Hiring the wrong web designer can set your Alaska business back thousands of dollars and months of lost revenue.
Before signing a contract or paying a deposit, ask these five essential questions to ensure you're working with a legitimate partner rather than a disappearing freelancer or generic reseller.
1. "Can you show me real, live Alaska websites you've personally built?"
Many agencies show sleek conceptual mockups or templates they bought online. Ask to see live websites for real Alaska businesses where you can click around and verify performance.
2. "What happens when I need updates after launch?"
The biggest complaint Alaska business owners have about web designers is: "They built the site, took my money, and disappeared." Make sure your agency has an explicit ongoing maintenance agreement and a phone number you can actually call.
3. "Do I own 100% of my website and domain name?"
Never let a designer register your domain under their personal account. You should retain complete ownership of your domain, your content, design assets, and hosting accounts.
4. "How do you protect my existing Google rankings during a redesign?"
If an agency doesn't mention 301 redirects, URL mapping, and Google Search Console indexing, run away. An amateur redesign can wipe out five years of organic Google traffic overnight.
5. "What technology stack do you use and why?"
If they just install a generic $50 WordPress theme with 40 plugins, you'll be saddled with slow load speeds and security vulnerabilities. Modern agencies use clean, serverless frameworks like Astro 7 that load instantaneously and never get hacked.
Experience the Martin Media Difference
We answer yes to all the right questions. Alaska based, full client ownership, and direct ongoing support.