12 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Designer (and 6 Red Flags)

Short answer: the most important questions are who owns the domain and website, what the week-by-week process is, how the site will actually get you customers, what maintenance costs, and whether you can see a design before paying. Get every answer in a written proposal, not a friendly verbal promise.

Most people hire a web designer about once every five years, which is nowhere near often enough to get any good at it. That's exactly how businesses end up with a site they can't edit, a domain they don't control, or a surprise bill for work they were sure was included.

These are the questions worth asking — and the answers that should make you quietly close the tab and keep looking.

Questions about their process

1. "What do you need to know about my business before you design anything?"

The right answer comes with a lot of questions fired back at you: who your customers are, how you get leads today, what a good month actually looks like. If the first conversation is only about colours and fonts, you're hiring a decorator, not a designer.

2. "What does your process look like, week by week?"

You want a real breakdown — what happens in week one, what you review in week two, when they need feedback, when it launches. Vagueness here is precisely how a three-week project quietly mutates into a three-month one.

3. "How many revision rounds are included, and what counts as a revision?"

Get this in writing. "Unlimited revisions" often quietly means an unlimited timeline to match.

4. "What do you need from me, and by when?"

A good designer tells you precisely: content, photos, logo, service details, by a specific date. If the answer is a breezy "just send whatever, whenever," expect the project to drift like a canoe with no paddle.

Questions about the actual result

5. "How will this site get me customers, not just look good?"

Listen for specifics: calls-to-action, service pages, page speed, local search. A pretty site that nobody finds and nobody calls is just an expensive brochure with a domain name. (Related: why some sites get traffic but no leads.)

6. "Will I rank for the searches my customers actually make?"

They should mention per-service pages, city and service-area pages, site speed, and your Google Business Profile. If SEO is an afterthought or a pricey "add-on," that quietly tells you what the base build leaves out.

7. "How fast will it load on a phone?"

Most local searches are on mobile. Speed affects both rankings and conversions. A designer who's never once thought about it will happily hand you something slow and call it done.

8. "Can I see work you've done for businesses like mine?"

Not necessarily identical — but real evidence they've solved a similar problem before, on someone else's dime.

Questions about what happens after launch

9. "Who owns the website, the domain, and the content when we're done?"

You should. This is the big one, the question that matters most. If you don't own your domain, you can't take your site anywhere — you're a tenant, not an owner. A vague "don't worry, we handle all that" is a serious warning sign. The right answer is that it's registered in your name, under your account, full stop.

10. "Can I edit it myself, and will you show me how?"

Even if you plan to hand off updates, you should be able to change your hours or add a photo without filing a support ticket. Out-of-date sites lose trust alarmingly fast.

11. "What does ongoing maintenance cost and cover?"

Hosting, security updates, backups, edits, support — get the specifics and the cancellation terms. And confirm you can walk away with your files if you ever want to.

12. "What's the total cost, and what falls outside it?"

You want a written proposal listing scope, price, timeline, and exclusions — not a one-line text with a number and a thumbs-up emoji.

6 red flags

🚩 They only ask about colours and fonts. Design decisions should follow business goals, not vibes alone.

🚩 They dodge the ownership question. Any hedging about who owns the domain or the site is disqualifying, no exceptions.

🚩 No written proposal. A serious designer sends a document with scope, price, and dates. A number in a text message is a guess wearing a nice shirt, not a proposal.

🚩 Suspiciously cheap for a big scope. A full multi-page custom site for a couple hundred dollars means something's being quietly skipped — usually the invisible parts: SEO structure, speed, clean build. (Here's what websites actually cost.)

🚩 They can't say what happens after launch. If maintenance, hosting, and support get a shrug, you'll own something you can't actually run.

🚩 No timeline, or one that keeps sliding. If they can't tell you how many projects they're juggling or when yours lands, they can't manage your deadline — and it'll show.

The simplest test of all

You can honestly skip most of this by asking one thing: "Can I see what you'd actually build for me, before I pay?"

Most agencies can't or won't — you commit first and see the design later, fingers crossed. It's the single biggest risk in hiring a designer, and it's entirely avoidable.

That's why we do it backwards: we design a free demo homepage for your business first — your name, your services, your city — and you decide afterward. If it's not obviously better than what you have, you owe nothing.

See what we'd build for you — no deposit, no commitment.

Frequently asked questions

What questions should I ask before hiring a web designer?

Ask what they need to know about your business, their week-by-week process, how many revisions are included, who owns the website and domain when it's done, whether you can edit it yourself, what maintenance costs, and what the total price excludes. Get the answers in a written proposal.

Who should own my website and domain name?

You should — always. The domain must be registered in your name, under your own account. If a designer is vague about ownership or says they'll "just handle it," that's a serious red flag, because without domain ownership you can't move your website anywhere else.

What are red flags when hiring a web designer?

The main red flags are: asking only about colours and fonts, dodging the domain ownership question, no written proposal, a price far below market for a large scope, no clear answer about post-launch support, and a timeline that keeps moving.

How do I know if a web designer is any good?

Look at their own website — its speed, design, and clarity are the quality bar they consider acceptable. Then check whether they ask about your customers and goals rather than just your design preferences, and whether they can show relevant work.

Should I pay a web designer before seeing the design?

You don't have to. Some studios, including Dev Websites, design a free demo homepage first so you see the actual design before paying anything. Asking "can I see what you'd build for me before I pay?" is the fastest way to filter out weak options.