9 questions to ask before hiring a web design company in Miami.

In short

Before you hire a web design company, ask who you will actually talk to, where they are really based, what is and isn't included, how changes are priced, who owns the domain and accounts, what the site costs to run each year, what the timeline depends on, what happens after launch, and how you will both know it worked. Ask for the answers in writing. A good company answers all nine without hesitating. The ones that go vague are showing you how the project will feel.

Where these questions come from

We read about 560 client reviews of web agencies in Miami-Dade, Broward and south Palm Beach, and of the CRM, AI and marketing providers that sell to the same businesses. The praise and the complaints were surprisingly consistent. The most common complaint was money that grew after signing. The next ones were missed deadlines, accounts and files held back, and communication that went quiet. On the positive side, communication was the most praised quality of all, and about a quarter of the good reviews named one specific person. Each question below answers one of those patterns.

1. Who will I actually talk to, from the first call until after launch?

Many complaints start with a handover: the person who sold the project disappears, and the client explains everything again to a project manager, then to another one. In the reviews we read, some projects only got back on track once a new manager was assigned. Ask for a name, not a department. Ask whether that person will be there after launch. And ask how fast they answer.

2. Where are you actually based?

"Miami agency" can mean many things. At least ten agencies we looked at that present themselves as Miami firms have their headquarters in another city or country, and several share the same office suite, which usually means a co-working or virtual address. That is not a crime, but it matters if you want to meet in person or be served in your own time zone. Ask where meetings happen and who comes to them.

3. What exactly is included, and what isn't?

This is the question behind the most common complaint of all. In the negative reviews we read, hidden costs, add-ons and surprise charges came first: 12 of 23. A low quote followed by "that's not included" is the classic pattern. Ask for a written list of what the price covers: pages and page types, copywriting, photos, languages, forms, booking, integrations, testing on phones, accessibility checks, the move from your old site. Then ask what is explicitly not included.

4. What happens when something changes?

Something always changes. What matters is whether you learn the price of a change before or after it is made. Ask how change requests work, what they cost, and whether you approve each one in writing before work starts. A company that can explain this calmly has done it many times.

5. Who owns the domain, the code and the accounts?

Ownership problems appeared in 7 of the 23 negative reviews: files not delivered, passwords withheld, a finished site used as leverage in a dispute. Ask directly: will the domain, hosting, Google Business Profile, ad accounts, analytics and CRM be registered to your business? Will you get a full copy of the site at launch? What happens if you leave? Our guide to who owns your website explains each account and how to check it.

6. What will the site cost to run every year?

The build price is only part of it. Hosting, the domain, paid plugins, maintenance and the tools the site depends on come every year. One review described $1,200 a year for hosting a small business website. Ask for the running costs in a simple table: what you pay once, what you pay every month or year, and to whom. Our article on what a website costs in Miami lists the hidden costs worth asking about.

7. What is the timeline, and what does it depend on?

Missed deadlines were the second most common complaint in the reviews, and the most emotional. Promises of two to four weeks turned into three months. Some delays are the agency's fault and some are not, because content that arrives late delays everyone. Ask for a timeline with steps, and ask what the company needs from you at each step: copy, photos, logins, decisions. A realistic plan that names your part is worth more than a fast promise.

8. What happens after launch?

Even among well-reviewed agencies, the mild complaints were about what comes after: clients wanted more regular updates, better handover notes and some training. Ask who fixes something that breaks, how quickly, and what it costs. Ask whether you'll get a handover document listing your accounts and how the site is updated. Ask whether a support plan is month to month or a long contract.

9. How will we know it worked, and what won't you promise?

A website should bring something you can count: calls, inquiries, bookings or sales. Ask how that will be measured from day one. Then listen for promises nobody can keep. No one can honestly guarantee a first place on Google. In the reviews we read, the praise for SEO providers went to the ones who were straight about timelines and showed steady progress, not to the ones who promised the top spot.

A bonus: read the reviews carefully

Reviews help, but read them with some care. We came across five-star reviews that still began with the reply of a chatbot asked to write a review, clusters of near-identical reviews posted within a week, and a reviewer who said she was offered a bigger refund to change her rating. Look for detailed reviews that name a person and describe a real project, and read the replies to the negative ones. How a company answers criticism says a lot.

Warning signs in the first conversation

Some problems show up before any contract. In the reviews we read, the unhappiest clients often described the same beginning: a salesperson who promised everything, then handed the project to a delivery team that had never heard those promises. Others described constant upselling that played on a new business owner's inexperience, or pressure to approve a site before it was really finished. Watch for these in the first call:

• The person selling can't tell you who will build the site.
• The price is given before anyone has asked how your business works.
• Every answer about cost ends with "it depends", and nothing is offered in writing.
• Rankings or results are guaranteed.
• You're asked to decide today to keep a discount.

None of these proves a company is bad. Together, they tell you what to double-check.

A checklist for the first call

• A name: the person you'll work with, and whether they stay after launch.
• An address: where meetings happen.
• A written scope: what is included and what isn't.
• A change process: priced and approved in writing before work starts.
• Ownership: every account in your business's name, with a full copy of the site at launch.
• Running costs: once, monthly or yearly, and to whom.
• A timeline: steps, and what's needed from you at each one.
• After launch: support, response time, a handover document, no long lock-in.
• Measurement: what will be counted, and no guaranteed rankings.

How we answer them

At Goldren Studio you talk to Daniel from the first call until after launch. The studio is in Miami and meets by appointment. You get the scope and the price in writing before any work starts. Everything is in your name, there's no long lock-in, and at the end you get a handover document. Daniel replies within one business day. We set a goal you can measure, such as calls, inquiries or bookings, and we don't promise rankings. More about how we build websites, and where we meet clients across Miami-Dade and Broward.

Ask us all nine

Send Daniel the nine questions on WhatsApp and ask them all. He replies within one business day, in English, Hebrew or Russian. Or use the contact page.