These are the questions to ask a web designer or web design company before you sign anything. I have been on both sides of this conversation for 20+ years, first as the designer answering them and now as the founder of a 40+ person team. The answers tell you more about how your project will go than any portfolio.
The short answer
Ask a web designer about their process, who does the work, how they handle content, SEO and speed, what happens after launch, who owns the site, and how they measure success. Good designers answer with specifics and examples. Weak ones answer with reassurance. Score each answer, compare at least two or three providers, and choose on fit and evidence, not on the lowest quote or the prettiest mockup.
What questions should you ask a web designer before hiring?
Ask a web designer fifteen questions that cover their process, team, content, platform, SEO, speed, mobile, timeline, ownership, support and how they measure results. The goal is not to catch them out. It is to see whether they think about your business outcome or only about how the site looks, and whether they will still be around after launch.
Score each answer from 0 to 2: 0 for vague or evasive, 1 for reasonable, 2 for specific with evidence. My rule of thumb is that a provider under 20 out of 30 needs a hard second look, however good the portfolio. That line is a screening habit from my own hiring and selling, not a validated test, so use it to start a conversation, not to end one.
A worked example, with a made-up proposal: a studio scores 2 on process, team and platform, but 0 on question 14 because it registers domains in its own name, and 0 on question 15 because support ends at launch. It totals 21, which looks fine. The two zeros are the ones that hurt you in year two, so I would ask both questions again in writing before going further. Read the zeros before the total.
For each critical answer, write the evidence next to the score and carry the unresolved condition into the contract. Ask the provider to demonstrate one ordinary content change and explain a supplier handover. That tests what your team will depend on, rather than just how well the proposal reads.
| # | Question | A good answer | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is your core service, and who is your typical client? | A clear focus and clients like you | “We do everything for everyone” |
| 2 | How big is your team and how long have you been doing this? | Named roles and a track record you can check | Vague about who is in the team |
| 3 | Who will actually work on my project? | Named designer, developer and project lead | Work handed to unnamed contractors |
| 4 | What is your process, from brief to launch? | Written stages, sign-offs and timeframes | “We just start designing” |
| 5 | How do you price, and what is not included? | Clear scope, exclusions and change process | A single number with no scope |
| 6 | Who writes and loads the content? | A plan and a deadline for content | Content left to “later” |
| 7 | Will it be a custom design or a theme? | An honest answer and the trade-offs | Claims a theme is fully custom |
| 8 | Which platform do you recommend, and why? | A reason tied to your needs | One platform for every client, no reasons |
| 9 | How do you handle SEO, redirects and speed? | Redirect map, technical SEO basics, speed targets | “SEO is a separate service” with no basics included |
| 10 | Will the site work on mobile and meet accessibility standards? | Mobile-first design and WCAG checks | “It will be responsive” and nothing more |
| 11 | Can my team update the site without you? | Training, documentation and an editor you can use | Every change needs a ticket |
| 12 | What happens if I do not like the first design? | A defined revision process | Unlimited revisions promised, or none |
| 13 | How long will it take, and what causes delays? | A realistic timeline and the risks named | A promise that sounds too fast |
| 14 | Who owns the site, domain, hosting and data? | You, in your name, from day one | They hold the domain or hosting account |
| 15 | What happens after launch, and how do you measure success? | Support plan, tracking and agreed metrics | “Launch is the finish line” |
How do you choose a web design company?
Choose a web design company by matching their focus to your needs, checking real evidence of results, testing how they communicate, and confirming what happens after launch. Shortlist two or three, give each the same brief, score their answers, speak to a past client, and pick the clearest process and strongest proof. If you are in Sydney, my founder’s checklist for choosing a web design agency in Sydney goes step by step.
The selection criteria from my older posts that still matter:
- Start with your bottom line. Know what the site must achieve, such as enquiries, sales or recruitment, before you speak to anyone.
- Compare cost and value, not just cost. The cheapest build often becomes the most expensive site to run.
- Check the track record. Live sites, case studies with numbers, and reviews on Google and Clutch.
- Use the sales conversation as an early signal, then ask how delivery communication actually works: named lead, response terms, escalation and a shared record. A quick sales reply does not guarantee the same response after launch.
- Agree who writes, approves and loads content, and what happens when it is late. Treat that dependency explicitly rather than assuming the build team controls every date.
- Ask about support. Most of a website’s life happens after launch.
A clear brief makes every comparison fairer. My guide to writing a web design brief covers what to include.
What are the attributes of a good web designer?
A good web designer listens before designing, understands business goals as well as visual design, explains decisions in plain language, manages time well and keeps learning. They know layout, colour, typography, balance and flow, but they also ask what the site needs to achieve and how success will be measured. Taste without business sense is not enough.
The attributes I look for, in rough order of importance:
- Listening. They ask about your customers, your sales process and your goals before they show a single idea.
- Business sense. They connect design choices to enquiries, sales or trust.
- Honesty. They tell you when an idea will not work, including yours.
- Craft. Strong layout, colour, typography, balance and flow, and an understanding of accessibility.
- Self-learning. The tools changed completely in the last five years. Good designers changed with them, including how they use AI.
- Time management. They meet the dates they set and tell you early when something slips.
Should you build a DIY website or hire a web designer?
Build a DIY website when you need a simple presence quickly on a small budget. Hire a web designer or agency when the website must generate leads or sales, integrate with other systems, rank in search or represent a business that competes on trust. The more the site matters to revenue, the less DIY makes sense.
| Factor | DIY website builder | Freelance web designer | Web design agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Lowest | Moderate | Highest |
| Speed to launch | Fastest for simple sites | Moderate | Moderate, depends on scope |
| Design quality | Template-limited | Depends on the individual | Usually consistent, team-reviewed |
| Customisation | Limited | Good within their skills | Broadest, including integrations |
| SEO and performance | Basic | Varies widely | Usually built into the process |
| Support after launch | Self-serve | Depends on availability | Structured plans and response times |
| Risk if one person leaves | Low | Higher, unless there is a documented backup arrangement | Lower, if work is documented and shared across the team |
| Best for | Hobby sites, very early start-ups | Small sites with a clear brief | Sites that drive leads, sales or reputation |
The cons of DIY that I wrote about in 2016 have not changed much: sites look alike, customisation hits a wall, and technical SEO is limited. AI website builders have made DIY faster, but they have not removed those limits. If you are weighing a freelancer against a team, my guide to choosing between a freelancer and an agency goes deeper.
What questions should you ask about cost?
Ask what the price includes, what it excludes, how changes are charged, what ongoing costs to expect for hosting, licences and maintenance, and how payments are staged. A good provider gives you a written scope and explains the drivers of cost. Comparing quotes without comparing scope is how businesses end up paying twice.
The drivers that move the price of a website most are the number of unique templates, custom functionality, integrations, content creation, migration of old content and the level of support after launch. I break these down in my guide to website design cost in Australia.
What red flags should make you walk away?
Walk away if a web designer will not put scope in writing, wants to hold your domain or hosting in their name, cannot show live work or references, promises page-one rankings, or has no plan for redirects when replacing an existing site. Any of these suggests the project, or the relationship after launch, will cost you more than the quote.
Other warning signs I have seen derail projects:
- No questions about your business, only about colours and logos.
- A timeline that ignores content, approvals and testing.
- No mention of backups, security or updates.
- A portfolio of sites that are now offline or broken.
The rescues my team gets called into are rarely about bad design. They are about an arrangement. One small firm came to us after the developer building its new site abandoned the project halfway through. Nothing about the arrangement covered what would happen if the developer stopped, so the project simply stopped too. My team had to unpick work nobody could explain before we could finish what had not been done. Question 3 (who will actually work on it) and question 14 (who owns what) would have exposed that risk on day one. This is not a case against independent developers. It is a case against any setup where one person holds the keys and nobody owns what happens next.
What to do next
- Write down what the website must achieve in the next 12 months.
- Shortlist two or three providers whose focus matches your needs.
- Send each the same brief and the 15 questions, and score the answers.
- Speak to one past client of your top choice.
- If you want a founder’s second opinion on your shortlist or your brief, book a free call with me. If my team is not the right fit, I will tell you who is.
Frequently asked questions
How many web design companies should I compare?
Compare two or three web design companies. One gives you nothing to measure against, and more than three takes a lot of time without improving the decision. Send each the same brief, ask the same questions and compare scope as well as price, so you are comparing like with like.
Should I hire a local web designer?
A local web designer helps if you value face-to-face workshops or need someone who understands your local market. It is not essential. Most web projects run well remotely with good communication. What matters more is time-zone overlap, a clear process, and someone accountable for your project during your business hours.
How long should a website project take?
Ask for a timeline tied to scope, content readiness, integrations, approvals and testing. The provider should name the dependencies and the decision dates behind it. A general six-to-ten-week estimate is not a promise for your project; use the scoped plan to judge whether the proposed date is credible.
Who should own my website and domain?
The business should control its eligible domain registration and key accounts, with the agreed rights to custom work, content and data exports documented. Third-party themes, software, fonts and images have separate licences. Ask what you can transfer to another supplier and what must be relicensed rather than assuming everything becomes your property.
Do I need ongoing support after launch?
Yes, if the website matters to your business. WordPress and other platforms need regular updates, backups, security monitoring and fixes, and most sites improve with small changes after launch. Ask every provider what their support covers, how fast they respond to urgent problems, and what it costs before you sign.
