What Are Red Flags When Hiring a Website Service Provider?

Most website horror stories come from a handful of common patterns. Here is what to watch for before signing anything.

They cannot describe their deliverables specifically. We will take care of everything is not a contract term. If a provider cannot name exactly what they do each month and give you a written scope, they cannot be held accountable. Ask for a maintenance checklist.

They own your domain or hosting. Your domain should be registered in your name, in an account you control. Your hosting account should be yours. Some providers register domains and set up hosting in their own accounts as a convenience play. It becomes a lock-in. When you want to leave, you find out they technically own your domain.

No contract or scope document. Agreements should be in writing: deliverables, pricing, response time commitments, cancellation terms. A handshake deal protects no one.

They guarantee specific Google rankings. No legitimate SEO or maintenance provider can guarantee position 1. Google rankings are influenced by hundreds of factors, many outside any provider control. Anyone promising specific ranking outcomes is overselling.

Long-term contracts with vague services. A 12-month maintenance contract for $300/month should have extremely detailed scope. If the contract is long-term but the deliverables are vague, you are paying for commitment without accountability.

They are slow to respond before you are a client. Response time before you pay is the best predictor of response time after.

They cannot show examples of work or references from similar businesses.

At Freedman Systems, all of these are non-issues: documented scope, client-owned accounts, month-to-month, no ranking guarantees, and transparent pricing.

Start at freedmansystems.com.