The 5 questions to ask before hiring a web designer

Most small business owners get a website built once every 5 to 10 years. That is not often enough to get a feel for a fair price or a good supplier. So the decision tends to come down to price, or to one person's recommendation, and you find out what you bought about 12 months later.

By then the small problems have added up. You're paying for hosting you don't understand, you can't update your own content, and the designer has gone quiet.

Ask these 5 questions to any web designer, us included, before you sign anything. The answers will tell you most of what you need to know.

1. Who owns the website when it's finished?

If the designer owns the code, the domain or the hosting account, you are renting your website. The day you want to leave, you find you can't take anything with you.

A website is made of 3 things. The domain is the address. The hosting is where the files live. The code and content are the site itself. All 3 should be registered in your name, on your own accounts, and paid for by you directly. Avoid paying through a designer's reseller account.

A good designer sets everything up in your name from day one. A less reputable one registers things in their own name "for convenience", then uses that as leverage when you want to make a change.

Good answers to listen for

• "You'll own the domain. We'll help you register it on your own account."
• "The hosting is in your name. You can move it at any time."
• "You'll get a copy of the code. It's yours."

Warning signs

• "We'll handle all of that for you, don't worry about it."
• "It's all on our platform. You can't take it elsewhere."
• Vague answers about who registers the domain.

2. What's included in the price, and what isn't?

Most website disputes are about scope. The quote said "a website" but didn't say how many pages, whether photos were included or what counts as a revision. Get the details in writing before you sign.

Ask for a written breakdown that covers how many pages and design revisions you get, and who writes the copy. It should also say whether photography is included, what happens if you add a feature halfway through the build, and whether the first year of hosting is included.

The typical UK price for a brochure style small business website is £1,500 to £4,000. Hosting alone usually runs £100 to £300 a year. A full monthly retainer covering updates, fixes and support usually costs £50 to £200 a month.² A price far below that range either skips a lot of work or uses an off the shelf template with very little changed.

Then ask one more question: "If I wanted one extra page after launch, what would that cost?" The answer shows how the designer thinks about work after launch, which is most of the relationship.

Good answers to listen for

• A line by line breakdown of what the fixed price covers.
• A clear day rate or page rate for extra work.
• Honesty about what isn't included, such as photography, copywriting or SEO.

Warning signs

• A single round number with no breakdown.
• "We'll work it out as we go."
• Phrases like "everything you need" with no list of what that means.

3. What happens when something breaks?

Websites break. A plugin goes out of date, a form stops sending emails, an image disappears or a contact page leads nowhere. It will happen, so ask what happens next and who pays for it.

Ask how quickly the designer replies when something goes wrong. Ask which fixes are free and which are charged, for example whether a broken contact form counts as maintenance or a billable job. And ask what the plan is if the site goes down on a Saturday.

For most small businesses a monthly maintenance plan is worth having. It usually costs £30 to £80 a month and covers the small stuff. Paying ad hoc for every small fix often costs more over a year.

Good answers to listen for

• "We reply to emails within one working day, and sooner for anything critical."
• "Small fixes and content tweaks are included in the monthly plan."
• "We back up the site weekly, so we can always roll it back."

Warning signs

• "We charge by the hour" with no rate quoted.
• No maintenance option at all.
• "We'll get to it when we can."

4. Can I update the content myself without paying for every change?

If you can't change a phone number, opening time or service description without the designer, you will either stop updating the site or build up a monthly bill for small changes.

You don't need full design control, and most small businesses don't want to change layouts. You do need to be able to change text, images, opening hours, prices, blog posts and team members on your own.

Ask what platform the site is built on, whether it has an editor you can use, and whether you'll be shown how. A 30 minute walkthrough at handover is usually enough. Be wary of a bespoke system that only the designer knows how to update, because it ties you to them.

Good answers to listen for

• "We'll build it so you can update text and images yourself."
• "You'll get a walkthrough at handover. Most people pick it up in half an hour."
• "For bigger changes like new pages or layouts, just email us."

Warning signs

• "Just send me the changes and I'll do them."
• A custom system with no documentation.
• No training or handover plan.

5. How long will it take?

Websites overrun. A 6 week project can easily take 4 months. Much of the delay comes from content that wasn't ready, feedback that took weeks or photography that never got booked. You still need a realistic timeline and a clear schedule, so you can plan around it.

A good designer gives you a schedule with 3 dates: when you'll see the first design, when you'll see a working draft and when the site goes live. They'll also tell you what they need from you, and by when, for each date to hold.

If you get no schedule, or a vague "should be done in a few months", the designer probably hasn't planned how the project will run, and the timeline will slip.

Good answers to listen for

• A written schedule with named milestones and dates.
• A clear list of what they need from you, and by when.
• An honest note that the timeline also depends on how quickly you reply.

Warning signs

• "It'll be done when it's done."
• A very short timeline, under 2 weeks for anything bespoke.
• No mention of what they need from you to hit the dates.

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How we answer the same 5 questions

If you're thinking of hiring us, here are our own answers.

• Ownership: the domain, hosting and code are in your name from day one.
• Scope and price: fixed price projects from £1,500, with a written breakdown.
• Support: optional hosting and care from £75 a month. We reply within one working day.
• Control: self-service editing can be included if agreed in your proposal, and we show you how it works at handover.
• Timeline: a typical brochure site is live in 3 to 5 weeks, with a written schedule.

Delegait is owner run and based in Crewe, Cheshire. We design each website from scratch for small businesses, trades and professional services, and price it for independent businesses. If that sounds like what you need, see Delegait Web Design or read how much a website costs in Cheshire. If not, the 5 questions above will still help with whoever you choose.

Sources

1. UK Business Data Survey 2024, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. 32% of businesses have no website, rising to 35% of sole traders and 26% of micro firms. gov.uk
2. UK web design pricing, 2024 to 2025, aggregated from GoDaddy UK, Shopify UK and independent UK design studios. Brochure sites typically £1,500 to £4,000. Hosting £100 to £300 a year. Maintenance retainers £50 to £200 a month.
3. Google research on mobile page speed. As load time goes from 1 to 3 seconds, the chance of a mobile visitor leaving rises by 32%, and at 5 seconds by 90%. Often summarised as 53% of mobile visitors leaving a page that takes longer than 3 seconds to load.

The questions, good answers and warning signs are our own advice from working with small businesses. They are judgement calls, not research findings. If anything here conflicts with your own experience, trust your experience.