Questions to ask a web designer
You are not testing their knowledge. You are testing whether they will tell you things you might not want to hear.
Ask these before any money moves. The quality of the answer matters more than the answer itself — vagueness is the signal.
About the work
- What is not included in this price? A good answer is a list, given without hesitation.
- What happens if I want something added halfway through? Look for a specific process, not "we'll sort it out".
- How many revision rounds, and what counts as one? "Unlimited" usually means undefined.
- What do you need from me, and by when? A designer who has not thought about your inputs has not planned the project.
About ownership
- Whose name is the domain registered in? The answer should be yours.
- Do I get the design files? And in what format.
- If I leave, what do I take with me? Ask this before you are leaving.
About afterwards
- What happens if something breaks the week after launch? And for how long is that free.
- Can I edit the text myself? If not, every typo costs money.
- Who applies security updates? Especially on WordPress.
What a bad answer sounds like
Watch for these three patterns rather than specific words.
Deflection. "Don't worry about that" is not an answer. Neither is "everyone asks that, it's fine".
Vagueness where precision is possible. "Around four to eight weeks, maybe more" on a defined scope means they have not planned it.
Reluctance to write it down. A designer who answers well verbally but resists putting the same words in an email is telling you something. Good answers survive being written down.
Common questions
01Is it rude to ask about ownership?
No. It is the single most common thing people wish they had asked. A professional will answer immediately and without defensiveness, because they have nothing to hide.
02What if they will not give a fixed price?
Some genuinely cannot until scope is defined, which is fair. What is not fair is refusing to fix a price once scope is agreed. Ask them to quote a discovery phase, then a fixed price for the build.
03How many designers should I ask?
Three is enough. More than that and you spend longer comparing than the difference is worth.
Get a fixed quote in writing
Answer five questions and we come back with one number, inside a day. You are not committing to anything by asking.
Or email contact@hire-web-designer.com