not just pretty designs?
- Do they answer you clearly and on time?
- Will they still be around after launch?
If all three are yes, you're probably in good hands. If any is a no, keep looking.
Still deciding whether you need a website at all? I've also compared DIY builders vs hiring someone and laid out my website packages.
Want to talk through your situation? Call or text me at (502) 305-4043. I'll tell you what I'd do in your spot.
