The #1 Question You Should Ask Your Web Designer (to Avoid a Costly Mistake)

Not All Web Designers Are Created Equal

If you’re looking to hire someone to build your website, you might assume the person or agency you’re talking to is actually the one doing the work. But that’s not always the case.

There’s an entire industry of white-label agencies—companies that don’t work directly with businesses but instead sell their services to other agencies or freelancers who resell them as their own. The problem? You don’t know who’s actually building your website—or if they even know what they’re doing.

Why This Matters (More Than You Think)

When you hire a web designer, you’re not just paying for a website. You’re investing in someone who should seek to understand your business, your customers, and your long-term goals. A real web designer or developer:

✅ Works directly with you to create a strategy tailored to your business
✅ Understands user experience, performance, and SEO best practices
✅ Has a solid grasp on not only best web practices but design principles as well
✅ Builds a site that’s scalable and maintainable
✅ Can troubleshoot and support your site after it’s launched

But if your web designer is just outsourcing the project to a white-label agency, you’re essentially paying a middleman. This middleman who may not:

❌ Have any real web development expertise
❌ Know or care about your business goals
❌ Provide long-term support
❌ Deliver a site that actually meets your needs

This often results in cookie-cutter websites, poor functionality, and eventual frustration, likely requiring you to hire someone else to fix or rebuild your site. Even worse, many white-label agencies use proprietary systems. This means making even minor changes down the line can be a huge hassle, requiring you to go back to the original agency (if they even still exist!). If the person you bought the website from severs the connection with that white-label agency that built it, your website suffers and often falls apart. And if you don’t keep paying them every month for maintenance, your site is at risk. This lock-in can be incredibly frustrating, time-consuming, and damaging to your business. And this isn’t just a problem in the web design industry. It’s happening across all areas of digital marketing—from social media and advertising to content creation, SEO, and now even AI automation and usage.

The Devaluation of an Industry

Outsourcing like this, as in other industries, not only lowers the quality of the end result but devalues an entire industry in the process. It does this by delivering a lower-quality result to the end user, which then makes it worth less to the website owners. They then see the industry as less valuable because it’s full of fly-by-night operations like outsourced and white-label websites and products.

The #1 Question to Ask (and Why It’s So Important)

So, how do you avoid this? Simple. Ask your web designer:

“Will YOU personally be building and managing my website, or are you outsourcing it?”

If they dodge the question or say something vague like “We have a team,” that’s a red flag. A reputable web designer will be upfront about whether they’re doing the work themselves or passing it off to another company. Ask them specifically about the technology they use. Will you own your website? Can you easily move it if you decide to work with someone else in the future? These are your digital assets; you should have full control. And don’t be afraid to ask about their team. Are they employees or contractors? There’s a big difference between a company with an in-house team of experts and one that simply resells someone else’s work.

How to Find a Real Web Partner (Not Just a Middleman)

When hiring a web designer or agency, look for:

✔️ Someone who actually builds and maintains websites, not just resells services
✔️ A portfolio with detailed case studies and client testimonials
✔️ A willingness to discuss long-term website management and support
✔️ A transparent pricing structure that reflects real expertise, not just a markup on someone else’s work
✔️ Open communication about the technology they use and your ownership of the website.
✔️ Clarity about their team – are they in-house employees or outsourced partners?

Final Thoughts: Avoid the Pitfall and Invest in a True Expert (and Your Business’s Future)

Many small business owners aren’t aware of the prevalence of white-label resellers. They may think they’re hiring a local web designer, only to discover later that their project was outsourced to a third party they know nothing about. Your website is a long-term asset for your business. Unknowingly cutting corners by hiring a white-label reseller often leads to higher costs, wasted time, and a disappointing website experience. It also means you might not actually own your website or have control over its future.

Instead, take the time to find a real web designer or developer—someone who’s committed to your business and knows how to build a website that works for you, not just for their profit margins. Someone who empowers you with full ownership and control of your website. Someone who values their craft and their industry enough to do the work themselves. By asking the right questions, you can avoid the white-label trap and find a true web partner for your business.

How I Can Help

Ready to build a website that truly represents your business and sets you up for long-term success? I help businesses avoid the pitfalls of generic, one-size-fits-all solutions by creating custom websites tailored to their unique needs. With a hybrid design and development approach—grounded in strong design principles, communication, problem-solving, and project management—I deliver high-quality results for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Let’s work together to craft a website and digital presence that attracts and engages your ideal customers, helping your business grow and thrive.

Call/Text: (720) 840-7819
Email: gary@garyjohnson.blog

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