Choosing a web designer can feel like a guessing game. Most small business owners in Albury Wodonga only buy a website once every few years, so it is hard to know what good looks like until something goes wrong. I have been building websites since 1995 and I have seen plenty of businesses come to me after a bad experience somewhere else. This guide is everything I would want a friend to know before they hire anyone, including me.
I have linked to the relevant pages on my site as I go, so you can dig deeper into anything that applies to you.
Start With What Your Website Needs to Do
Before you talk to a single designer, write down what you want the website to achieve. For most small businesses on the Border it comes down to a few things. You want people to find you on Google, trust you once they land and then call or send an enquiry. Some businesses also need to sell products, take bookings or answer the same questions over and over so the phone stops ringing for the wrong reasons.
Having that list in front of you makes every conversation with a designer more useful. A good designer will ask about your customers, your services and where your work comes from before they talk about colours or fonts. If someone jumps straight to a price without asking anything, that tells you a lot.
What to Look For in a Web Designer
A clear process from first call to launch
You should know exactly what happens, in what order and who is doing the work. When I build new websites for small businesses I start with a chat about the business, map out the pages, write or polish the content, design and build the site, then test it on phones and desktops before it goes live. You should never be left wondering where your project is up to.
Plenty of my clients have been running their business off a Facebook page for years. If that is you, ask how the designer handles moving from Facebook to a proper website. Facebook is great for staying in touch with regulars but it does very little for people searching Google for a service in Albury or Wodonga.
You should own everything
This is the big one. Your domain name, your hosting account and your website login should all be in your name or fully handed over to you. I have seen businesses lose their site entirely because a previous designer held the keys and then disappeared.
It is also why I build WordPress websites in Elementor. WordPress is the most widely used website platform around, so you are never locked to one person. You get full access to edit your own text and photos and any WordPress developer can pick it up later if you ever need them to.
Hosting that is fast and looked after
Cheap hosting is often slow hosting. A slow site loses people before the page even loads. Ask where your site will be hosted, who looks after the server and what happens if it goes down. My website hosting is set up for WordPress. I keep an eye on it so you are not stuck ringing an overseas help desk.
Ongoing maintenance and updates
A WordPress site is not a set and forget job. The core software, the theme and the plugins all need regular updates to stay secure and working properly. Ask any designer what happens after launch.
Every website I build comes with a free first year of maintenance. After that, my WordPress maintenance plans start at $19 a month for monthly backups and updates, with Essentials at $59, Business at $99 and Elite at $189 for more frequent backups, security scans and monitoring. If you would rather not touch the site yourself, I can also handle website updates like new services, price changes and fresh photos.
Security and a plan for when things go wrong
Ask how the site is protected and what happens if it gets hacked. Hacks are common on neglected WordPress sites, usually through old plugins. Good backups and regular updates prevent most problems. If your current site has already been compromised, I offer hacked website repair to clean it up, close the hole and get you back on Google without the warning screens.
Services You Might Need
Not every business needs every service. Here is a quick rundown so you know what to ask about.
Web design
My main website design service in Albury covers everything from a simple one page site to a full multi page build. If you already have a site that looks dated or does not work on a phone, a website redesign is often the better path. If you sell products, look at ecommerce websites with a proper shop, payments and shipping set up.
Price matters for every small business, so I keep my pricing on the site. A Single Page Website is $880, a Complete Website with multiple pages is $2200 and an Advanced Website with a shop, bookings or member areas starts from $3300. All prices include GST, mobile friendly design, Google Analytics, a contact form and Google Map, SEO ready setup and full access to edit. Domain and hosting are extra. If you are watching every dollar, my page on affordable web design explains how to get a solid site without paying for things you do not need.
SEO and Google Ads
A website nobody finds is just an expensive business card. SEO in Albury is about getting your site showing when locals search for what you do. For most trades and service businesses the real wins come from local SEO, which covers Google Maps, your Google Business Profile and searches that include a suburb or town name.
If you are starting from scratch it makes sense to plan web design and SEO together so the site is built to rank from day one rather than fixed up later. My local SEO plans start at $279 a month for Basic, with Growth at $719 and Premium at $1894, all month to month with no lock in. If you want the full breakdown, I have a page on how much SEO costs that explains what you get at each level.
For faster results while SEO builds, Google Ads management puts you at the top of the page for the searches that matter. Plans start at $198 a month plus a $480 setup fee. Your ad spend is paid to Google separately. Other pieces worth knowing about include link building to grow your site’s authority and working with an SEO consultant if you have someone in house who just needs a clear plan. If any of the jargon is confusing, my plain English SEO glossary explains the common terms.
Industry Specific Needs
Every trade and profession searches a little differently. A plumber needs to rank for emergency calls, while a winery needs to look good and handle cellar door bookings. You can see all the industries I work with or jump to the one that fits you.
Trades and construction
- SEO for tradies to win more local jobs from Google Maps
- SEO for builders with project galleries that sell your work
- SEO for plumbers who need the phone ringing for urgent jobs
- SEO for electricians covering residential and commercial work
- SEO for earthmoving and civil contractors who quote bigger jobs
- SEO for solar and air conditioning installers in a hot and cold climate
- SEO for landscapers and gardeners with photos doing the heavy lifting
- SEO for cleaners who service homes and businesses on both sides of the river
Rural, food and tourism
- SEO for farms and agribusiness selling direct or supplying the trade
- SEO for wineries and cellar doors around Rutherglen and the King Valley
- SEO for tourism and accommodation catching visitors before they book elsewhere
- SEO for cafes and restaurants with menus that are easy to read on a phone
Professional, health and services
- SEO for allied health practices that rely on clear booking paths
- SEO for real estate agents chasing appraisal leads
- SEO for mechanics and auto repairs who want more bookings
- SEO for transport and logistics businesses working the Hume corridor
- SEO for accountants and bookkeepers building trust before the first meeting
- SEO for NDIS providers with clear and accessible information
Where I Work
I work with businesses right across Albury Wodonga, the Riverina and North East Victoria by phone, email and video call. Because the Border straddles two states, a lot of businesses need to show up in both Albury and Wodonga searches. I plan for that from the start. You can see all the areas I cover or find your town below.
Albury and suburbs
- Web design in the Albury CBD for city centre shops and offices
- Web design in Lavington for the northern suburbs
- Web design in Thurgoona in the growing north east
- Web design in East Albury for the eastern suburbs
- Web design in North Albury for the inner north
- Web design in Springdale Heights just north of Lavington
- Web design in Glenroy in the inner west
- Web design in Hamilton Valley on the western side of town
NSW towns and the Riverina
- Jindera in Greater Hume, north of Albury
- Howlong on the Murray west of Albury
- Corowa in the Federation Council area
- Holbrook on the Hume Highway
- Culcairn in Greater Hume
- Tumbarumba in the Snowy Valleys
- Wagga Wagga, the Riverina’s biggest city
- Griffith in the western Riverina
- Young in the Hilltops
- Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains
Wodonga and North East Victoria
- Web design in Wodonga, the twin city across the Murray
- Baranduda south of Wodonga
- Yackandandah in Indigo Shire
- Beechworth with its historic main street
- Rutherglen in the heart of wine country
- Wangaratta in North East Victoria
- Tallangatta on the shores of Lake Hume
- Myrtleford in the Alpine Valleys
- Bright in the Ovens Valley
Questions to Ask Before You Hire
Take this list into every conversation. A good designer will answer each one without fuss.
- Who will actually build my website? Is any of it sent overseas?
- Will the domain, hosting and website login be in my name?
- Can I edit the text and photos myself after launch?
- What is included in the price and what costs extra?
- What happens after launch and who looks after updates and backups?
- How will the site be set up to show on Google in Albury and Wodonga?
- How long will the build take and what do you need from me?
- If I want to leave one day, how do I take my site with me?
For what it is worth, my answers are simple. I do every part of the work myself and I do not outsource overseas. You own your site and get full access to edit it. My prices are listed openly and the first year of maintenance is included.
Red Flags to Watch For
Some warning signs come up again and again when I talk to business owners who have been burnt before.
- The designer will not tell you who owns the domain or hosting.
- The price seems too good to be true, with no mention of what happens after launch.
- You are locked into a long contract just to keep your site online.
- The site is built on a closed platform only that designer can edit.
- There is no mention of mobile phones, page speed or Google at all.
- Promises of number one rankings in a set time. Nobody can guarantee that.
- You cannot get a straight answer by phone or email once the deposit is paid.
None of these on their own means a designer is dodgy, but two or three together should make you think twice.
Ready to Talk About Your Website
If you have read this far, you already know more than most people do before they hire a web designer. Take your time, ask the hard questions and pick someone you feel comfortable working with for years, not just weeks.
If you would like to talk about your own site, send me a message or give me a call and I will get back to you myself with honest advice and a clear price. There is no obligation to go ahead. You can also read a bit about me and how I work first, including how I got started building websites back in 1995.
