Is your "local" web designer outsourcing your site overseas?
By Max & Daniel · Updated 23 September 2026
You chose a local web designer so you could talk to the person building your site. But some designers sell locally and build offshore, without telling you. Here's how to spot it and why it matters.
Why it happens
The margin is the reason. A designer can charge local prices, pay an overseas contractor a fraction of that, and keep the difference. As long as the client never asks, nobody finds out.
Why it matters
The site might be fine. But when the person you talk to isn't the person doing the work, things get lost:
- Changes take longer because they go through a middleman
- The builder doesn't know your area, your customers or your industry
- Time zones slow everything down
- You're paying local prices for work that didn't happen locally
Signs your site might be outsourced
- You never speak to the person actually building your site
- Simple changes take days to come back
- The designer is vague when you ask who does the work
- The finished site looks like a generic template with your logo on it
- Content is written in a way no Aussie customer would talk
Questions to ask before you sign
- Who will build my website, by name?
- Can I talk to them directly?
- Is any part of the work subcontracted? Where to?
- Who do I contact when I need a change after launch?
Our answer
Every MAD Develops site is built by Max and Dan, the two founders you talk to. No outsourcing, no middlemen. If you want a change, you message the person who built it.
Want to talk to the people who'll actually build your site? That's us.