So you’ve decided your business needs a website. Great. Now comes the hard part: finding someone to build it.

If you’re a small business owner, this probably isn’t your area of expertise — and that’s fine. You don’t need to know HTML from your elbow to make a good hiring decision. You just need to know what questions to ask and what answers to look for.

The Three Options (and Why Two of Them Usually Disappoint)

Option 1: DIY Website Builders

Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy — you’ve seen the ads. “Build a website in minutes!” Here’s the reality:

Pros: Cheap upfront ($15-$40/month), no technical knowledge needed.
Cons: Your site looks like everyone else’s. Loading speeds are slow (hurts search rankings). Limited customization. You’re locked into their platform. And when you need something they don’t offer, you’re stuck.

Best for: Personal blogs, hobby sites, or businesses that genuinely only need a placeholder.

Not great for: Any business that wants to show up in Google searches or look more professional than the competition.

Option 2: Big Agencies

Web design agencies with teams of 20+ people, downtown offices, and slick sales presentations. They’ll wine and dine you, show you a beautiful proposal, and then hand your project off to a junior developer.

Pros: Professional results (usually). Established processes.
Cons: Expensive ($5,000-$50,000+). Slow (8-16 weeks). You’re often just a number. Communication goes through layers of project managers. Changes after launch cost extra.

Best for: Large businesses with large budgets.

Not great for: A small business that needs a straightforward, effective website without the overhead.

Option 3: Local/Independent Developers

This is where most small businesses find the sweet spot. An independent developer or small shop who builds websites as their primary focus.

Pros: Personal attention. Reasonable pricing. Fast turnaround. You work directly with the person building your site. They often understand your local market.
Cons: Quality varies wildly. No brand-name guarantee. You need to vet them carefully.

Best for: Small businesses that want professional quality without the agency price tag.

Questions to Ask Any Web Developer

Before you hire anyone, ask these questions. Their answers will tell you a lot.

1. “Can I see examples of sites you’ve built?”

This is the single most important question. Look at their portfolio:

Do the sites look modern and professional?
Are they mobile-friendly? (Check on your phone.)
Do they load quickly? (If a portfolio site takes more than 3 seconds, run.)
Are the businesses similar to yours in size?

Red flag: A developer with no portfolio, or one that only shows design mockups (not live sites).

2. “What happens after the site is built?”

Your website isn’t “done” when it launches. You’ll need:

Hosting and domain management
Security updates
Content changes (new hours, new services, staff changes)
Someone to call when something breaks

Good answer: “We offer a monthly maintenance plan that covers hosting, updates, and changes.”

Red flag: “We’ll build it and hand it off.” This means you’re on your own.

3. “Who owns the website?”

This is critical. Some developers and agencies retain ownership of your site. If you want to leave, they can make it difficult or charge you to export your own content.

Good answer: “You own everything — the code, the content, the domain.”

Red flag: “The site is built on our proprietary platform.” This means you’re locked in.

4. “How do you handle search engine optimization?”

A beautiful website that nobody can find is useless. Basic SEO — the stuff that helps Google understand and rank your site — should be included, not an expensive add-on.

Good answer: “Every site we build includes proper page titles, meta descriptions, mobile optimization, fast loading speeds, and Google Business integration.”

Red flag: “SEO is a separate package starting at $500/month.” Basic SEO should be baked in.

5. “What’s your timeline?”

For a small business site, a reasonable timeline is 1-3 weeks from start to launch. Anything longer than a month should raise questions about why.

Red flag: “We can start in 6-8 weeks.” This usually means you’re in a queue behind bigger, more profitable clients.

6. “What will my site cost per month?”

Understand the full picture: one-time setup cost plus ongoing monthly costs. Monthly costs should cover hosting, SSL, and basic maintenance.

Reasonable range: $30-$200/month depending on complexity.

Red flag: Monthly costs that seem to climb year over year with no clear reason.

Red Flags to Walk Away From

Watch out for these warning signs:

They can’t explain things in plain language. If a developer hides behind jargon, they’re either trying to impress you or they don’t understand it themselves. A good developer can explain what they’re doing and why in terms anyone can understand.
They push unnecessary features. A small-town plumber doesn’t need an AI chatbot, a customer portal, and an e-commerce store. Be wary of anyone who’s upselling features you didn’t ask for.
No contract or unclear terms. Get everything in writing: scope, timeline, cost, ownership, what happens if you part ways.
They bad-mouth every other option. Confident professionals don’t need to tear down the competition. If someone spends more time criticizing Wix than explaining their own value, that’s a sign.
Unrealistic promises. “We’ll get you to #1 on Google” is not something any honest developer will promise. Good rankings take time and depend on many factors.

What Actually Matters

At the end of the day, here’s what your website needs to do:

Load fast. Under 3 seconds.
Look good on a phone. More than half your visitors will be mobile.
Show up in Google. When someone searches for what you do in your area, you should appear.
Make it easy to contact you. Phone number, address, hours, contact form — prominent and clear.
Represent your business honestly. Real photos when possible. Accurate information. Your authentic voice.

Everything else — fancy animations, video backgrounds, live chat widgets — is optional at best and distracting at worst.

Our Approach

We’re transparent about what we do and what it costs. We build clean, fast, mobile-friendly websites for small businesses in the Red River Valley. Our packages start at $500, and our monthly plans cover hosting, updates, and changes so you never have to think about the technical side.

If you’re shopping around (and you should), we’re happy to answer any of the questions above. Send us a message — no sales pressure, just an honest conversation about what your business needs.