Every web designer’s portfolio looks good. Every proposal promises a “modern, responsive, SEO-friendly” website. So how do you tell the designer who’ll deliver on time and support you later from the one who’ll disappear after the final payment?
The answer is asking the right things before you sign. This guide gives you 25 questions to ask before hiring a web designer, grouped by topic, with what a good answer sounds like. Use them on your first call, and you’ll know within 30 minutes who’s worth hiring.
Quick answer: The most important questions to ask before hiring a web designer cover their relevant experience, their process and timeline, what’s included in the price, SEO and speed, how you’ll edit the site, who owns the domain and files, and what support looks like after launch. Clear, specific answers are a good sign. Vague ones are a warning.
How to Use These Questions
You don’t need to ask all 25. Pick the ones that matter for your project and ask them on a short video call. Take notes, and compare answers across two or three designers. Watch how they answer, not just what they say. A designer who explains things simply, without jargon, will probably be easier to work with.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Designer About Experience
1. Can you show me live websites you’ve built for businesses like mine?
Look for live links, not just screenshots. Open them on your phone.
2. What results did those websites achieve?
A good designer can talk about more calls, better leads or faster pages, not just how the site looks.
3. Can I speak to one or two past clients?
Confident designers are happy to connect you.
4. Who will actually build my website?
Find out if the person you’re talking to does the work or passes it to someone else.
Process and Timeline
5. What’s your process from start to launch?
Good answer: clear steps with feedback points, like discovery, design, build, testing and launch.
6. How long will my project take?
Get a realistic timeline with milestones, and ask what could delay it.
7. What do you need from me, and when?
Content, photos, logins and feedback often cause delays. Knowing this up front keeps things on track.
8. How many revision rounds are included?
The number should be written in the proposal.
Cost and What’s Included
9. What exactly is included in the price?
Ask about pages, design, content, stock images, forms, SEO setup, tracking and training.
10. What costs extra?
Common extras include copywriting, extra pages, premium plugins and changes after launch.
11. What are the ongoing costs after launch?
Hosting, domain renewal, licenses and maintenance should all be clear. My guide to how much a small business website costs breaks these down.
12. What’s the payment schedule?
A deposit with milestone payments is normal. Paying 100% upfront is a risk.
SEO, Speed and Accessibility
13. How do you handle basic SEO?
Good answer: page titles, meta descriptions, headings, clean URLs, a sitemap, structured data and redirects from any old pages.
14. How fast will the site be on mobile?
Ask them to show PageSpeed results for past projects. Google’s Core Web Vitals measure loading, responsiveness and stability.
15. Will you set up redirects from my old website?
If you already have a site, missing redirects can lose rankings you’ve built over years.
16. Is the website accessible?
Ask whether they follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, such as good color contrast, readable text and alt text for images.
17. Can you guarantee first place on Google?
This is a trick question. Google’s page on hiring an SEO says “no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.” If they say yes, walk away.
Ownership and Access
18. Who owns the domain, hosting and website files?
The right answer is you, with everything registered in your name.
19. Will I have full admin access?
You should get the main admin login, not just an editor account.
20. What platform will you use, and why?
The answer should be based on your needs, not only on what they always use.
21. Can another developer take over if needed?
A standard platform, clean code and a handover document make this easy.
Support After Launch
22. What support is included after launch, and for how long?
Look for a clear support period, such as two to four weeks, for fixes.
23. Do you offer maintenance plans?
Updates, backups and security checks keep your site safe, especially on WordPress.
24. Will you train me to edit the site?
A short training session or video guide saves you time and money later.
25. How quickly do you respond to problems?
Agree on response times for normal requests and urgent issues, like the site being down.
Good Answers vs Warning Signs
| Topic | Good sign | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | Live sites in your industry | Only screenshots or templates |
| Process | Clear steps and milestones | “We’ll figure it out as we go” |
| Price | Itemized proposal | One line with no scope |
| SEO | Specific tasks listed | “It’s SEO-friendly” and nothing more |
| Ownership | Everything in your name | They keep the domain or hosting |
| Support | Written support period | No mention of after launch |
| Rankings | Honest about timelines | Guaranteed first place |
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most important questions to ask before hiring a web designer?
Focus on five areas: relevant experience with live examples, a clear process and timeline, exactly what’s included in the price, who owns the domain and files, and what support you get after launch. These answers tell you most of what you need to know about working with them.
How many web designers should I talk to?
Two or three is usually enough. Fewer makes it hard to compare, and more takes time without adding much. Send each the same short brief, ask the same key questions and compare proposals side by side, looking at what’s included rather than just the price.
Should I hire a freelancer or an agency?
It depends on your project. Freelancers often cost less and give you direct contact with the person building your site. Agencies bring bigger teams for complex projects. My comparison of freelancer vs agency for website design covers the trade-offs in detail.
What should be in a web design contract?
Scope, pages and features, timeline with milestones, payment schedule, number of revisions, ownership of the domain, files and design, support after launch and what happens if either side ends the project. Keep your domain registered in your name no matter what the contract says.
What are red flags when hiring a web designer?
Watch for no live examples, vague one-line quotes, demands for full payment upfront, guaranteed Google rankings, plans to register the domain in their own name and slow or unclear replies before you’ve even hired them. If communication is poor during sales, it rarely improves later.
Final Thoughts
Working through these questions to ask before hiring a web designer takes 30 minutes and can save you months of frustration. Focus on experience, process, cost, SEO, ownership and support, and compare answers across a few designers before you decide.
For a deeper look at the hiring process itself, read my guide to hiring a freelance web developer for your small business. If you’d like me to answer all 25 for your project, send me a message.
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