The right website designer for a Gig Harbor business writes copy around how your customers choose, builds on a platform you can update yourself, sets up local SEO and call and form tracking before launch, and makes your site readable to Google and to AI assistants like ChatGPT. Ask about all of that before you sign, and ask what happens after launch, because that's where most websites start to slip.
We're a web and creative studio on Soundview Drive in Gig Harbor. Here are the questions we'd ask if we were the ones hiring.
Why does it matter if your web designer is local?
It isn't required. Plenty of good work gets done over video calls. But for a business whose customers are tied to places, local knowledge shows up in the work.
A designer who knows the area knows your market isn't just the city limits. Customers come from all over the peninsula, and a lot of Gig Harbor businesses also serve Port Orchard, Tacoma and the rest of the South Sound. That changes which pages your site needs and how they're written. We covered more of that in what actually works for marketing in Gig Harbor.
Local also means you can sit down across a table when a decision matters. Some owners care about that and some don't. Know which one you are.
What should you ask before hiring a website designer in Gig Harbor?
1. Who writes the copy?
This is the question most people forget to ask, and it decides how well the site works. A lot of designers expect you to hand over finished text. Most business owners don't have time, so the site launches with whatever got written the night before.
Ask whether copywriting is included and how it works. We run a guided intake: you bring the facts, and we write the pages around how your buyers actually choose.
2. What platform is it built on, and can you update it yourself?
You should be able to change a price, add a photo or post a job opening without calling a developer. Ask what the site is built on, who owns it, and what editing looks like day to day.
We build on Webflow because it gives you a fast, secure site with a visual CMS, so new pages, locations and service lines can go up without rebuilding anything. See how we approach a Webflow website design and build.
3. Is local SEO set up before launch, or "later"?
"We'll do SEO after launch" often means nobody does it. The basics belong in the build: clean site structure, schema, page speed, and your Google Business Profile set up and connected.
For a place-based business, the biggest structural question is pages. Does every service and every area you serve get its own real page, or is it all crammed onto one "Services" page with a list of towns in the footer? Search engines and customers both reward the first approach.
4. Will AI search tools be able to read it?
More buyers now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews who to hire instead of scrolling a results page. Those tools read the text in your page's code, not the design. Copy baked into images, content that only loads with JavaScript, and a homepage that never says plainly what you do can all make a good-looking site hard for AI to understand.
Ask your designer how they handle it. If they look confused, that's your answer. We wrote a longer piece on designing for AI search.
5. How will you know if it's working?
A new website should come with a way to see what it does. Ask whether call and form tracking are set up at launch, so you can tell where inquiries come from. "It looks great" isn't a result. Calls and form fills are.
6. What happens after launch?
This is where most website projects fall apart. The designer moves on, your business adds a service or a location, and the site slowly drifts out of date.
Ask who updates the site in month three, month nine and month twelve, and what that costs. Our builds are the first part of a 12-month partnership: after launch, a monthly retainer covers new pages, creative, site updates and ongoing local SEO and AI search, so the site keeps up with the business.
7. Is the scope and price clear before you start?
You should know exactly what you're getting and what it costs before work begins. Ask for the scope in writing. Ours is a one-page proposal with a fixed scope and a fixed price.
How long does a website build take?
It depends on the size of the site and how fast decisions get made. Our builds run 90 days, covering strategy, design, build and launch, including search and inquiry tracking setup. Be wary of anyone promising a full custom site in a week. Be just as wary of a project with no end date.
What should a Gig Harbor business website include?
At a minimum:
- A plain statement near the top of the homepage of what you do, who you do it for, and where.
- A phone number visible on mobile without scrolling, and tappable.
- One page per main service, and real pages for the main areas you serve.
- Reviews, real photos of your work and your team, and the details that build trust: licenses, warranties, years in business.
- Clear ways to get in touch, with calls and forms tracked.
- Business details (name, address, phone, hours) that match your Google Business Profile exactly.
None of this means your site has to look plain. It means design and function have to work together. Want to see what that looks like for a local contractor? Here's how we approached Mark's Electric's brand and website.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Gig Harbor web designer, or can I hire anyone? You can hire anyone. A local designer can help if your customers find you by place, because they'll know the areas, the competition and how people here search.
Is Webflow good for small businesses? For established businesses that want a fast, secure site they can update themselves, yes. Its visual CMS makes adding pages, locations and services straightforward.
Does website design include SEO? It should include the foundations: structure, schema, page speed, local search setup and tracking. Ongoing SEO is a separate, monthly effort.
Can you guarantee my site will rank on Google? No one can honestly promise that. Nobody controls Google or AI results. A good designer does the work that earns visibility and shows you what moved.
How much does website design cost in Gig Harbor? It depends on scope. We give you a fixed price in a one-page proposal before anything starts.
Thinking about a new website?
If your business has outgrown its website, start with a conversation. Book a 25-minute website review and we'll show you three practical opportunities to start with. Get in touch with Pencil Rick.
