Phoenix AZ web design blog

Why hire a local web designer over one from overseas?

Why hire a local web designer over one from overseas?

  • By Ian Shere , on February 11 2026 16:21
  • 2 min read

That’s a great question — especially if you’re comparing a $5,000 local proposal to a $900 overseas quote. On paper, it can feel like a no-brainer.

But price isn’t the same thing as value. Here’s what you’re really paying for when you hire local.

1. Strategy vs. Just “Building a Website”

A lot of cheaper overseas options are task-based:

“Send content. We design pages. Done.”

A good local designer should be business-focused:

  • Who are your ideal customers?

  • What action do you want them to take?

  • What objections do they have?

  • How should the site support your sales process?

You’re not just buying a website — you’re buying positioning, messaging, and conversion strategy.

That difference alone can be worth far more than the cost gap.

2. Real-Time Communication (Without Friction)

Time zones matter more than people think.

When you work local:

  • You can jump on a call during business hours.

  • You’re not waiting 12–24 hours per revision.

  • Nuances in tone, branding, and industry language are easier to communicate.

  • Cultural context aligns naturally.

Small misunderstandings in web projects turn into expensive delays fast.

3. Accountability Is Different

If something breaks:

  • Who fixes it?

  • How fast?

  • Are they still in business next year?

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When you don't know what you're doing!

  • By Ian Shere , on February 26 2025 15:38
  • 2 min read

Is AI going to put website designer and content creators out of business? Not any time soon. One day? Maybe.

So, I was watching some YouTube videos yesterday and this ad from GoDaddy popped up filling me with zero confidence in their product (and AI in general). With GoDaddy Airo you can do stuff, like build a website, like you know what you doing. Obviously, this means you don't know what you're doing, so how do you understand if AI does something silly? Answer, you don't, so you'll upload a silly "website".

Will GoDaddy's product build you a good-looking website? Possibly. Will it contain quality content, be laid out logically, be correcly optimized? Probably not. 

This is your business, your livelihood. For one, why are you spending time working on something you're not experienced in, that can potentially hurt your business, rather than doing what you're skilled at? Secondly, do you really trust a robot to build an entire, unique website for you? Imagine you're a plumber and you ask your AI "web designer" to build you a plumbing website. Then a second plumber signs up and asks it to build him a plumbing website. How different will they be? Likely very

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Not looking back is a bad thing!

  • By Ian Shere , on September 03 2024 12:09
  • 4 min read

Anyone who knows a little of the Old Testament of the Bible will know the famous story of Sodom and Gomorrah, and how, while fleeing from the city prior to its destruction, Lot's wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt. If this story (or the moral behind it if you choose not to believe the story literally) is true, how can I say looking back is sometimes a good thing? It all comes down to the heart attitude (call it "the motive") behind the looking back.

This is NOT a political blog post, but as we head into the election season, this is something we all need to do. I, for one, have, in the past, just blindly voted for the party I've always voted for. Thanks to my darling wife, who has "educated" me, I now look at current policies, as well as looking back at their track record. What have they accomplished? How did they vote in the past? This is not just important, but critical in making an educated and informed choice and acting in a positive

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