10 questions to ask before you hire a web designer

• The two questions that matter most: who owns the site when it's done, and what will this actually cost per year, all-in. Vague answers to either are the loudest warning sign there is.
• Ask for proof, not promises: real PageSpeed scores from recent builds, real clients you could call, and what specifically is included versus billed later.
• “What happens if we part ways?” forces the ownership model into the open. A good answer clearly explains what you keep, what is platform-bound and what would need to be moved or rebuilt.
• A capable provider should be able to answer these questions clearly. The substance of the answers matters more than how polished the sales call sounds.

Hiring a web designer is strange shopping: every portfolio looks nice, every pitch mentions SEO, and the prices for what sounds like the same thing run from $500 to $20,000. The portfolios won't separate them. These questions will. They're the ones we'd want our own family asking before signing with anyone — including us.

1. Who owns the website when it's done?

The most important question on this list. Ask who owns the domain, content, accounts and finished site, and whether the presentation can be moved away from the current provider. Hosted builders can be a legitimate choice, but the design may live inside that platform and require a rebuild if you leave. With custom work, ask how the files are handed over and what access you receive.

2. What will this cost per year, all-in, for the next three years?

Not just the build price — the whole picture: hosting, platform fees, plugins, maintenance and any required care plan. A recurring fee is not automatically bad; sometimes it pays for real software or ongoing work. The important thing is knowing the three-year cost and what stops if you cancel.

3. What will you build it on, and why that?

There's no single right answer — WordPress, hosted builders and custom code all exist for reasons. Listen for a reason connected to your business: editing needs, integrations, budget, ownership, performance or the team that will maintain it. “It's just what we use” is not enough on its own. Our WordPress vs. custom-coded comparison shows the trade-offs we use when deciding.

4. Can I inspect recent live sites and their performance evidence?

Speed is measurable, but one PageSpeed score is still a lab snapshot rather than the whole user experience. Ask for recent live sites you can inspect, then check mobile PageSpeed/Core Web Vitals evidence and use the sites yourself. The useful answer is evidence plus context, not a universal “100” promise.

5. What exactly is included — and what's billed later?

Scope surprises are avoidable when the agreement is specific. Look for a written scope that names what is included and excluded — copywriting, photography, page count, integrations, revisions, migration and post-launch support. A one-line quote makes it harder to compare providers or know what will trigger extra cost.

6. What happens to my Google rankings during the switch?

If you have an existing site, ask how the provider will preserve valuable URLs, redirect changed pages, keep canonicals and metadata intentional, verify analytics/Search Console, and submit the updated sitemap. A careless relaunch can damage existing search visibility even when the new design looks better.

7. What do you actually do for SEO — specifically?

Everyone says “SEO included.” Ask what that actually means: crawlable pages, intentional titles and descriptions, useful service/location structure where warranted, internal linking, canonicals, sitemap handling, structured data where appropriate and migration protection. Be wary of guaranteed rankings or a vague “we optimize it” with no deliverables.

8. Who writes the words?

Copy is the most commonly unspoken assumption in web projects — and the most common cause of a stalled one. Listen for: a clear answer either way: they draft and you edit, or you supply it and they'll tell you now. Be wary of: discovering at week three that a finished-looking site is waiting on words nobody agreed to write.

9. What does support look like after launch — and what does it cost?

Listen for: named terms: a bug-fix window, an hourly rate for changes, an optional care plan with a real scope and a cancel-anytime clause. Be wary of: mandatory maintenance contracts, or the opposite — a designer who visibly plans to vanish at launch.

10. If we part ways in two years, what do I walk away with?

This is the cleanest ownership stress-test. Ask exactly which files, accounts, credentials, licenses and content you retain; what third-party subscriptions still need to be paid; and whether the site can continue without the original provider. The answer should be specific enough to put in the agreement.

Our answers, for the record

Since we're asking you to grill everyone: you own everything at final payment, our pricing is published with hosting included and no required monthly anything, we build custom-coded HTML for reasons we've written down, our builds are performance-tested and we can show you the live work rather than promise a universal score, and if you leave, you leave with the files. Ask us the other five on the call — that's what the Free growth audit is for.

Want to see how we answer all ten?

Get a free growth audit — no obligation, and the honest kind: we'll look at your current site, show you real numbers, and answer every question on this list in writing. Bring the list.

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