How to Find a Web Designer (And Why Asking Facebook Is a Bad Idea)

You need a new website, so you do what feels natural: you post in a local Facebook group and ask, “Who knows a good web designer?” It seems like a great idea. Your friends know you, they want to help, and you get free advice in minutes.

But after managing more than 400 websites and working with small businesses for years, I can tell you this: asking Facebook for a web design recommendation is one of the worst ways to hire someone to build your website.

Here’s why, and what you should do instead.

A Real Example: 16 Recommendations in Under 2 Hours

Take a look at this post from a local community group. The person simply wrote that he was looking for a web designer and a social media person.

Within about two hours, he already had 16 comments. Each comment is a different name, a different tagged page, or a different “my cousin does websites!” On top of that come the direct messages, the phone calls, the emails, and, as a bonus, the spam accounts that watch these groups for exactly this kind of post.

What started as a simple question has now become a full-time job of sorting through people.

Problem #1: Too Many Recommendations Slow Down Your Decision

More options sound good, but in practice, they create decision paralysis. When you have 16, 30, or 50 names, you have no real way to compare them. Most recommendations come with no portfolio, no pricing, and no explanation of why they are good. You end up spending days clicking profiles and replying to messages, and your website project sits still.

Your time is valuable. Every week you spend without a working, professional website is a week of lost leads and lost sales.

Problem #2: You Become a Target for Calls, Messages, and Spam

The moment you post publicly that you need a web designer, you announce to everyone that you have a budget and a need. That includes:

• • Freelancers and agencies sliding into your inbox with sales pitches

• • Unwanted phone calls from people who found your business number

• • Cold emails offering “cheap websites” and “first page of Google guaranteed”

• • Fake accounts and scammers who prey on public requests like this

Many of these contacts will keep coming long after you’ve already hired someone.

Problem #3: A Recommendation Doesn’t Mean They’re Qualified

Your friends mean well, but most of them don’t understand what goes into building a website that actually works for a business. A friend might recommend someone because they’re nice, because they’re family, or because they’re just starting out and need clients.

That person could be a brand-new designer, someone with poor business practices, or someone who just throws together a site using AI tools without understanding design, performance, or search engines. The results usually show:

• • Bad UI/UX: confusing menus, cluttered layouts, and pages that don’t guide visitors to call, book, or buy

• • Poor optimization: slow load times, broken mobile layouts, and missing on-page SEO

• • No long-term support: no updates, no security, no backups, and nobody to call when the site goes down

Every one of these problems costs your business money, whether you see it right away or not.

Problem #4: It Can Damage Your Friendships

This is the part nobody talks about. If you hire someone your friend recommended and the work is bad, late, or overpriced, things get awkward fast. Do you complain to your friend? Do you leave an honest review? Do you fire the designer and risk offending the person who referred them?

A bad hire from a personal recommendation can create friction and even damage a relationship that had nothing to do with business in the first place. It simply isn’t worth the risk.

A Better Way to Find a Web Designer

Here’s my recommendation, and it’s simple. Instead of asking Facebook, ask Google.

Step 1: Search “Web Design Near Me” or “[Your City] Web Design”

Type web design near me or your city name plus web design (for example, “Richmond Indiana web design”) into Google. Pay attention to who shows up in the top results and in the local map listings.

Step 2: Understand What a High Ranking Tells You

If a web designer’s own business shows up on the first page of Google, that’s a strong sign they know SEO. Ranking for competitive local terms isn’t luck. It takes a well-built, fast, properly optimized website. If they can do it for themselves, there’s a good chance they can do it for you.

Quick tip: A designer who can’t get their own website found on Google will have a hard time getting yours found.

Step 3: Review Their Portfolio

Go through their portfolio and look at real websites they’ve built. Ask yourself:

1. 1. Do the sites look modern, clean, and professional?

1. 1. Do they load fast and work well on a phone?

1. 1. Is it easy to find the phone number, contact form, or “Book Now” button?

1. 1. Have they worked with businesses like yours?

1. 1. Do they have real reviews from real clients?

Step 4: Decide Based on Expertise, Not Friendship

By the time you’ve done this research, you’ll have a clear picture of each designer’s level of expertise. That’s a far better foundation for your decision than a quick comment from a friend who doesn’t know how website infrastructure, design, or SEO actually work.

Final Thoughts

Facebook is great for many things, but hiring a web designer isn’t one of them. Posting a public request floods you with options, opens the door to spam and sales calls, and puts your business and your friendships at risk with unqualified recommendations.

Your website is often the first impression customers have of your business. Treat the hiring decision seriously. Search Google, look for designers who rank, study their portfolios, and choose based on proven results.

If you’re in the Richmond, Indiana area or anywhere else and want a website built for speed, search visibility, and real results, reach out to Instant Web Tools. Then do what I just recommended: look us up, check our work, and decide for yourself.