20 questions to ask before you hire a web designer

Hiring someone to build your website is a lot like hiring a contractor to work on your house. Most are honest and capable. The trouble usually comes from things nobody talked about upfront: who owns what, what's included, and what happens when something goes wrong.

These are the questions we'd want a friend to ask, including when the company they're interviewing is us.

Ownership and access

These come first because they're the hardest to fix later.

1. Whose name will the domain be registered in? The answer you want is yours, in an account you can log in to. If you already have a domain, here's how to check who owns it.
2. Will I get admin access to the website and the hosting? You should be able to log in to both, even if you never plan to touch anything.
3. If we part ways, what do I take with me? Ideally the whole site: files, database and domain. On some platforms that isn't technically possible, and if so you should hear it now.
4. Does the contract say who owns the design and code? Some contracts keep ownership with the designer and give you a license to use it. That isn't always a deal-breaker, but you should know.

Scope

5. How many pages are included, and what goes on each one? Ask for a list, not "up to 10 pages."
6. Who writes the text? If it's you, how much help do you get? If it's them, do you approve it before launch?
7. Where do the photos come from? Yours, stock, or a photographer? Stock photos of grinning models in spotless hard hats rarely help a local business.
8. How many rounds of changes are included, and what counts as a round?
9. What's included at launch? Connecting the domain, setting up email, Google Search Console, a contact form that's been tested, redirects from your old site?

Price and payment

10. Is the price fixed or hourly? If it's hourly, ask for an estimate and a cap.
11. What will it cost every month or year after launch, and what does that cover?
12. What does a small change cost later? Updating your hours, adding a photo, changing a price. Ask how long it takes, too.
13. What's the payment schedule? A deposit upfront and the balance at launch is common. Paying 100% upfront to someone you've never worked with is a risk.
14. Is there a minimum term or an auto-renewal? Look for 12- or 24-month commitments tucked into the fine print.

Timeline

15. How long will it take, and what do you need from me to hit that date? Most delays come from waiting on the client's content, so knowing what's needed and when is half the battle.
16. Who's my contact, and how quickly do they usually reply?

Quality and the technical side

17. Can I see sites you've built that are live right now? Not mockups. Open them on your phone. Do they load quickly? Is the phone number easy to tap? Does the contact form work?
18. Will the site be fast on a phone? Ask them to run one of their past sites through Google's PageSpeed Insights while you watch. Our guide to checking website speed explains what the numbers mean.
19. What platform will you build on, and could another developer pick it up? WordPress, a site builder and custom code all have trade-offs. What matters is that you're not tied to one person forever.

SEO

20. What SEO work is included, and will you set up Google Search Console and Analytics in my name? Basic on-page SEO should be part of any professional build. Ongoing SEO is a separate job, and it's fair for it to cost extra.

Answers that should make you think twice

• "We register the domain for you," when it turns out to mean in their name.
• "You don't need access, we handle everything."
• "We guarantee first page on Google." Nobody can promise that.
• "It depends," with no written scope, even after you've explained what you need.
• "Cancel any time," when the contract says 24 months.
• No live sites they can show you, or only sites that are offline or broken.
• Pressure to sign today to keep a special price.

What a good answer sounds like

A good web designer answers these easily and puts the important ones in writing. They'll tell you what they don't do as readily as what they do. If the person you're talking to gets cagey about ownership or access, that tells you most of what you need to know.

For what it's worth, our answers to the first three are yes, yes, and everything. If you'd like to put the rest to us, get in touch.