The web design questions people ask most
These are the web design questions small business owners ask before they hire anyone: what it costs, how long it takes, who owns what, and whether any of it brings in customers. The six most common are answered at the bottom of this page. The rest are grouped below by topic.
Some answers point to other pages that go deeper. Where a fact comes from somewhere other than us, the source is listed at the end.
Web design and web development: what is the difference?
People use the two terms as if they meant the same thing, and on a small business site they mostly overlap. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics covers them in one occupational profile but splits the work in two.
Web design
The part a visitor experiences: page layout, navigation, and how easily someone can find what they came for. A designer's question is "can a customer on a phone find the phone number in two seconds?"
Web development
The part underneath: building and maintaining the site in code, and technical matters like how fast it loads and how much traffic it can take. A developer's question is "will this page load on one bar of signal?"
A large company might hire separate people for each. A local business does not need to. Maurice Johnson does the design, the writing and the build, which is one reason the site comes out consistent from page to page.
Cost and payment
How much does a website cost here?
Three one-time prices: Starter $497, Pro $997, Agency $1,997. The pricing page compares them line by line. For what websites cost across the industry, read how much a small business website costs.
What is monthly?
Only the optional AI agents and hosting. The AI chat widget on Pro is free for 14 days, then $297 a month. The AI phone agent on Agency is free for 7 days, then $297 a month for up to 750 minutes, cancel any time. Hosting, maintenance and updates are included while you keep an agent, or $49 a month without one.
Is there a contract or a deposit?
No deposit and no contract. You see the free demo first and pay only if you choose a package. Payment goes through Stripe checkout.
Timelines and what you need to provide
How long until my site is live?
Starter goes live in 7 to 14 days. Agency pages arrive in waves, the first live inside two weeks. Pro's timeline is agreed when you order. The full walk-through is on how it works.
What slows it down?
Almost always, waiting on photos, service details or access to the domain.
What do I need to send?
Your business details, services, towns served, any photos and where your domain is registered. The client intake form collects these in one go.
I do not have good photos. Is that a problem?
No. You will be told exactly what to shoot with your phone. Real photos of your own work beat stock pictures.
Search, Google and getting found
Is SEO included?
The basics are in every package: page titles, descriptions and a sitemap submitted to Google. Pro adds schema markup and Google Business Profile setup. Agency adds keyword research across your service area. More on SEO web design.
Why does my site need to work well on a phone?
Because Google now crawls and indexes sites primarily as a phone sees them. Google announced in October 2023 that its move to mobile-first indexing was complete. Every site here is designed for the phone first.
What are city pages, and do I need them?
A city page is one page about one service, written for one town. Whether you need ten or fifty depends on how many towns you serve and how many different ways customers describe your work. How city pages work explains the math.
Ownership, domains and leaving
Who owns the website?
You do, outright, once it is paid for.
Who owns the domain name?
You should. ICANN calls the person or company that holds the rights to a domain the registrant. If a web designer registers your domain with their own details, they may be listed as the registrant instead of you, which is how owners get stuck. You can check yours with ICANN's free lookup tool.
What if I want to leave later?
The site is yours. The monthly add-ons are optional (the AI phone agent can be cancelled any time), and the one-time build does not lock you into anything.
Working with Dominion Web Design Pro
Where are you located?
Big Sandy, in East Texas. Sites are built and delivered remotely for businesses anywhere in the country, and there is no office anywhere else. More on the about page.
Do you use templates?
No page is filled into a template. Every page is written by hand for your business and the towns it serves.
Do you have reviews or a portfolio I can see?
Not on this site. Instead of asking you to trust a gallery, the free demo shows you a site built for your own business, which tells you more than someone else's would.