Questions to Ask a Web Designer Before You Hire

Scope: what exactly are we buying?

Ask: Which pages and functions are included? What is excluded? Who supplies and approves content? Why it matters: “a website” can mean anything from a small informational site to a connected application.

A useful answer includes a page inventory, functional requirements, content responsibilities and a way to handle changes. Ask how revisions are reviewed and what happens if the scope grows.

Pricing: what can change the cost?

Ask: Is this a fixed scoped fee, an estimate or a starting price? Which recurring costs and third-party subscriptions are separate? Why it matters: a low initial number may not describe the full responsibility.

A useful answer separates build work, optional additions and recurring provider costs. It explains payment milestones and how additional work is agreed before it begins.

Ownership and access: what do we control?

Ask: Who owns or controls the domain, hosting, content and code? Which assets are licensed? What can be exported or transferred? Why it matters: domain ownership and website portability are different questions.

A useful answer names account owners, access roles, licensing restrictions and the handover process. Read the agreement rather than assuming a generic ownership promise applies.

Delivery: what must happen before launch?

Ask: What do you need from us, when do we review work and what is tested? How are existing URLs preserved? Why it matters: missing content or unavailable access can delay otherwise finished work.

A useful answer gives review milestones, launch dependencies, testing responsibilities and a plan for redirects or migration. Timelines should describe assumptions rather than guarantee dates regardless of those dependencies.

Support: who maintains the finished site?

Ask: What post-launch support is included? Who handles updates, backups, renewals and broken integrations later? Why it matters: a website continues to need an accountable owner.

A useful answer distinguishes included support from a maintenance plan or a separate request. It specifies how to ask for help and how cancellation or a future handover works.

Measurement: how will we know it helps?

Ask: Which actions are tracked, where are reports received and how is consent handled? Who decides whether an inquiry is qualified? Why it matters: a button click is not a completed sale or a qualified lead.

A useful answer identifies the reporting destination, confirmed submission handling and the business follow-up process. It avoids guaranteed rankings or fabricated performance forecasts.

Comparison worksheet

Print or copy this table. Fill it with the developer’s actual answers and mark unresolved items before choosing a proposal.