Rockland County has plenty of people who build websites, from freelancers in Nyack to agencies elsewhere in the New York area. Choosing between them is easier when you know what to compare. Price matters, but it is rarely what decides whether the site works.
Look at work for businesses like yours
Start with the portfolio. Open a few sites on your phone, because that is where most of your customers will see yours. Do they load quickly? Is the phone number easy to find? Can you tell within a few seconds what the business does and where it works?
If a designer shows results, ask what was measured and where the numbers came from. Good ones will tell you what a figure does not prove. The case studies here are written that way on purpose.
Ask who does the work, and who you will talk to
Some agencies sell you on a senior person and then pass the project to someone you never meet. Ask who designs the site, who writes the words, who builds it and who answers the phone after launch. A clear answer to that last one tells you a lot.
Ask about search, not only design
A site that looks good and cannot be found does little for a local business. Ask how the designer handles page titles, structured data and your Google Business Profile. If you already have a site, ask how they will protect the rankings you have. The guide to redesigning without losing rankings lists what a careful answer includes.
Meeting in person is a real advantage
A site is easier to get right once the designer has seen the shop, the restaurant or the job site. In Rockland that is usually a short drive, and Bergen and Westchester are close too. For businesses further away, a video call covers the same ground, but if you are local it is worth asking for a coffee.
Check the quote and who owns what
A fixed price lets you plan. Hourly billing can grow without warning. Ask what is included, how many rounds of changes you get and how long the project takes. Most importantly, you should own your domain, your hosting account and the finished site. The post on what sets the price of a website goes through this in more detail.
Questions to bring to the first call
- Can I see three sites you built for businesses like mine?
- Who will I deal with from the first call to launch, and after?
- Is the price fixed, and what does it include?
- Will I own the domain, hosting and site?
- How will people find the site, and what happens to my current rankings?
- What do you need from me, and how long does the project take?
If you would like to talk it through, I offer a free 15 to 20 minute call and give a fixed quote before any work begins. More about working in the county is on the Rockland County page.