If you run a small business in Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland or anywhere else in Northern Colorado, you’ve probably searched for a web designer and found a wall of options: big agencies, national website builders, freelancers, your cousin’s friend who “does websites.” They all promise a beautiful site. Some of them deliver one. Fewer of them deliver a site you can actually update, that loads fast, and that brings in calls.
I’m Tyler Hall, and building and looking after websites is a big part of what I do at Tyler Hall Tech. So yes, I have a horse in this race. But the questions below are the same ones I’d tell a friend to ask, no matter who they end up hiring. A good designer will be glad you asked them. One who dodges them is telling you something.
1. Who will actually do the work?
Some companies sell the project and then hand it off to someone you never meet. That isn’t always bad, but you should know about it up front. Ask who designs the site, who builds it, and who you’ll talk to when something breaks six months from now. With me, the answer is me. With a larger agency, it might be a team, and that can be fine too. The point is knowing who’s on the other end of the email.
2. Will I own my website, domain and accounts?
This is the one I care about most, because it’s the one that hurts people later. Before you sign, make sure:
- The domain name is registered in your name (or your business’s name), not the designer’s.
- You get admin access to the website itself, not just a login that can edit a few pages.
- Hosting, analytics and Google Business Profile accounts are yours, or at least you’re listed as an owner.
- If you leave, you can take the site with you.
Some website platforms and some agencies rent you a site instead of building you one. Renting can be a fair deal if it’s priced and explained that way. It’s not a fair deal if you find out on the way out the door.
3. Can I update it myself without breaking it?
You’ll want to change your hours, add a photo, post a job opening or fix a typo without paying for a support ticket. Ask the designer to show you how editing works on a site they’ve already built. If they build on WordPress, ask which page builder they use and whether you’ll get a short walkthrough when the site launches. If the honest answer is “you’ll need to call us for every change,” decide whether you’re OK with that before you sign, not after.
4. Why this platform for my business?
WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, Squarespace, a custom build: each one is good at different things. I build a lot of sites on WordPress because it’s flexible and you’re not locked into one company, but it isn’t the right fit for every business. A designer who uses the same platform for every client without asking what you need is picking for their convenience. A good answer sounds like “you need online booking and a blog you’ll update yourself, so I’d use X because…”
5. How will it work on phones?
A lot of people will find you on a phone, often while they’re standing in a parking lot deciding whether to call. Ask to see past sites on your own phone, not in a slide deck. Tap the phone number. Open the menu. Fill out the contact form. If those feel clumsy on their portfolio sites, they’ll feel clumsy on yours.
6. What happens with SEO?
“SEO included” can mean almost anything. Ask what you actually get. At a minimum, a new site should launch with page titles and meta descriptions written for each page, analytics installed, a sitemap submitted to Google Search Console, and redirects from any old URLs so you don’t lose the traffic you already have. Ongoing SEO is a separate, month-to-month job. Be wary of anyone who promises a number-one ranking. Nobody controls Google, and the people who say they do tend to use tactics that cause problems later.
7. Who looks after it after launch?
A website isn’t a brochure you print once. WordPress, its plugins and its theme all need updates. Backups need to run, and someone should notice when a form stops sending email. Ask:
- Is maintenance offered month to month, and what does it include?
- How are backups handled, and have they ever restored one?
- If the site goes down on a Saturday, what happens?
Some business owners are happy to handle updates themselves. That’s fine, as long as it’s a choice and not a surprise.
8. What’s in the quote, and what isn’t?
Prices for a small business website vary a lot, and two quotes that look far apart are often quoting different things. Ask each designer to list what’s included: number of pages, copywriting, photos, logo or graphic work, forms, booking or payments, hosting, email, SEO setup and how many rounds of revisions. Ask what costs extra and what renews every year (the domain, hosting, premium plugins). Then compare the lists, not just the totals.
9. Can I talk to them before I commit?
A short call tells you a lot. Do they ask about your business, your customers and what you want people to do on the site? Or do they jump straight to templates and colors? You’re going to be working with this person for weeks, and maybe years if they maintain the site. It’s worth finding out early if you like talking to them.
Does local matter?
Hiring someone in Northern Colorado isn’t required. Plenty of good work happens over video calls. But a local designer knows the towns you serve, can meet you for coffee if that’s how you like to work, and tends to understand the difference between a customer in Windsor and one in Wellington. If you rely on local search (“plumber near me,” “salon in Loveland”), it helps to work with someone who thinks about your Google Business Profile and service area pages as part of the website, not as an afterthought.
A quick checklist
- I know who’s doing the work and who I’ll contact later.
- The domain and accounts will be in my name.
- I’ve seen how editing works, and I can live with it.
- I know why they picked this platform for me.
- I’ve tested their past sites on my phone.
- I know what “SEO included” means in this quote.
- I know who maintains the site after launch, and what it costs.
- I’ve compared what’s in each quote, not just the price.
Want to ask me these questions?
Go right ahead. I build and maintain websites for businesses across Northern Colorado, and the first consultation and quote are free. You can see everything I offer on my services page, or pick a time that works for you and request a consultation. Bring the checklist. I’ll answer every question on it.
