Red flags when hiring a web designer
Most of these are not signs of dishonesty. They are signs of disorganisation, which costs you just as much.
They will not put it in writing
The single biggest predictor of a project going wrong. If good verbal answers become vague in email, believe the email.
The quote has no exclusions
Every real quote excludes something. A quote that lists only what is included is hiding where the extra invoices will come from.
They register the domain in their own name
Sometimes carelessness, sometimes deliberate. Either way you do not control your own address. See who owns your website.
Pressure to decide today
Discounts that expire, slots that are about to go. Web design does not have genuine scarcity on that timescale.
No live work to show
Mockups are not evidence. Anyone can produce a beautiful image; shipping a working site is the hard part.
Unlimited revisions
Sounds generous, means undefined. Projects with no revision limit either drag on or the designer quietly stops responding.
Full payment up front
A deposit is normal. Paying everything before work starts removes all your leverage.
Softer signals worth noticing
- They agree with everything. A designer who never pushes back is either not thinking or not confident enough to tell you when something is a bad idea.
- They talk about tools, not outcomes. Which page builder they use matters far less than whether the site gets you enquiries.
- They cannot explain their own timeline. "Six weeks" with no breakdown usually means six weeks was a guess.
- Slow, vague replies before you have paid. This is as attentive as they will ever be.
Common questions
01Is a very low price a red flag?
Not by itself. It usually means a narrower scope, which can be exactly right. It becomes a red flag when the scope is not written down, because then the low price is a starting position rather than a price.
02What if I have already paid a deposit and see red flags?
Ask for the scope in writing before more money moves. If they will not, ask what has been produced so far and whether you can have it. Most disputes are resolved faster and cheaper by asking clearly than by escalating.
03Are stock photos on their own site a red flag?
Mildly. A designer using stock imagery on their own marketing is not disqualifying, but a portfolio of sites you cannot visit is a real problem.
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