In today’s online world, having a compelling and user-friendly website is no longer just a luxury, it’s a necessity. Your website serves as the online home to your business, making a lasting impression on potential customers and influencing their decision to engage with your brand. As you begin the journey of creating or revamping your website, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing the right web designer. But what do you need to know before hiring someone. What are the big questions to ask a web designer before you take the plunge and start working with one?
In this blog post I’m sharing my 11 essential questions that will have you interviewing web designers like a pro. Lets dive in.
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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
What website platform do they use?
This is one of the main technical questions to ask a web designer.
There are a few mainstream ones available all with their own pros and cons. Any web designer worth their salt should be happy to explain to you why they use one platform over another.
As you well know, I’m a WordPress expert. It’s my preferred platform because you can do virtually anything with it.
My sites are built using the Elementor page builders so that my clients are able to make changes and updates themselves (with the help of the handover call).
Do you need to buy hosting and a domain name?
I would be wary of working with a designer who buys your domain name on your behalf.
I always recommend that you own your domain name.
Some designers include hosting as part of their packages, personally I don’t. I’d rather recommend you use a host who specialises in hosting instead.
Hosting can cost anything upward of £5 a month – I always recommend that you buy the best you can afford. My recommendation is Lyrical Host* where prices start at £13.99 per month.
Do they do branding too?
Some brand designers build websites, some web designers design brands too. Make sure you know what the deliverables are.
My expertise is in designing and building websites, not branding. If you’re looking for branding and web design I have a couple of brand designers who I work closely with to create branding and web design packages.
I will be the single point of contact for you throughout the process so you don’t have to manage multiple service providers.
What content will you need to provide and by when? And how will you share your content with them?
This can vary between web designers. For example, if you’re having a rebrand at the same time as having your website build you wouldn’t need to provide any existing logos.
Some web designers work with copywriters to write copy for their client websites, so if this is something included in your package, you wouldn’t need to provide it to your web designer.
Most web designers will have a standard method they use to have their clients share files and info with them. Personally I create a new Google Drive folder for each of my clients so that we’re both able to access them as and when. Some people might use DropBox or even have clients upload files to a CRM.
Will they train you or your team to make changes to your new website?
I would expect every web designer to provide you with some kind of documentation or instruction on how to use your new website. I would be hesitant to work with anyone who doesn’t.
All my web design packages include a recorded handover call where I show you around the back end of your website and how to make basic changes. You then get a copy of the recording so you always have it to refer back to.
How long will the project take?
This seems like a really obvious question to ask a website designer but it’s easily missed in the excitement of the discovery call. I have this question as an FAQ on my sales pages and it’s included in the follow up email template that I send after each discovery call.
How much will the project cost and what are the payment options?
I would like to think that every web designer lists some kind of price on a sales page. Whether they offer standard packages like myself or list ‘prices from’. I think pricing transparency is very important, and I would avoid booking calls with anyone who doesn’t reveal prices until the call.
It’s important to discuss payment options up front.
- Do they need payment in full before the project starts?
- Do they need a deposit to hold your spot?
- Do they offer monthly payment plans?
- Do they charge extra for payment plans?
How will you share passwords with them?
The safest way to share passwords is through a password manager like LastPass or Bitwarden. They allow you to share passwords without having the person you’re sharing with to know your passwords. I recommend that everyone use a password manager as they allow you to generate secure passwords as well as share them.
If you don’t use a password manager, I would suggest that you temporarily change your passwords while your designer is working on your website, so that you can change them back afterwards.
What support is included after the website launches?
If you’re someone who is not very confident with websites and tech I would say that this is one of the most important questions to ask a web designer.
Is there any support from your web designer or their team after your website launches? I provide and handover call and email support to my clients after their new site launches. Some designers might have a support library with informational videos. It very much depends on the designer and how they like to work.
Will they set up any new email addresses for you?
If this is your first website and you’ve not yet bought a domain name, you’ll want a custom email address. Example, kim@kimscotland.com. Some web designers will set them up for you, some won’t.
Do they offer ongoing website maintenance packages?
Website maintenance is very important to the health of your website going forward. If the sound of that scares/bores you, make sure you ask about maintenance packages. Some web designers might have special offers on maintenance packages if you commit to a plan at the same time as booking a website build.
11 essential questions to ask a web designer: summary
Before you decide to work with a web designer you need a lot of information to make an informed decision.
From how long will it take and how much will it cost, to how you’ll share information and what technical bits do you need to set up before the project starts.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of having a shiny new website built by an expert, but you need to make sure you’re hiring the right person for your business.
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