Hiring a web designer shouldn’t feel like playing Russian Roulette with your life savings.
It happens more often than I’d like to admit. I’ll sit down for a Zoom call with a potential client, and before they’ve even finished their first sip of coffee, the heartbreak starts. They’ve just shelled out thousands of pounds on a brand-new website, but instead of popping champagne, they’re vibrating with pure, unadulterated rage.
They’ve been handed a steaming pile of crap that looks like it was put together by a blindfolded donkey during a power cut.
It’s the digital equivalent of hiring a builder to move a load-bearing wall, only for them to wander off midway through the job, leaving your roof sagging and your kitchen full of rubble. You’re left standing there, skint and annoyed, staring at a “finished” product that functions about as well as a chocolate teapot.
The “New Website” Witness Protection Program
When you get a new website, you should be shouting about it from the rooftops. You should be shoving the link under people’s noses like a proud parent with a new baby. But instead? You’re hiding it. You’re treating your own URL like the embarrassing cousin no one invites to family gatherings because they always end up asleep in the coat cupboard.
If you’ve poured the last of your savings into a site that doesn’t work, you aren’t just back at square one. You’re in a hole. You’re out of pocket, you’ve lost months of your time, and you’re stuck with the wreckage of someone else’s incompetence.
The Rise of the “Professional” Cowboy
Let’s be clear: I know some brilliant designers and developers. People who care about their craft, who understand how things actually work under the bonnet, and who wouldn’t dream of leaving a client in the lurch.
But there are far too many “professionals” out there pulling this crap.
They’ll sell you a “bespoke” solution that is actually just a bloated, buggy mess. They build things that lack the basic fundamentals. It’s like buying a house that looks lovely in the brochure, but when you move in, you realise there’s no plumbing and the front door is held on with Blu-Tack.
Then, when you point out that the sink doesn’t drain or the buttons don’t actually do anything, they either vanish into thin air or have the brass neck to try and charge you extra to fix things that should have been done right in the first place.
It’s absolute BS, and frankly, I’m sick of seeing good people get burnt.
How to Spot a Charlatan Before You Pay Them
The problem is that if you aren’t a “techy” person, it’s hard to know what to look for. These cowboys are great at the “big sell.” They use fancy words and show you pretty pictures, but they hope you won’t ask about the stuff that actually matters.
I don’t want you to be the person calling me in six months’ time, crying over a broken site and an empty bank account. I want you to get it right the first time.
You need a BS detector.
I’ve put together a free guide of 13 questions to ask a web designer before you hire them. These aren’t “what’s your favourite colour” type questions. These are the “show me the receipts” questions that will separate the experts from the people who are just winging it with your hard-earned cash.
Stop the Wreckage Before it Starts
Think of this guide as your insurance policy. If a designer gets squirrelly when you ask these questions, or if they start talking in riddles to avoid giving you a straight answer, run. Run fast, and take your wallet with you.
Don’t sign a contract, don’t pay a deposit, and don’t “just see how it goes” until you’ve put them through the ringer.
Grab the guide here and give it a proper read before you sign away your money. Let’s make sure your next website is something you’re actually proud to show off, rather than something you have to apologise for.