7 questions to ask before hiring a web designer
Hiring someone to build your website? Ask these 7 questions first — they separate a designer who'll grow your business from one who just makes it pretty.
Hiring someone to build your website is one of those purchases where it's hard to know if you're getting a good deal until it's too late. The site looks fine on launch day. Whether it actually works — whether it brings in customers, whether you can update it, whether anyone answers when something breaks — you find out months later.
These seven questions, asked before you sign anything, will tell you most of what you need to know. The good ones will have clear answers. The ones to avoid will get vague.
1. "Who owns the website and domain when we're done?"
This is the first question for a reason. Some designers build your site on a platform you can never leave, or register the domain in their own name, so you're effectively renting your own business from them forever.
What a good answer sounds like: "You own everything — the domain, the content, the site. No lock-in. If you ever want to leave, you take it all with you." If the answer is anything fuzzier than that, walk away.
2. "What's the site actually supposed to do?"
Notice if they ask you this before you ask them. A designer who jumps straight to "what colours do you like" is building you a brochure. The ones worth hiring want to know whether the site needs to take bookings, generate quote requests, take orders, or rank in local search — because that changes everything about how it's built.
What a good answer sounds like: They lead with your goals, not their portfolio. A website is a tool with a job. Make sure they know what the job is.
3. "Can I update it myself, or do I have to call you for every change?"
You will want to change your hours, swap a photo, add a service, update a price. If every tiny change means emailing your designer and waiting (and paying), that gets old fast.
What a good answer sounds like: "Here's what you can change yourself, easily, and here's what's worth handing to us." There's no single right setup — but you want to know before launch, not discover it when you need to fix a typo on a busy weekend.
4. "What happens after launch if something breaks?"
Websites break. A plugin updates, a form stops sending, something looks wrong on a new phone. The question is whether you have someone to call.
What a good answer sounds like: A real warranty or support arrangement, in writing. We include a 12-month warranty on every build, for exactly this reason — launch day is the start, not the finish. "It'll be fine" is not a warranty.
5. "Will it be fast and work properly on a phone?"
More than half your visitors will be on a phone, and most will leave if the site takes more than a few seconds to load. A surprising number of pretty websites are slow, clunky messes on mobile.
What a good answer sounds like: They treat mobile and speed as the default, not an upgrade. Ask to see a site they built on your own phone. If it's slow or fiddly for you, it'll be slow and fiddly for your customers.
6. "Can I see real sites you've launched — and can I contact those clients?"
Anyone can show you a polished portfolio. Fewer can point you to live sites that have been running for a year, and fewer still will happily connect you with a past client.
What a good answer sounds like: Real, live links you can click — and no hesitation about you talking to the people behind them. Be a little wary of portfolios full of "concepts" that never launched, or testimonials with no name attached. (We're upfront that most of our launches so far are SaaS and fintech, not just local businesses — ask for that kind of honesty.)
7. "What's the total price, and what's not included?"
The number on the quote and the number you actually pay are sometimes different. Hosting, domain, stock photos, "extra" pages, ongoing fees — these can turn a $700 quote into a $2,000 surprise.
What a good answer sounds like: A clear, all-in price with the extras named up front. Our pricing is published on the site precisely so there's no mystery: Launch at $697, Growth at $1,397, and you know what each includes before you ask. If a designer won't give you a straight total, that's your answer.
The pattern to watch for
You'll notice the theme across all seven: the good answers are specific and confident, and they put your interests first. The bad answers are vague, defensive, or quietly designed to keep you dependent.
You don't need to be a tech expert to hire a good web designer. You just need to ask these seven questions and listen for who gives you straight answers.
Want to test us on these?
Genuinely — ask us all seven. We'd rather you hire us with clear eyes than wonder later. Tell us about your business and we'll walk through each one, no pressure.
We build websites for local businesses, with no lock-in, a real warranty, and prices you can see before you ask. Let's talk.