What You Should Get When You Hire a Web Designer (and What to Ask Before You Pay)

Hiring a web designer can feel like buying something you can’t see yet. You pay a deposit, wait, and hope what arrives is what you pictured. A little clarity at the start saves most of the disappointment later.

This checklist covers what a small business website project should include, and the questions worth asking before any money changes hands.

What you should get

A written quote

Before you pay anything, you should have a written list of what’s included: how many pages, what each is for, what features the site will have, and what it costs. If something isn’t on the list, assume it isn’t included and ask.

A design you approve before the build

You should see the design and have a chance to ask for changes before the site is built. Ask how many rounds of changes are included.

The words, or a clear answer about them

Somebody has to write the text on every page. Either the designer writes it, or you do. Either is fine, as long as you both agree which, in writing.

A site that works on phones

Most of your visitors will arrive on a phone. The site should be designed for small screens, not squeezed onto them afterwards. Check it on your own phone before you sign off.

A contact form that has been tested

Ask the designer to show you a test message arriving in your inbox. A form that fails without anyone noticing is worse than no form, because people think they’ve reached you.

The search basics

Every page should have a clear title and description, sensible headings, and a sitemap search engines can read. Your business name, address, phone number and hours should be correct and consistent. None of this guarantees a ranking, but leaving it out holds you back.

Ownership

When the project is done, you should own:

• the domain name, registered in your name, on your account
• the website itself, whether that’s code, files or an account in your name
• access to the hosting and any other accounts the site depends on

If a designer keeps these in their own name, leaving them later can mean starting again.

Help going live

Someone needs to put the site online and connect it to your domain. Ask whether that’s included, and what it costs if not.

A handover

At the end you should know how the site works, how to request changes, and what you’ll pay for them.

What to ask before you pay

Take this list into the first conversation:

1. What exactly is included in this price? Pages, writing, design changes, the contact form, going live.
2. What costs extra? Extra pages, extra rounds of changes, blog posts, features.
3. Who writes the words?
4. How long will it take, and what do you need from me? Photos, logo, details about your business.
5. What will I pay after launch, and to whom? Hosting, the domain, plans, apps.
6. Who owns the domain, the site and the accounts?
7. What happens if I want to leave later?
8. How do changes work after launch, and what do they cost?
9. How much is the deposit, and when is the rest due?
10. Can I see live sites you’ve built?

A good designer will answer all of them without fuss. If the answers are vague, treat that as information.

How payment should work

Paying part up front and the rest on completion is normal and fair to both sides. Be wary of paying the full amount before any design work has started, and of long contracts that lock you into one company’s hosting or maintenance.

What we include

For what it’s worth, this is how we do it. A website is $2,000, with every page you need, and includes:

• the design and the build, start to finish
• the words for every page, written for you
• a layout that works on every phone, tablet and laptop
• a contact form that sends straight to your inbox
• basic SEO, so Google understands what you do and where
• custom code that belongs to you

It’s ready in 1 week. Online stores and customer logins get a free estimate, and putting the site online is free. You buy your own domain, so it’s in your name from day one. You pay 25% to start and the other 75% once you’re happy with the site.

The full list is on our pricing page, and most of the questions above are answered in our FAQ. If you’d like to ask us the rest yourself, tell us about your business.