Before you call anyone, decide what the site must do
Write one sentence: what should a visitor do after reading your site? Call, book, request a quote, visit? Then list the five or six questions customers always ask you. A good designer starts there; a weak one starts with colors.
- The one action you want visitors to take
- Your services and the area you serve
- A rough budget, one-time and monthly
- Who will write the words: you or them
Questions about the work
Look at live sites on your phone, not just screenshots. Concepts are fine if they are labeled as concepts; real client sites tell you more.
- 1. Can I see sites you’ve built for businesses like mine, and talk to one of those clients?
- 2. Who writes the words on the site, and do I approve them?
- 3. How many pages are included, and what happens if I need more later?
- 4. How many rounds of changes are included, and how do I give feedback?
- 5. What do you need from me, and how long does it take once you have it?
Questions about ownership (the ones people forget)
Your domain is the most important thing to own. ICANN, which oversees domain names, says the registrant assumes sole responsibility for the registration and must keep its contact information accurate. If a designer registers your domain in their own account, getting it back later can be hard.
- 6. Will the domain be registered in my name, in my account?
- 7. Do I own the text, photos and design files, and can I move the site to another host?
- 8. What happens if I stop paying or want to leave? What do I get, and how fast?
Questions about cost
Compare the total over a year or two, not just the build fee. A cheap build with an expensive monthly plan can cost more than it looks, and so can a low monthly fee that charges for every small edit.
- 9. What is the one-time price, and what exactly is included?
- 10. What does the monthly fee cover (hosting, security updates, backups, edits), what is billed extra, and is there a minimum contract?
Questions about getting found on Google
Be wary of anyone who promises a top position. Google says plainly that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. A good answer describes the work (accurate pages, a complete Google Business Profile, a way to collect reviews) and how you will see the results.
- 11. Will you set up or improve my Google Business Profile?
- 12. What will you do for search, and how will we measure it?
Red flags
Any one of these is a reason to slow down and ask more questions.
- A guaranteed #1 ranking or a guaranteed number of customers
- Your domain registered in their name
- No real examples, or examples that aren’t labeled as concepts
- A long contract you can’t leave without losing your site
- Vague answers about what the monthly fee covers
Questions you can copy into an email
Send the same questions to every designer you consider, so you can compare the answers side by side.
Example email
Before we decide, could you answer a few questions?
Can you show me two sites you built for similar businesses? Who writes the text? Will the domain be in my name? What does the monthly fee include, and is there a minimum term? What happens if I want to leave?
Send it to every designerExample wording to adapt; this is not a live business enquiry.
Your checklist
Use this while reviewing the website. Your progress is not saved or sent.
Questions to work through
How much does it cost to hire a web designer?
It varies widely, from do-it-yourself builders to agencies charging thousands. Compare what’s included and the total over one or two years. As one example, Venant Studio charges $700 to build a 5–8 page site with the writing included, then $100 a month for hosting, security, backups and small edits, or $1,000 once if you’d rather run it yourself.
How much does website maintenance cost per month?
It depends on what’s included. A fair monthly plan covers hosting, security updates, backups and small edits, with anything bigger quoted first. Ask for that list in writing.
Should I hire a freelancer or an agency?
Either can work. What matters is who actually does the work, how quickly they respond, and whether the answers to the twelve questions are clear and in writing.
What should the contract include?
The pages and features, price and payment terms, rounds of changes, timeline, who owns what, what the monthly fee covers and how to cancel. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Sources and further reading
Use the original guidance alongside this planning article. The examples here are adaptable starting points, not claims about your business.
