Janis wrote: “I've had two different websites in the past but I wasn't happy with them. One I bought from some guy and I found out he lied to me and he was getting my traffic which I believed was coming to me. I hired another guy to build me a website. After a month he sent me a bill for $400 and the only thing I had was one single page with a pink background that had the name JANIS in the center of the page. THAT WAS ALL. No links, no information, no nothing --- and he told me it took him 40 hours to design that. He also signed me up with an internet hosting service that went bankrupt about 3 weeks after I wrote the check.” -Janis C.

At least she only lost about $400. I’ve heard horror stories much worse than that. So what can you do to help make sure you do not get taken advantage of when selecting a web builder or host?

There are lots of things you should consider, and we do not have space to cover them all right here. But here are four things to watch out for. If you see any of these signs, be very cautious:

#1 They ask you to sign a long-term or expensive contract.

Companies in all types of industries may ask you to sign a contract. Contracts are part of business and it is wise to use written contracts in many situations. But when a web host or web builder asks you to sign an expensive, long-term contact, you might want to take a step back and ask why.

If you are having them spend a lot of time and hours doing a custom website for you, then I would expect them to ask you to sign some sort of contract. But on basic hosting or a website builder, a long-term contract is usually not necessary. If their service is as good as they say, then why the long-term contract? It may be that they know that once you start looking around, you’ll realize there are a lot better deals out there and they want to make sure you can’t get away from them. This is not always the case. I’m just saying be aware of this possibility and ask a lot of questions before you sign your name to a deal that will be a long-term soak on your wallet. Generally for basic hosting or a basic website builder, I would avoid anybody that asks you to sign a long-term or expensive contract.

#2 They try to charge you thousands of dollars for a website or group of websites.

Now, there certainly are websites that are worth thousands of dollars. But there are also people out there that will try to take advantage of you. They get you all excited about “being your own boss” and then while your head is in the clouds counting all your future riches, they get into your wallet for several thousand dollars. Before you know what hit you, you’ve got yourself an overpriced website and a hefty credit card bill. I suppose if you are willing to pay thousands up-front for a basic website, then so be it. But it is not necessary.

#3 They try to sell you a “dream.”

Here’s how it goes down: They spend all their time getting you pumped up dreaming about tropical vacations and spending more time with your family. All they talk about is you making tons of money with your website instead of talking about the actual features of what they offer. In my experience, when all they have to talk about is your “dreams” of being rich, they often have a questionable product. What percentage of their time with you did they talk about their actual product? If they have such a wonderful website or website builder, then they should be excited to talk about all the features and benefits of the website, and not about your dreams of wealth. Nobody can guarantee wealth in this world. So beware of people that are only selling “dreams.”

#4 They do not let you use own websit