Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Designer

Ownership: do you keep the site, domain, and accounts?

This is the question that costs people the most when they skip it. Some designers register your domain in their own name, build on a platform you can never export, and keep the hosting login. Leave, and you start over from nothing.

Ask it plainly and get the answer in writing. A good answer is yes to all of it: the domain, the site files, the content, and every account stay in your name from day one.

If the answer is vague, or there is a rebuild fee to take your own site elsewhere, that is your sign to keep looking. You should never be locked in by anything except liking the work.

• Will the domain be registered in my name, with me as the account owner?
• Do I get full admin access to the site, hosting, and any third-party accounts?
• If I leave, can I take the site files and content with no exit fee?
• Is the site built on something standard I can move, or a closed system only you can touch?

SEO: is the site built to be found, or just to look good?

A site can look great and still be invisible on Google. Design and SEO are different skills, and plenty of designers do one and quietly hope the other works itself out.

Ask how the site is built to rank before you ever talk about colors. You want clean page structure, fast load times, proper titles and headings, and a plan for the words your customers actually search. If the designer cannot explain how Google will find your pages, the site probably will not get found.

This is also where you find out if SEO is included or sold to you later as a surprise. We design and optimize in one process, so the site is search-ready the day it launches. If your designer treats SEO as someone else's problem, read why a good-looking site can still be missing from Google.

• How will this site be built to rank for what my customers search?
• Is on-page SEO included, or is that a separate service later?
• What page speed and mobile scores do you build to?
• Will I get titles, descriptions, and headings set up correctly, or do I do that myself?

Support: what happens after launch?

Launch day is the start, not the finish. Plugins update, the contact form breaks, you want to add a page, Google changes something. The question is who handles all of that and what it costs.

Get specifics. Ask what is covered, how fast they respond, and whether updates are included or billed by the hour. A surprising number of cheap builds come with no support at all, which means you pay a premium every time you need a small change.

Decide up front whether you want a one-time build you maintain yourself or a managed plan that bundles hosting, updates, and care. Both are fine. Not knowing which you signed up for is not.

• After launch, who fixes things and how do I reach them?
• Are updates, backups, and security included, or billed separately?
• What is the typical turnaround for a small change?
• Is hosting included, and if so, can I still keep it in my name?

Timeline: how long, and what holds it up?

Anyone can promise a fast launch. The honest answer includes what could slow it down. For a focused small-business site, four to eight weeks from kickoff to launch is normal, and a simpler site can go faster.

The biggest variable is usually you. Content, photos, and feedback are what stall most projects, so ask what they need from you and by when. A designer who maps that out is one who has launched real sites before.

Be wary of both extremes. A two-day promise often means a template with your logo dropped in. A vague no-end-date answer means you could be waiting for months. See a full breakdown of how long a website takes to build.

• What is a realistic launch date for a site my size?
• What do you need from me, and when, to hit that date?
• What usually causes delays, and how do you keep things moving?
• Is there a faster option if my site is simple?

Pricing: what is the total, in writing?

Most Austin designers hide pricing, which forces you onto a sales call before you know if you can afford them. You can skip that. Ask for the full number up front and what is and is not included.

A clear quote separates the one-time build from any ongoing cost so you are not surprised by a monthly bill you did not expect. Watch for add-ons that show up later: extra pages, SEO, hosting, a content management login, or stock photos that were supposed to be part of the deal.

For reference, we publish real numbers. Managed plans run $129, $299, or $599 a month billed annually, each with a one-time build option, and we will price your specific project with you on a call. If a designer will not put a total in writing, that is the answer.

• What is the total cost for the site I described, in writing?
• What is one-time versus monthly, and what does the monthly cover?
• What is not included that I might assume is?
• Are there fees to make changes, move the site, or cancel?

A few more worth asking

These do not fit a single category but tell you a lot about who you are hiring.

• Can I see live sites you built, not just design mockups?
• Who actually does the work: you, your team, or a subcontractor I never meet?
• How do you measure whether the site is working after launch?
• What does the contract say if either of us wants to end it?