How to choose a web designer in the Cayman Islands

The best web designer in Cayman for your business is the one who understands who your visitors are, puts your domain and accounts in your name, takes the Data Protection Act seriously and stays reachable after launch. Whether the designer is on island or overseas matters less than those four points.

This guide is a buyer's checklist. It does not rank or name suppliers. Stryx is a South African consultancy that works with Cayman clients remotely, so it is one of the overseas options described below. Apply the same questions to Stryx as to anyone else.

Start with who your visitors are

Many Cayman businesses serve two audiences at once: residents, and people overseas who are planning a trip, a purchase or a professional engagement. A villa, a dive operator and a clinic that treats visiting patients all depend on people who search from another country and often decide before they arrive.

Ask each designer how the site will serve both groups:

• Which searches the site should appear for on island and abroad
• How enquiries and bookings will be tracked
• Whether the site connects to your booking system, and what happens to tracking when a guest moves to a separate booking engine
• How the site performs for a visitor overseas as well as one in George Town

Local or overseas

The on-island market is small, so many Cayman businesses consider overseas suppliers as well. Both can work.

A designer based in Cayman can meet in person, knows the local market and works in your time zone. Check capacity and what happens when the person you deal with is away.

A designer based overseas widens the choice of specialists, for example in hospitality or healthcare sites. Check time zone overlap, how meetings are held, stated support hours and whether the designer has worked with Cayman businesses before.

In both cases, ask who does the work. Design, build, writing and photography are often done by different people. That is normal. You should know who they are.

Checklist: twelve questions to ask

1. Can I see live websites you built for a business like mine?
2. May I speak to one of those clients?
3. What did you do on each project, and what did others do?
4. Which platform do you recommend for my site, and why?
5. Who will own the domain, the hosting account and the website?
6. Where will the site be hosted, and can I choose the region?
7. How will the site connect to my booking, payment or practice system?
8. What is included in the quote, and what is excluded?
9. How long will it take, and what do you need from me at each stage?
10. Do you provide a written data processing agreement?
11. Who maintains the site after launch, and during which hours can I reach you?
12. What do I receive if I move to another supplier?

Your .ky domain

The .ky domain is owned and regulated by OfReg, the Utility Regulation and Competition Office. OfReg's guidance also says that people outside the Cayman Islands can hold .ky domains.

That makes one check simple. Whoever registers the domain, the registrant should be your business, not your designer. The same applies to a .com. Ask for the registrar login, and keep it somewhere your business controls.

Data protection

This section is general information, not legal advice.

The Cayman Islands Data Protection Act applies to the public and private sectors, and the Ombudsman is the supervisory authority. A website that collects enquiries, bookings or patient details is processing personal data. According to the Ombudsman's guidance:

• The Act is built on eight data protection principles, including purpose limitation, data minimisation, security and rules for international transfers.
• A data controller that uses a data processor must have a written data processing agreement with it. A designer or host that handles form submissions for you is likely to be a processor.
• The Act requires specific safeguards when personal data leaves the Cayman Islands for certain countries. Ask where the site, its backups and its form data are stored.
• A personal data breach must be reported to the Ombudsman and to the people affected without undue delay, and no later than five days after the controller should have become aware of it.

Ask each designer how forms, storage, hosting region and breach reporting are handled. Be careful with anyone who promises that a website will make your business compliant. Compliance depends on how the whole business handles data. Confirm your obligations with your own legal counsel or the Ombudsman.

Licensing

The Department of Commerce and Investment says that anyone carrying on business in the Cayman Islands needs a Trade and Business Licence. It is reasonable to ask an on-island supplier for theirs. Whether an overseas supplier with no presence on island needs one is a question for the Department of Commerce and Investment or your own counsel.

Red flags

• Guaranteed rankings, traffic or bookings
• The domain or hosting held in the designer's name
• No administrator login to your own site
• A platform no other developer can work on
• A quote with no list of what is included
• No written agreement on data processing
• No clear answer on who looks after the site once it is live

After launch

A website needs updates, backups and someone to call when something breaks. Before you sign, agree on who does this, when they can be reached and what notice applies. If the supplier is overseas, ask for support hours in writing and work out the overlap with your working day.

How Stryx fits

Stryx is founder-led and works remotely from South Africa. Cayman clients usually arrive by referral, and support hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 17:00 South African time. Care plan clients choose their hosting region: United States, Europe, United Kingdom or South Africa. Whether that arrangement suits you depends on how much in-person contact you want.

More detail is on the Cayman Islands page and under web design in the Cayman Islands and website care plans. For the wider choice between kinds of supplier, see agency vs freelancer vs consultant. To start a conversation, get in touch.