10 QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE HIRING A WEB DESIGNER FOR YOUR PLUMBING BUSINESS
Before you hand over your hard-earned money to a web designer, ask these 10 questions. They'll save you from getting burned by another shady agency.
Dear Plumber,
You've been burned before.
Maybe it was the "marketing guru" who charged you $5,000 and delivered a website that looks like a high school project.
Maybe it was the freelancer on Fiverr who disappeared after getting paid.
Or maybe it was your buddy's kid who "knows computers" and built you something on Squarespace that hasn't been updated since Obama was in office.
we've all been there
The web design industry is full of people who talk a big game and deliver nothing. And plumbers, because they're honest people who trust a handshake, get taken advantage of more than most.
So before you hire your next web designer (or your first one), here are 10 questions you need to ask. These will separate the professionals from the pretenders faster than you can unclog a drain.
1. "Do You Have Experience With Plumbing or Home Service Businesses?"
This is the big one. Building a website for a plumbing business is not the same as building one for a restaurant or a clothing brand.
A web designer who understands plumbing knows that: - Your website needs to convert emergency searches at 2am - Click-to-call is non-negotiable - Service area pages matter for local SEO - Before-and-after photos sell better than stock images - The target customer is a stressed-out homeowner, not a casual browser
If they've never built a site for a home service business, they're learning on your dime.
Ask to see examples. Specifically plumbing or similar trades.
2. "Who Owns the Website When It's Done?"
This is where a lot of plumbers get screwed.
Some web designers build your site on their own hosting, under their own account. Which means if you stop paying them or want to leave... they hold your website hostage. We cover this and other traps in our post on website scams that target plumbers.
You should own your domain name. You should own your website files. You should own your content.
Get this in writing before you pay a dime. If they won't agree to it, walk away. Fast.
3. "What's Included in the Price? What's Extra?"
The classic bait-and-switch. They quote you $800 for a website and then:
- Logo design? That's extra. $500.
- Mobile optimization? Extra. $300.
- SEO? Extra. $200/month.
- Content writing? Extra. $150/page.
- SSL certificate? Extra. $100/year.
- Google Analytics setup? Extra. $150.
Suddenly your $800 website costs $3,000.
Get a detailed breakdown before signing anything. What exactly do you get for the price? How many pages? Is it mobile responsive? Is basic SEO included? Who writes the content? What about hosting?
If they're vague on pricing, they'll be vague on delivery too.
4. "How Long Will It Take?"
A simple plumbing website should take 1-2 weeks. Not 3 months. Not 6 months. Definitely not a year (yes, that happens).
If a web designer tells you it'll take 8-12 weeks for a basic plumbing website, they're either juggling too many clients or they're slow. Either way, it's a red flag.
Get a timeline in writing. With milestones. And ask what happens if they miss the deadline.
5. "Will My Website Be Mobile-Friendly?"
This should be a given in 2025, but you'd be shocked how many web designers still treat mobile as an afterthought.
Over 80% of people searching for a plumber are on their phones. If your website doesn't look and work perfectly on a phone, you're invisible to 80% of your potential customers.
Don't just ask if it's "responsive." Ask to see it on a phone. Actually test it. Can you read the text? Can you tap the call button? Does the menu work?
"Responsive" on a spec sheet and "actually works on mobile" are two different things.
6. "What Happens After the Site Launches?"
A website isn't a set-it-and-forget-it thing. It needs updates. Security patches. Content changes. Maybe a new service page when you start offering water heater installations.
Ask your designer: - Do you offer ongoing maintenance? - What does it cost? - How quickly do you respond to update requests? - What if something breaks?
Some designers launch your site and vanish like a ghost. Make sure you won't be left hanging.
7. "Will My Site Be Optimized for Local SEO?"
"Optimized for SEO" is a phrase every web designer throws around. But most of them mean they'll install an SEO plugin and call it a day.
Local SEO for a plumbing business means: - Proper title tags with city names and services - Service area pages for each city you cover - Schema markup for local businesses - Google Business Profile integration - NAP consistency across the site - Fast page load speeds - Mobile optimization
Ask them specifically what SEO work is included. If they can't give you specifics, they're bluffing.
8. "Can You Show Me Results From Past Clients?"
Not just pretty designs. Results. Traffic numbers. Call volume. Google rankings. Conversion rates.
A beautiful website that doesn't generate calls is just expensive art. See what websites that actually convert look like.
Ask for references. Talk to their past clients. Ask those clients: "Did your phone ring more after the new website?"
That's the only question that matters.
9. "What Platform Will You Build It On?"
WordPress. Wix. Squarespace. Shopify (yes, people build plumbing sites on Shopify for some reason). Custom code. Each has pros and cons.
What you're listening for: - WordPress: Most common, very flexible, good for SEO, but needs maintenance - Custom-built (Next.js, etc.): Fastest performance, best SEO, but costs more - Wix/Squarespace: Easy to use, but limited SEO and speed capabilities - Anything proprietary: RUN. If they build on their own custom platform, you're locked in forever.
The platform matters less than the execution. But you should know what you're getting and whether you can take it with you if you leave.
10. "What's Your Guarantee?"
This separates the confident from the scared.
A web designer who does great work will stand behind it. They'll offer some kind of guarantee. Whether it's a satisfaction guarantee, a money-back window, or a performance commitment.
A designer who won't guarantee anything is basically saying "I hope this works out but I'm not sure."
Would you hire a plumber who said that?
At FastLaunchWeb, we guarantee your site in 7 days or it's free. Because we've done this enough times to know it works. Every time.
The Bottom Line
Hiring a web designer shouldn't feel like gambling. But for a lot of plumbers, it does. Because they've been burned before. Or they've heard horror stories.
These 10 questions cut through the BS. They'll help you spot the fakes, avoid the rip-offs, and find someone who actually knows what they're doing.
Or... you could skip the whole hiring process and work with a team that specializes in plumbing websites. We've built 50+ of them. We know what works. And we don't do any of the shady stuff listed above.
Get Your Free Website Audit
Already have a website but not sure if it's working? Request a free audit. We'll look at everything, your design, your SEO, your mobile experience, your conversion setup, and tell you exactly what needs fixing.
No charge. No obligation. Just real talk from people who build plumbing websites every day.
P.S. If your current web designer can't answer these 10 questions confidently, that tells you everything you need to know. Don't throw more money at the problem. Find someone who actually gets it. Your business deserves better than "I think so" and "probably."