What should you ask before hiring a web designer?
Before hiring a web designer, ask who will own the domain, the design and the logins; who writes the words and supplies the photos; how the site looks and loads on a phone; where inquiries go and how you will know they arrive; and what happens after launch. Then open sites the designer built on your own phone and judge them by how they work, not only by how they look.
Who owns what
Settle ownership before you sign. Paying for a site does not by itself make you the owner of the design and code; the related answer on who owns a website a designer built explains the Copyright Office's rule, and the related answer on what a website design contract should include covers the paper. This is a plain summary, not legal advice.
Questions to ask, and to get answered in writing:
- Whose name will the domain be registered in, and who holds the login?
- Will the hosting and any website-builder account be opened in my business's name, with you added as a user?
- When I have paid, who will own the design, the code and the images, and will the contract say so?
- If we part, can I have a full copy of the site's files?
Words, photos and what you supply
Ask who writes the text for each page, who finds or takes the photos, and what the designer needs from you and by when. Projects often wait on the owner, so dates for both sides are a good sign; the related answer on what a website design contract should include covers putting both sets of dates in writing. If the designer uses AI for any draft, ask who checks the facts.
Phones, speed and inquiries
The related answer on whether a website needs to work well on phones has a short checklist you can run on your own phone. Questions for the designer:
- Can I open a site you built on my own phone right now?
- How do you check that pages load quickly on a phone connection?
- Where do form messages go, and who tests that they arrive?
- Can each inquiry record where it came from, with a "How did you hear about us?" question?
- What does a visitor see after sending a message?
After launch
- If I already have a site, could it be upgraded instead of replaced, and why or why not?
- Who fixes the site if something breaks, and how quickly do you usually reply?
- Who handles updates, backups and renewals, and is that included or separate?
- If there is a monthly fee, what does it cover, and can I leave without losing the site?
- Can I edit text and photos myself, or do changes go through you?
How to judge past sites
Ask for a few live sites, ideally for businesses like yours. Open them on your phone, tap the phone number, send the form and read the first screen to see whether it says what the business does and where. Ask to speak with an owner about how the project went.
Be wary of a portfolio of screenshots with no live sites. It is a good sign if the designer can say what they would change on a site they built a year ago.
Related answers
- What should a website design contract include?
- Who owns the website a designer built for you?
- Does a small business website really need to work well on phones?
Websites, upgraded or built
Most businesses do not need a new website. They need the one they have to load fast, say clearly what they do and ask the visitor to take one step.