Start with ownership, not design
The most expensive mistake is not an ugly site. It is a site you do not own. Before you talk about colors or photos, settle three things: the domain, the site files, and your Google Business Profile.
Your domain is the name people type to find you. It should be registered in your name or your business name. ICANN, the group that oversees domain names, says the registration is an agreement between you as the registrant and the registrar. You have the right to move it to another registrar. A designer who registers it in their own name is holding your business name, at least on paper. You can check who is listed with a WHOIS lookup. If it is wrong, the fix is called a change of registrant, done through the registrar.
Your Google Business Profile is the listing that shows up on Google Maps. Google's rules say an agency managing your profile is an authorized representative and must never claim a profile without your express consent. Google also says every person should use their own Google account, not a shared password. The right setup is simple: you are the primary owner, the agency is a manager. Google notes that primary ownership transfers instantly, so if an agency holds it today, they can hand it back in one click. If they refuse, that tells you something.
- Domain: the registrant is you or your business. Check it with WHOIS.
- Site files, photos and text: yours, delivered when you ask.
- Google Business Profile: you are primary owner, the agency is a manager.
- Logins: each person has their own account. No shared passwords.
Questions to ask before you sign
Ask these out loud, then ask for the answers in writing. A good designer will not mind. A bad one will get vague.
Write down what they say. If the agency says one thing on the phone and the contract says another, the contract wins.
- What is the total first-year cost, build plus monthly?
- Is the price flat or hourly? What makes it go up?
- What does the monthly plan include: hosting, edits, backups, security?
- Are there setup fees, launch fees, or a charge for every small edit?
- Do I pay before or after I see something?
- Whose name goes on the domain?
- If we part ways, do I get my files, photos, text and email?
- What happens to my site if I stop paying?
- Can I see a sample before I pay?
- How many rounds of changes are included?
- How long until it is live?
- Who writes the text and who takes the photos?
- Who do I call when it breaks on a Saturday, and in what language?
- Can you guarantee the top spot on Google? The honest answer is no.
- What report do I get, and can I log in to my own analytics?
Red flags that should end the conversation
Some problems are fixable. These are not. If you see one of these, say thank you and move on.
One note on contracts. A federal 'click to cancel' rule for subscriptions was vacated by a federal appeals court on July 8, 2025, days before it took effect. The FTC can still act against deceptive subscription practices under existing law, but you cannot count on a rule to get you out. Your contract is your first line of protection. Read the cancel clause before you sign.
Also watch your mail and inbox. The FTC warns small businesses about fake invoices, bogus directory listings and bills for services you never ordered. Some look like a domain or listing renewal notice. If you did not order it, do not pay it. Ask the person who actually manages your site first.
- The domain goes in their name, or they will not say whose name it is in.
- They take primary ownership of your Google profile, or ask for your Google password.
- A 12 to 36 month contract with no written way out.
- 'Guaranteed #1 on Google.' Nobody controls Google's ranking. This is a sales line, not a promise.
- A price that is only spoken, never written.
- Full payment up front before you have seen a single page.
- A fee for every text change, like updating hours or a phone number.
- Spanish during the sales call, English only after. Ask who answers support and in what language.
- A Spanish version made only by machine translation with no human review.
- They will not tell you what platform the site is built on, so you cannot move it.
- 'We handle analytics' with no access for you.
What a fair process looks like
A fair process is simple. You see something, you approve it, then you pay. Here is what to expect from a designer who respects your time and your money.
Payment terms vary. Some charge half at the start and half at approval. Some charge little or nothing for the build and bill monthly for care. Either can be fine, as long as it is in writing and you see the work before the big payment.
- A free sample or mockup of your real home page before any money changes hands.
- A written quote with two numbers: the one-time build price and the ongoing monthly price, with a list of what each includes.
- Your name on the domain from day one. You as primary owner on Google, the agency as manager.
- A set number of revisions and a written approval step before launch.
- Month to month, or a clearly stated annual term, with a cancel clause in plain words. An email should be enough to cancel.
- An exit kit on request: domain, files, text, photos, logins and analytics access.
- Support in your language, by phone or text, not only a ticket form.
The bilingual test
About 44.9 million people in the United States speak Spanish at home, roughly 1 in 7. In the East Bay, many of your customers are among them. A Spanish version of your site is not a bonus. It is often the version that gets the call.
Ask three questions. Who translates, a person or a machine? Will Google show the Spanish page to Spanish speakers and the English page to English speakers? And can I call you and get help in Spanish after the site is live? If the answer to the last one is no, the first two matter less, because you will not be able to get problems fixed.
- Read the Spanish version yourself, or have a regular customer read it. Machine-only translation usually sounds wrong to native speakers.
- Make sure the Spanish pages are real pages, not a translate button that swaps out the English text.
- Get the promise of Spanish support in writing.
How to tell if the site is actually good
'Fast' and 'mobile friendly' are easy words. Ask for numbers instead. Google scores the mobile version of your site, because it uses mobile-first indexing. Most of your customers will find you on a phone anyway.
Google measures three things called Core Web Vitals. A passing site loads its main content in 2.5 seconds or less (LCP), responds to a tap in 200 milliseconds or less (INP), and does not jump around while loading (CLS of 0.1 or less). These are measured on real visits over a rolling 28 days. Ask your designer to check the site against these on launch day and show you the result. It turns a vague promise into a measurable one.
- Open the site on your own phone over cell data, not the shop wifi.
- Tap the phone number. It should dial.
- Check that the hours and address match your Google profile.
- Ask for the Core Web Vitals check at launch, in writing.