Five Website Red Flags to Spot Before You Hire Anyone (Including Us)

Published Jul 6, 2026 · 5 min read

This one cuts both ways

We'd rather a business owner know what to look for and hold everyone to it — PrintWitty included — than assume good faith by default in an industry where it isn't always earned.

Red flag 1: no live examples of real, working sites

Screenshots and mockups aren't proof of anything — they can't show you load speed, mobile behavior, or whether the site actually still exists a year later. Ask for links to real, live sites they've built for other real businesses, then actually visit them on your phone.

Red flag 2: vague or hidden pricing until deep into a sales call

A business that can't give you a straight number, or a clear range, before a lengthy call usually has pricing built around reading how much you seem willing to pay rather than what the work actually costs.

Red flag 3: you don't own your own domain or hosting

Some outfits register your domain under their own account, or host your site somewhere only they control. That means if the relationship ends badly, they hold your website hostage. Always confirm, in writing, that the domain and hosting are in your name.

Red flag 4: no plan for what happens after launch

A website is not a one-time purchase — hours change, prices change, new services get added. If there's no answer to “what happens when I need an update in six months,” that's worth asking about before you sign anything.

Red flag 5: the portfolio all looks like the same template with different logos swapped in

If every “custom” site in a portfolio has an identical layout, that's not customization, that's a theme with your name on it. Genuine hand-coded work looks structurally different from client to client, because it was actually built for each one.