7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Designer

We are obviously not neutral here, so read this with the suspicion it deserves. We are writing it anyway because most people choosing a web designer compare quotes on price, and price is the thing that tells you least about how the next three years will go.

How long will this take, and what happens if it slips?

Ask for a date and for what happens when it moves. Timelines slip on almost every project, usually because content arrives late rather than because anyone is slow.

The useful answer is not an optimistic date. It is somebody telling you what they need from you and by when, because that is the part that actually controls the schedule.

What happens in month six when something breaks?

Websites break quietly. Forms stop sending, certificates lapse, plugins fall out of date. The question is who notices, and whether it costs you when they do.

Vague answers here usually mean the arrangement ends at launch, whatever the conversation feels like now.

What is not included?

More useful than asking what is. Copywriting, photography, ongoing changes, hosting, the second round of revisions. Every one of those is a place a quote can look cheaper than the one beside it while describing less work.

Ask for the exclusions in writing, and compare quotes on that rather than on the total.

Who writes the words?

Most people assume this is included and most of the time it is not. It also happens to be the part that decides whether the site produces work, because layout does not sell anything on its own.

If the answer is that you supply the copy, that is completely fine, but now you know there is a job in your calendar you had not planned for. It is worth knowing what good looks like, because the words on a button change how many people press it.

What happens after launch, specifically?

Not "we are always here". Ask what is included, how you request a change, and what a change costs. A precise answer, even a limited one, is worth far more than a friendly vague one.

Can I see something you built three years ago?

Anyone can show you last month's work. A site that is three years old tells you whether what they build lasts, whether it has been maintained, and whether the relationship survived. Ours are in the case studies, and it is fair to ask any agency the same.

How do I leave?

The most uncomfortable question and the most revealing. Ask what happens if you want out in six months, whether there is a minimum term, what you keep, and what it costs.

Somebody confident in their work answers this easily. Our answer is that there is no contract and no minimum term, and you can cancel any month, which we mention mostly so you have something concrete to hold others against.

Why is the price the least useful number?

Because quotes for the same site differ by thousands and the difference is almost never craft. It is what is included, what is quietly excluded, and whether anyone is responsible after launch.

A cheaper quote is not cheaper if the copy is your job, the hosting is extra, and nobody is watching in year two. It is just less specific about when you will pay the rest. If you want a neutral figure to compare against, the cost calculator gives you one in under a minute.

Two ways to go from here

If you have decided and want to get going, you can start today. Build is $399 a month with a $299 one-time setup. Short onboarding form, then a developer is in touch within 24 hours. No contract, no minimum term, cancel any month.

If you are still comparing, send us what you have been quoted through the free site check and we will give you a straight read on it.