How to Find a Great Web Designer for Your Small Business (Without Getting Burned)
Searching for a web designer for your small business is, frankly, a lot. You start Googling, stumble into a rabbit hole of portfolios, price ranges that vary by thousands of dollars, and a dozen different people all claiming to be exactly what you need. Some of them are. Some of them absolutely are not.
The trouble is, it's hard to tell the difference until you're already mid-project, out of budget, and staring at something that looks nothing like what you discussed.
After a decade of working in this industry (and hearing the stories from clients who came to me after a not-so-great experience), here's the honest guide I wish someone had handed them earlier.
Start with the portfolio — but look deeper than "I like it"
You would think this goes without saying, but more than a couple of times I've talked to someone elbow-deep in the scenario above - and rather than browse the portfolio, they skipped straight to pricing and timelines.
But, the portfolio is like a dating profile: Get a real sense of the person before you message. Look at it with a discerning eye. Thinking that's pretty is not the same as evaluating whether that designer can actually execute your vision.
When you're looking through someone's work, ask yourself:
Does it feel consistent? A strong designer has a recognizable point of view - not because every project looks the same, but because there's a quality and intentionality that runs through all of it
Do I see work for businesses like mine? Maybe they specialize in a certain industry, but more likely, you're looking for something similar in scale or audience
Does the work look current? A portfolio full of projects from five-plus years ago, without anything recent, is worth noting
Can I see the actual live site? Screenshots can be edited. Live sites show you the real thing - how it loads, how it flows on mobile, whether it actually works. Take this with a grain of salt, because clients retire businesses and take sites down all the time - but you should be able to view a few live projects before feeling confident
Does something here make you light up? Try describing your two favorite projects in the portfolio and what you love about them. This will tell you a lot about your own direction - and your designer will absolutely want to know this and ask about it in your first call anyway
Do they have testimonials? A few testimonials paired with actual projects will help confirm that beautiful work and happy clients tend to go together
Questions worth asking before you hire anyone
A good web designer will welcome these. A not-so-good one will get vague. Use that information.
"What's your process from start to finish?"
They should be able to walk you through exactly what happens - discovery, design, revisions, launch - without you having to pry. Vague answers without any real structure is a flag."Who writes the copy?"
This matters more than most people realize. A lot of designers expect completed copy and all of your imagery before they will even begin. Or they hand you a finished website with placeholder text and expect you to fill it in yourself. If writing isn't your thing (and for most business owners, it isn't), that becomes a problem you didn’t see coming. Ask upfront whether copywriting is included — or at minimum, whether they have a process to help you figure out what to say. For what that can look like, here's how I handle it."What platform will you build on, and why?"
They should have a real answer. Not just "whatever you want." A designer who builds on a platform they know deeply will produce better work and leave you with something more stable than someone learning on your budget."What happens after launch?"
Who handles updates? What if something breaks? What do you own? You should leave the project knowing exactly how to maintain your own site and what your options are if you need help later."What do you need from me?"
This one's worth asking even if it feels obvious. It signals that you're invested in the process and ready to show up. And it prevents delays caused by incomplete information on your end. Even the best designers need a little time and input from you to make a site feel custom, thorough, and genuinely yours.
Red flags that are easy to miss
A price that seems too good to be true
A website quoted at a few hundred dollars is almost always a template with a logo dropped in. The fee is mostly for technical setup - not strategy, custom design, or anything that makes the site actually yours. You tend to pay for it later, either in a rebrand or in the quiet way an underperforming site costs you clients you never knew you lost.No questions about your business
A designer who jumps straight to pricing without asking anything about your goals, your audience, or what you've tried before is going to give you something that looks okay and does nothing. Design without strategy is decoration.A vague revision policy
"Unlimited revisions" sounds great. In practice, it often means neither of you is clear on when the project ends, which leads to scope creep and a final product that's been revised into something neither of you loves. Ask for a specific number and a clear process.No contract
A contract isn't a sign of distrust; it's a sign of professionalism. It protects both of you. If someone is hesitant to put scope, timeline, and payment terms in writing, keep looking.They don't ask about your brand
A great website doesn't exist in a vacuum. It connects to your logo, your colors, your voice, your overall identity. A designer who never asks about any of that is building you a pretty house with no foundation. I wrote about what brand design actually includes in this post.
The thing most people forget to check
Do you actually like them?
I know that sounds almost too simple. But your web designer is a temporary part of your team. They need to care about your success - and you need to feel comfortable going a little deeper than surface-level answers, because that's what produces something meaningful.
My best projects have always started with early calls that felt less like a Q&A and more like friends getting to know each other. Back to the dating profile analogy: think of your first call as a great first date - natural conversation, the kind where you walk away feeling genuinely seen.
Here's why this matters: Any designer can make a website. Making a website for you requires actually getting to know you. So make sure they're asking good questions. Then expand on your answers. Be open. Be friendly, not just transactional. The more you give, the more they can build something that actually captures who you are — and that's the whole point.
Finding the right web designer for your small business isn't just about finding someone talented. It's about finding someone who asks good questions, communicates clearly, has a real process, and leaves you with something you can actually use - and maintain - long after launch day.
If you're in the early stages of looking, or if you've had a frustrating experience and aren't sure what went wrong, I'm always happy to talk through it.