Beware of Overseas Outsource Website Design!

You might believe the website design company you are hiring is located in the United States, but did you know that as many as 75 to 80% of those companies will now outsource website design projects to China, India, and Russia? Overseas website design outsourcing is now a systemic problem in the United States due to a lack of skilled workers, inflation, and the proliferation of DIY website platforms.

Beware of Overseas Outsource Website Design!

How do you know if the website design company you are thinking of will outsource website design projects overseas?

Simple, look at their pricing. If they advertise a low price ranging from $100.00 to $500.00, it’s definitely being outsourced. Even prices as high as $1,000.00 are often being outsourced as well. Moreover, the fact that they are advertising their prices is another tell-tale sign they are outsourcing.

By contrast, a “real” website design company that builds websites in-house, here in the United States, cannot advertise pricing because each website build is unique. A professionally-built website should be tailored to your demographic, meet your specific needs, and compete with competitors in your field. A general contractor cannot advertise a standard price because each house he/she builds is unique to each customer. The same is true with websites.

What’s Bad About Outsourcing Website Design?

Bait and switch pricing is rampant – Companies that outsource website design projects overseas will advertise a low price to build a website, but then charge you extra claiming your website was more complicated. They will refuse to release the website until you pay, and will not refund your initial payment. They will also charge you charge higher prices for on-going maintenance. It’s common for these companies to charge you $1,000.00 to $2,000.00 per year just to host your website, and then charge you additionally to make basic changes, server updates, and data backups.

You get no extras unless you pay more – Because the company your hired passes most of the money to the sweat shop, that company has to upsell you to make its profit. Things like SEO, server security, analytics, and social media feeds, all should be included in the initial cost of a website build. But, it will end up being upsold to you separately.

Your website can be held hostage for ransom – Companies that outsource website design projects typically incorporate “kill switches” in your website that allow them to instantly shut down your website in the event of a payment dispute.

Your customer data is exposed to thieves – Overseas shops will also add “back doors” in your website allowing them to access customer records such as credit card numbers and e-mail addresses. This is illegal activity, but there is nothing the US government can do because it’s overseas.

Websites are built by robots – Overseas website design shops rely on robots and automated builders to assemble websites. Don’t believe us? Check out this company. When you hire a website design company that outsources labor, you will be asked to fill out an online form where you enter your business information and attach graphics and photos. That data is picked up by a sweat shop in India, China, or Russia. A worker there reviews the information you entered, makes any necessary edits, then “presses the button” and your website is built by a robot in a few minutes. That worker then reviews the results, who may make additional edits, or even request more information from the company you hired.

Too many people touching your website – Outsourced website design services are “sweat shops” that employ dozens, or even hundreds, of workers. Each time you request an update to your website, it goes into a queue where it waits for the next available worker. Your website is never addressed by the original worker who built it. It just goes to whomever is available.

Outsourced labor knows nothing about your business – If the company you hired wants you to go on their website to enter information about your business, then obviously that’s all they know about you. How can someone in China, India, or Russia know anything about your products and services? How will they know anything about your clientele?

Poor grammar and spelling – Workers in China, Russia, and India don’t understand how the English language is used in the United States. Even though they have studied English in their schools, they still don’t know how to write marketing copy tailored for American audiences.

Your money is leaving the United States – While globalization is great for other countries, and great for bringing prices down, it also takes jobs and income away from Americans.

Why Are Website Design Companies Outsourcing Labor Overseas?

Because the labor is cheap and the turn-around time is fast. Website design sweat shops in China, India, and Russia pay their employees dirt-cheap wages, and they use robots to do all the building. The employees are only there to “clean up” after the robot and to make sure the finished website looks good.

Meanwhile in the United States, it’s difficult to find reliable, skilled employees. On top of that, anyone who is reliable and skilled will demand extremely high salaries that require employers to pass the costs on to the customer.

How You Can Tell if a Website Design Company is Outsourcing Labor Overseas

• Ask to meet them in person. If you find a website design company advertising services in your town, they should be able to meet you. If they cannot, it means they are not actually in your town. They have in fact, mislead you to think that.
• If they advertise their prices to the public, it means they are using a “one size fits all”, cookie-cutter design.
• If they are advertising prices between $100.00 to $1,000.00 for a full website design, it’s pretty certain they are outsourcing overseas.
• Most website design companies that outsource overseas will have you fill out a form describing your business in detail.
• If they offer a turn-around time between 3 to 7 days, it’s definitely being outsourced overseas.
• View the “Contact” page on their website. Do they display their location? If not, it means they are hiding their location and are not interested in meeting you.

What About Us?

Choctaw Websites does not outsource labor. We do not use robots nor any kind of automated builder. All websites we build are built by our own staff here in the United States. All of our employees are U.S. citizens.

If your business is located in Oklahoma, we will take the time to visit you (if you are willing). This way we can understand your business better and build a website ideally suited for your customer base. Even if you are not located in Oklahoma, we will take the time to learn as much as we can about your business to build a quality, high performing website.

Contact us so that we can tell you more.