Hiring a web designer · October 2026
Switching to a cheaper web company? You usually get cheaper results.
It is a tale as old as time. A business is told it can save money on its website, so it moves to a cheaper provider. A few months later it is paying two companies, the move still is not finished, and nobody can say when it will be. We have been building and managing websites for 17 years, and we have watched this story play out more times than we can count. Here is how it usually goes, and how to avoid it.
How the Story Usually Goes
The details change. The shape of it almost never does.
1. The pitch
Someone promises the same website for less. Sometimes it is a friend of a friend, sometimes a big online company, and sometimes it starts with an email that looks like it came from your current provider, asking you to pay for an “upgrade”. The message is always the same: you are paying too much.
2. The handoff
The business decides to switch. A good outgoing company hands over everything right away: domain transfer codes, logins and files, and keeps the sites running until the move is done. That part is easy. The hard part is what happens next.
3. The stall
Weeks go by. The new provider has questions about the domain, the email, the forms, the plugins. Moving a website properly means knowing how all of those pieces fit together, and it turns out nobody on the new side has done it before. The move date slides, then slides again.
4. Paying twice
The old websites cannot be turned off until the new ones work, so the business keeps paying its old company month after month while it also pays the new one. Three months in, the savings that started it all are gone, and the business owner has spent hours chasing answers.
What “Cheaper” Actually Cuts
A lower price has to come from somewhere. It usually comes from the things you only notice when something goes wrong.
Experience
Moving domains, email and a working website without breaking anything is a skill. Cheap usually means learning on your site.
Time and attention
Low prices only work with a lot of customers per person. Your questions wait in a queue.
Someone who answers
When the site is down on a Friday afternoon, you want a person you know, not a ticket number.
Security and updates
Updates, backups and monitoring take time every month. They are the first thing to go when the price drops.
Search rankings
A move done without redirects can wipe out years of Google rankings in a week. Most people find out only when the phone stops ringing.
Your email
Business email often depends on the domain settings. A careless move can stop email for days, and nobody notices until a customer calls.
The Real Cost Adds Up Fast
When you compare prices, compare the whole picture, not just the monthly number.
Months of double billing
Every month the move stalls, you pay two companies for one website.
Your own time
Chasing updates, answering questions and testing pages is time you are not spending on your business.
Lost customers
Broken forms, a slow site or a dropped Google listing cost you leads you will never see.
Doing it twice
When the cheap move fails, someone has to fix it or start over. That is rarely cheap.
Questions to Ask Before You Switch
If a new provider cannot answer these clearly, that is your answer.
Who will actually move my website, and have they done it before?
Ask for the name of the person doing the work and examples of sites they have moved, including email and domain settings.
What is the timeline, in writing?
A simple website move should take days, not months. Ask for a date and what happens if it slips.
How will you protect my Google rankings?
The right answer mentions keeping important pages and redirecting every old page address to its new page. If they look confused, keep looking.
What happens to my email during the move?
They should know exactly where your email is hosted and how to move the domain without interrupting it.
Who do I call when something breaks?
Get a phone number and a name. Find out how fast they respond and whether that costs extra.
Will I own the website, the domain and the content?
You should. Our guide Who owns your website? 6 things to check covers what to look for.
If You Do Switch, Switch Safely
Sometimes moving on is the right call. These steps keep a move from turning into a mess.
Keep the old site running
Do not cancel your current hosting until the new site is live, tested and working. Ask your current company to stay on month to month until then.
Test before the switch
Check every page, every form, your email and your phone links before the domain is pointed at the new site.
Watch it for a month
After the move, keep an eye on Google Search Console, your Google Business Profile and your leads. Problems show up there first.
Our page on switching web companies walks through how a careful move works.
A Word About “Upgrade Now” Emails
Scam emails now use AI to look exactly like they came from your web company, warning that your software must be upgraded or your account will be closed unless you pay. Before you pay anything or click a link, call the company at a number you already know. A real provider will never mind you checking. At Graticle, our email only ever comes from an @graticle.com address.
Why Businesses Stay With Us
We are not the cheapest, and we do not try to be. We manage websites for businesses that want it done right and want someone to call.
A team that answers
A real person in Longview, Washington who knows your website, not a ticket queue.
Done right the first time
Moves, updates, backups and security handled by people who have done it for 17 years.
No long-term contracts
You stay because it is working, not because you are locked in. If you ever leave, we hand everything over and keep your site running until the move is done.
A clear price up front
You know the cost before anything starts. No surprise fees and no bait-and-switch.
