How to Choose a Web Designer: 9 Questions to Ask in the First Call
You recognize a good web designer by their answers: do they name a fixed price, write down a date, write the copy themselves, and who owns the site if you ever switch. Whoever dodges these questions will have a project that dodges completion too.
Price is the least important difference
Between two web designers the real difference is rarely the price; it's whether the project gets finished, when, and who owns it at the end. Ask these nine questions in the first conversation and watch how straight the answers are.
1. "What does it cost, fixed?"
The good answer is a number, or a number by the end of the conversation. The bad answer is an hourly rate or "depends on the project." Hourly is a blank check where slowness is your cost.
2. "What day will it be done?"
Ask for a date, not a month. "Two to three months, depending on the project" means the deadline depends on your copy, which they haven't asked for yet.
3. "Who writes the copy?"
If you do, the deadline depends on you too, and the site won't be finished until eight pages of copy get written next to running the company. A good builder writes it from a recorded conversation.
4. "What do I have to do?"
The right answer is short: one conversation, one round of feedback, one approval. If the answer is a list of photos, texts, a vector logo and hosting access, part of the work has moved back to you.
5. "Who owns the website?"
If it's built in the designer's own system, switching means rebuilding. Ask whether you get the files if you ever leave, and for how much. The fair answer: yes, and not much.
6. "What happens in year two?"
Domain, hosting, changes. Ask for numbers. Year one included, a fixed yearly fee from year two with a few changes in it: that's the good answer.
7. "Can I see a client's live site on my phone?"
Not the portfolio images, the working website, on your phone, now. Load time, readability, phone number above the fold. What doesn't work here won't work for you either.
8. "Who answers the phone?"
At an agency, an account manager who forwards the question to a developer who's on another project. At a one-person studio, the person who built the site. The difference in response time is measured in days.
9. "What happens if it isn't done on time?"
If the answer is "that doesn't happen," that's not an answer. A serious builder commits to a consequence in writing: a refund or a price reduction. With the one who commits, it won't happen.
What not to ask for
A free mockup. Three reasons: the designer prices in their time; a picture doesn't tell you how the site works; and whoever designs for free will focus on the mockup after the order, not on the copy. Ask for live references and straight answers instead.
If seven of the nine questions get a straight answer, work with them. If three do, keep looking, regardless of price.
Common questions
Is an agency or a freelancer better for a company website?
For small and mid-sized companies, one person who does both the planning and the build and can be called. An agency is better with more than ten pages, several languages and ongoing campaigns, and when someone inside coordinates.
How do I know a web designer is good?
Look at their own site and their past clients' live sites on your phone, and call one of those clients. Portfolio images don't tell you whether the site loads or whether it was delivered on time.
Should I ask for a mockup before ordering?
No. A free mockup is the designer's time, which gets priced in, and a picture doesn't tell you how the site will work. Ask for live references and a clear description of the process instead.