Hiring a web designer is a significant investment. Ask these 10 questions before you commit to ensure you're making the right choice.
1. Can I See Your Portfolio?
A designer's portfolio tells you everything. Look for:
- Variety of styles (not just one look repeated)
- Real business websites (not just concept designs)
- Mobile-responsive examples
- Sites in your industry or similar
2. What Platform Do You Build On?
Different platforms suit different needs:
- Wix: Great for service businesses, easy to manage
- Shopify: Best for e-commerce
- WordPress: Good for content-heavy sites
- Custom code: For unique, complex requirements
Make sure their platform matches your needs.
3. What's Included in the Price?
Get clarity on:
- Number of pages
- Mobile responsive design
- SEO setup
- Contact forms and integrations
- Training on managing your site
- Post-launch support
4. What Are Your Timelines?
A realistic timeline for a small business website is 2-4 weeks. If someone promises a week for a full website, question the quality.
5. Do You Handle SEO?
Every new website should include basic SEO setup. If your designer says "SEO is extra," consider someone who includes it as standard.
6. What Happens After Launch?
Find out:
- Is post-launch support included?
- What does ongoing maintenance cost?
- Can you update the site yourself?
- How quickly do they respond to issues?
7. Will I Own My Website?
This is critical. You should own:
- Your domain name
- Your website files/content
- Your hosting account access
- All design assets
8. Can You Show Me Testimonials?
Check for reviews on Google, Bark, or Trustpilot. Real client feedback is the best indicator of what working with them is like.
9. How Do You Handle Revisions?
Understand their revision process:
- How many rounds of revisions?
- What counts as a revision vs. a change in scope?
- What's the process for feedback?
10. What Are Your Payment Terms?
Standard terms are typically:
- 50% deposit upfront
- 50% on completion
- Or milestone-based payments for larger projects
Avoid anyone asking for 100% upfront with no guarantee.
Red Flags to Watch For
- ⛳ No portfolio or only template-based work
- ⛳ Prices that seem too good to be true
- ⛳ No contract or terms of service
- ⛳ Can't explain their process clearly
- ⛳ Pressure to sign immediately
- ⛳ No testimonials or reviews
The 11th question nobody asks: "What happens if it doesn't work?"
Most hiring guides stop at the ten questions above. The one that separates a good hire from an expensive mistake is this: what is your plan if the site launches and doesn't bring in enquiries?
A designer selling deliverables will say "that's a marketing problem". A designer selling outcomes will talk about tracking, iteration, and a review point 60–90 days after launch. Ask specifically:
- What analytics and conversion tracking will be installed at launch (GA4, form event tracking, call tracking)?
- Will we review real data together after launch, and is that included or billable?
- If a page clearly isn't converting, what's the process for changing it?
What a realistic UK web design quote looks like in 2026
Quotes vary wildly because "website" means anything from a 3-page brochure to a booking platform. As a rough guide for UK small businesses:
| Project type | Typical range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| 3–6 page brochure site (Wix Studio / Squarespace) | £1,500–£4,000 | 2–3 weeks |
| 8–15 page business site with blog + SEO setup | £4,000–£9,000 | 3–6 weeks |
| Shopify store (up to ~50 products) | £5,000–£12,000 | 4–8 weeks |
| Custom build, CRM, portal or booking platform | £15,000–£80,000 | 8–20 weeks |
If a quote sits far below these bands, something is being left out — usually content, SEO setup, or post-launch support. Full detail is in my UK website cost guide and transparent pricing page.
How to read a portfolio properly
Don't scroll the pretty screenshots — open three live sites from the portfolio on your phone and check:
- 1Speed. Does it load in under three seconds on 4G? Run it through PageSpeed Insights if you want the numbers.
- 2Depth. Click into service pages and blog posts. Thin, one-paragraph pages mean the designer builds shells, not businesses.
- 3Longevity. Is the site still live and still being updated? Search the business name — is it ranking?
- 4Range. Does every site look like the same template with different colours?
Examples from my own work you can open and pressure-test: The Tudor Barn (wedding venue website plus a bespoke enquiry CRM), Ever After List (a wedding-planning platform, not a brochure site), and Thyme and Time Again (a private catering CRM built around how the owner actually books work). They're deliberately different jobs, not one look repeated.
Freelancer, studio or agency?
The right answer depends on project size, not prestige:
- Solo designer / small studio — best for £1.5k–£40k projects. You speak to the person building it, decisions happen in hours, and there's no account-management layer inflating the invoice. The risk is capacity: ask what happens if they're ill mid-project.
- Mid-sized agency (10–30 people) — best for £40k+ multi-channel work with a dedicated PM. The risk is that the senior person who pitched you isn't the person building it.
- Large network agency — makes sense for enterprise procurement and multi-market rollouts. Overkill (and over-priced) for an SME site.
More detail in my freelancer vs agency comparison and, if you're in the capital, the London agency buyer's guide.
Questions to ask about platform lock-in
Ownership is where people get burned years later. Before signing, confirm in writing:
- The domain is registered in your name, on your account.
- You have admin (not editor) access to the site, hosting, and CMS.
- Content and design assets are yours, exportable if you leave.
- Any proprietary "in-house CMS" is a red flag — if the only way to edit your site is to pay that one company forever, walk away.
If you're weighing platforms before you even hire, start with Wix vs Webflow or Wix vs Squarespace vs WordPress.
A simple scoring sheet
Score each shortlisted designer 1–5 on: portfolio depth, process clarity, pricing transparency, platform fit, post-launch support, ownership terms, and chemistry. Anyone scoring below 3 on ownership or pricing transparency should be removed regardless of how good the design work looks — those two are where projects go wrong.
Ready to Work with a Designer You Can Trust?
I'm always happy to answer all of these questions (and more) on a free discovery call. Transparency is at the core of how I work — you'll get a price band on the first call, a fixed quote in writing, and full ownership of everything at the end.
Get in touch or see how I work.
