Hiring a web designer shouldn’t feel like a gamble. But for a lot of business owners, it does. You don’t know what questions to ask, you can’t tell who’s good and who’s just good at selling, and by the time you figure it out, you’ve already paid.
Here’s what to look for so you don’t end up in that situation.
They should actually listen to you.
This sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how rare it is. I can’t tell you how many people have had a call with me and afterwards said something like “you’re actually easy to talk to. The other guys I spoke with didn’t seem confident and it made me unsure about moving forward with them.”
That first conversation should be easy. It should flow naturally. It should be you talking about your business, them understanding it, and both of you figuring out the best approach together. If the person on the other end of the call already knows what they’re going to sell you before you’ve finished talking, that’s a problem.
Being personable is just as important as knowing how to build a website. You’re going to be working with this person. If the first call feels like pulling teeth, imagine what the next three months are going to be like.
Quiz them on your business.
After your first conversation, ask the designer what they learned about your business. Can they explain what you do back to you? Do they understand your customers? Do they have a sense of what makes you different from your competitors?
If they can’t, they’re not ready to build your website. You wouldn’t hire someone to build you a house if they couldn’t read the blueprints. Same idea. If they don’t understand what they’re building for, what you end up with is going to miss the mark.
Ask about communication.
How fast do they respond to emails? What happens when you need a change? Do you have a direct line to the person doing the work, or are you going through a project manager who’s juggling 30 other clients?
A good web designer gets back to you quickly. Not a week later. Not “we’ll circle back.” Fast. If they can’t do that before you’ve hired them, they definitely won’t do it after.
Ask who owns what.
This is the one most people forget to ask, and it’s one of the most important.
Your domain name is an asset of your company. Just because you’re not technologically savvy doesn’t mean you get to not know about it. Your domain carries weight on Google. It builds authority over time. And just as you’re competing with other businesses out in the real world, your domain is competing with theirs on the internet.
Any good web designer will encourage you to own your own domain name. If they want to register it under their account or their name, that’s a red flag. The website can be replaced. But trying to recover a domain name that wasn’t properly renewed is a nightmare I wish upon nobody.
Same goes for your content, your images, and your files. You should always own what’s yours. And if you don’t know what to do with it, have someone you trust who has your best interest in mind watching over it for you.
Ask what happens after launch.
This is where a lot of people get burned. The site goes live, everyone celebrates, and then the designer disappears. Six months later your pricing is outdated, your photos are old, and when you reach out for a simple edit, they take a week to respond and try to charge you almost full price for it.
A website doesn’t end at launch. What needs to be adapted? What needs to be fleshed out? What should be added now that you can see how real customers are using it? These are things that get figured out over time, not on day one.
You need someone who’s going to be there for the journey, not just the launch party.
Ask about accessibility.
A lot of designers don’t even think about this. Ask them if the sites they build are accessible. Can someone navigate it with just a keyboard? Does it work with a screen reader? If they look at you like you’re speaking another language, that tells you something.
Accessibility isn’t a bonus feature. It’s how you make sure your website works for everyone who visits it, regardless of how they browse. And it’s increasingly a legal requirement too.
Watch out for overconfidence.
Some designers get set in their ways. They think they know what’s best for every client and they stop listening. They stop learning. They build every site the same way because that’s what they’ve always done.
The web changes constantly. What worked three years ago might not work today. You want someone who stays humble, keeps learning, and doesn’t assume they have all the answers before they’ve heard your questions.
The short version.
Look for someone with real experience. Not just someone who learned this last year, but someone who’s been doing it long enough to know what works and what doesn’t. Look for someone who listens, learns your business, responds quickly, encourages you to own your domain, and sticks around after launch. Avoid anyone who talks more than they listen, takes forever to respond, or treats your project like just another item on their to-do list.
Your website is too important to hand to someone who doesn’t care. Find someone who does. Trust your gut. It got you this far.