25 Questions to Ask Your Website Designer Before Hiring
Looking to hire a web designer to help you with your small business website?
You’ve come to the right place.
We put together a list of 25 questions to ask your potential designer before you hire them. Read through the questions and answers carefully so you can be fully informed before the initial interview.
It’s important to ask the right questions during your selection process because who you choose to work with and build your new website will determine both the end product and how much you enjoy the process.
By asking these questions you’ll feel more confident moving forward. Since you are likely an expert in another industry, you’ll also gain a much better understanding of what your next web design project will entail. Remember you will be working with this design firm for several years if you’re using your website for marketing purposes. It’s an investment.
It used to be advantageous to search “website designers near me” but now the location isn’t as crucial as fit. We work for clients who aren’t local but we always operate in Eastern Time. This is an important consideration b/c if you hire a company several time zones away, you may be transacting business in the wee hours of the night.
Also, make sure that the language spoken aligns with your website content writing needs. The last thing you need is the added complexity of miscommunication because of language differences, inferences or different cultural references.
Needless to say, meet your designer before hiring them. Schedule a call via phone or a virtual call or if you’re both local, meet up in person to set your project up for success.
Read below to learn what you should ask web design companies so that you can get the best website for your needs.
1. What kind of research will you do on our business?
Excellence in branding and website design requires research of your business and industry to successfully strategize, design, and market your business.
In our field, this process of research is called “discovery”. We call it the Power Plan. Read our blog post all about how the Power Plan improves your website project results.
Work with a designer who understands your ideal client. Your customers, prospects, and partners are the life of your business. Build your marketing strategy around them.
Even though an experienced designer can design a website for any business, ask if they specialize or have worked in your particular industry or niche and/or with your ideal client.
It’s not uncommon for varied types of businesses; real estate, veterinary care, talent acquisition, fitness, to name a few, who utilize industry-specific platforms for deeper functionality that would be cost-prohibitive and time-consuming to build on one’s own website. You’ll want an expert to properly configure the tech so everything works seamlessly for your client.
Designing and building your website in this way allows you and your designer to focus on creating the brand story, content writing and employ best practices needed for your online presence that also links to the aforementioned third-party platform.
These important details must be considered at the onset. Your website designer should discuss in depth all the intricacies of your business.
When setting up your brand and website online, your business is our business. This initial session is a deep dive into your company to identify your powerful brand purpose, the needed functionalities and determine the right next steps to assert your online excellence. Learn more about our Power Plan service.
2. Will you review my existing website prior to building my new website?
If you have an existing site, ask your potential web designer if they will look it over. If they won’t or say they don’t need to, that’s a red flag.
It’s necessary for a designer and developer to see what you’ve been working with, your history, and your future goals in order to strategize a rebrand/rebuild.
Small websites (1–10 pages) are pretty straightforward to review and give general verbal feedback on. If your website is in the medium-large size range (10+ pages), you may want to request the designer to provide you with a site audit/analysis or at the very least feedback of your current site to learn about the designer’s thought process and ideas.
Some website companies offer in-depth paid site audit services and will generate a full written report with problems and solutions to improve the site. We don’t do that but we do offer annual site reviews for current clients in our membership program. Making sure our client’s websites are in compliance with web development best practices is important and never-ending.
A designer genuinely interested in helping you get what you need won’t convince you to build a new website if making a few tweaks to your current site is all you need.
Also, if you need to export/import content from a current site into your new site like your blog posts definitely make sure to ask about this process.
Sitemaps should always be done too because you will inevitably need to map old URLs and/or forward old links to a new domain.
There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work to be done when moving from an old website to a new one especially if the pages and site hierarchy are being changed—they most likely should be updated for a better user experience.
In summary, make sure they review your current site.
3. Do you offer services other than web design?
If your web designer has graphic and logo design skills, content writing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies, and marketing experience that means they will be able to build a high-performing website that will generate leads.
It’s important your website is built to be a marketing machine—not just a beautiful site that no one ever visits.
Web designers usually offer additional services that your business probably needs such as logo design, content writing, brand photography, video or sound editing, social media graphics, etc. Ask them what they can offer! Better yet, tell them what you need. Don’t know what you need? Book a Power Plan and find out.
If you know you want certain work done be specific because if the designer doesn’t offer it they likely know another creative who specializes in it. We often outsource content writing to industry-specific writers, as well as custom brand photography. This is determined in the Power Plan and agreed to before starting on the design/web build.
For more info, see question #5 about outsourcing!
4. Can you design a website that fits my budget?
Clearly communicate your budget before starting any project. Some companies list pricing on their websites and some require a custom quote that includes all services.
Ask your web designer what options they offer and consider them against your budget. Web hosting, domain registration, plugins, and stock images are additional costs unless otherwise noted.
Content writing and brand photography are also important costs to keep in mind. You may also have additional add-on costs such as online scheduling, email marketing, membership, e-commerce, and/or third-party software or platforms.
We’re in favor of being upfront about our pricing. It gives a potential client an expectation of what will be a necessary investment to hire us. However, these prices are baseline.
To get a true cost specific to your business, first, we ask you to schedule a quick call with us and complete the form on our website which asks for basic information, just enough to tell us if we’d be the right fit for a project.
Then we require our potential client to do the Power Plan—it’s an essential first step in being able to give you an accurate quote, schedule and outline of what it’s going to take to create your website.
5. Do you work in-house or outsource your projects?
Some agencies offer web design and development as a service and will outsource the work. This can sometimes be incredibly helpful or it can lead to communication challenges (see question #6), project delays, and additional costs.
If your web designer plans on getting additional support it’s a good idea to know who they’re working with and what they’re working on to eliminate any misunderstandings on either side and help you get the best website for your needs.
We work in-house and do not outsource brand and web design and development. We do partner with other skilled creatives specifically for content writing and professional custom photography.
6. Will I have a project manager or one central contact?
Working with a team of people on your website can sometimes be efficient and sometimes slow things down. Have a central point of contact dedicated to your site to ensure that one person is managing the project each step of the way: research, strategy, design, development, launch, and review.
Ask about your designer’s project management workflow (see question #7). Who will be your point of contact? How will you communicate?
You will want to be in frequent communication with this person over the course of the project. Have them set up a project schedule. You will also want to ensure the method of communication (email, phone, Zoom, software) is agreed upon.
Larger agencies will likely have a project/client manager that is NOT the designer. Small design agencies (like us!) will be the client's point of contact AND the lead strategizer/designer. We enjoy working closely with our clients to fully understand their business.
Both Evelyn and I communicate with our clients, but Evelyn is our dedicated project manager. Inside the Power Plan, she provides a written schedule with important dates and deadlines both parties agree to stick to.
We prefer working with one or two decision-makers (the business owner) so decisions are made efficiently and feedback is centralized. We also use project management software to keep everyone on track and communication clear.
We have a passion for crushing projects and checking all the things off this list on time—us designers are typically deadline-oriented people…create an event in the Google calendar or it’s not getting done.
7. What is your design process?
Ask your web designer if they have a documented design process or SOP (standard operating procedure) and/or use project management software.
If they do, it’s a strong sign they have solid experience and will lead you through the entire web design and development process from start to finish like a pro.
You want your designer to take the lead on the process, that is what you hired them to do after all. This isn’t DIY—this is done for you…expertly, efficiently, and looks AND works smoothly after it’s done.
We use Asana, a project management software and have a documented process for building websites (that we update all the time because tech constantly updates).
It’s nice to work with a designer/project manager/team who will keep you on task, on budget, and launched by your scheduled date! This makes the website process less stressful and much more enjoyable (for everyone!).
8. How long will it take to complete my website design and development?
A web designer should be able to give you a timeframe for your project based on the content in hand and what you will need to complete before the project can start.
Check to see if the timeline fits your needs. It’s a good idea to allow extra time for unexpected issues or changes. Clearly communicate the deadline and always read the contract because some companies charge late fees if a project pushes past the deadline.
Launching your business online shouldn't take more than two months. Our brand, content writing and web build process are efficient. Commonly from start (inquiry) to finish (launch), the entire process takes 2 months. However, this timeline can vary based on the content in hand and if you need custom writing and brand photography. We factor in everything during the Power Plan and outline the schedule to fit your custom needs.
9. What do you need from me before we start the project?
Ask this at the beginning of the project to prevent scrambling for content, images, login info, etc. Talk with your web designer and get a checklist of exactly what you’ll need to give them to get started.
You will need written content, photography, and logo design, but that doesn’t always mean you will provide that content. Content creation depends on the designer’s process and your budget.
Generally speaking, lower-budget website builds mean you provide all the written and visual content. The designer then builds the site with that content.
Higher-budget builds usually include content writing and brand photoshoots are done for you, but that does not mean you are not involved. You will always need to provide written feedback/make edits and you will need to show up for your photo session (and plan ahead).
Get clarity on what they need from you and when. An experienced brand and website designer will always provide you with direction on all these things.
In our project management software, we assign you specific tasks with deadlines on when the task is due. Even though we offer custom content writing, you usually need to provide a bit of written background info or specific content depending on the type of page (ie: Covid Policy, FAQ, etc.).
We schedule times to meet in advance to kick off our project so you can ask any questions and so we can obtain account(s) information we need to build the site and get your tech set up. And of course, we have a date set to show you all our hard work and your new site (Power Launch Intensive!). We leave a generous amount of time for you to provide site feedback and request changes.
10. Should I provide written copy for the website?
Most web designers aren’t content writers, so they will outsource to a writer responsible for creating the marketing-focused content for your site. Written content is massively important on your website. It’s the main way people and search engines find your website.
Alternatively, you can create written content for your site. It’s an excellent idea to give your written content to an editor for review and ask colleagues to critique it. While you may know your business inside and out — can you convey it clearly and confidently on your website?
The text on your website is SO IMPORTANT we recommend hiring an expert to get it done right the first time. We need to work directly with the content writer to be on the same page with the brand and marketing strategy. This also ensures all the pages are written and formatted correctly for websites.
Website writing, brand voice, academic writing, book writing, and blog writing are all different disciplines. You must be working with a writer who knows how to and writes explicitly for websites and keeps page hierarchy, SEO, keywords, meta descriptions in mind.
The tone of voice and personality is crucial to your brand as well. Messaging MUST be spot on for a website to convert your ideal client. If the written content is not done well, it will be painful. Still not convinced? Read our blog for 4 reasons to hire a professional copywriter.
11. Should I provide the images for the website?
This question is a lot like #10 (content writing) and should be thought about the same way. Gather your images, graphics, videos, and brand materials (logo, fonts, colors). Ask the designer if the images you have can be used for the new design.
If you are trying to up-level or rebrand your business you will need to get new custom brand photography. Most web designers aren’t professional photographers, so they will outsource to a brand photographer responsible for creating the branded imagery for your site.
Visual content is hugely important on your website. It’s another primary way people and search engines find your website (when the image files are strategically named for SEO).
Find out if you will need to hire a professional photographer and ask for referrals.
There are different kinds of photographers…some only do headshots and others focus more on lifestyle imagery and in the case of our website photography, we hired a fashion photographer. It depends on the visual brand you’re conveying to your potential client
We provide visual direction, including posing and colors to wear. Hair and makeup are recommended too. Read about our day of personal brand photography and everything that went into it.
If our client is local, we always art direct the photoshoot to get optimal results as we see imagery in how it is formatted for the web. Often photographers may not be thinking about that specifically.
If you can’t book a shoot you may need to pay for stock images or opt for an illustrative approach. Sometimes this is actually the better way to go, but it all depends on your specific business.
If you are a photographer you will provide all the images on your site. We’ll advise on how to optimize your photos for the web including sizing, naming, and uploading so that you can manage your website yourself.
12. Do you have a portfolio I can see?
Many design companies showcase their work on their website. Make sure to take a look at their previous client work. Take note of the design styles and user experience.
Some companies only put a select few featured projects on their website so if you want to see more of their work just ask!
We only highlight select web design projects and logo designs because that’s the kind of work we’re actively seeking. But we also have 30+ years of corporate graphic design experience.
When bidding on graphic design and print work we give out direct links to this type of client work but it’s not front-facing on our site. This is a common practice in the design industry to create/maintain a niche, clarity and direction.
When looking at a designers portfolio, ask yourself these questions:
Is their work modern? Is it attractive?
Are the websites they built truly mobile responsive? Read our blog post for Reasons Your Website Needs to be Responsive.
Does it align with what you’re looking for on your website?
How is the user experience-seamless or frustrating?
Is the writing clear and compelling?
Do the visuals look crisp and professional and tell a strong story?
Can they design in various styles or do they basically do have just one style? If it’s just one style, make sure it’s one you like. All our website designs very different because it’s created to align to our clients’ business, target market and industry competitors.
Does the client have good reviews from past clients? You can check their Google Reviews too (if they have a Google My Business page—which I strongly recommend every one of our clients to get or update theirs).
13. Which content management system do you use?
The content management system (CMS) is used to create and organize content on your website unless you are getting a website coded from scratch (highly unlikely!).
It’s important to know what CMS your designer is using to develop your website especially if you will be adding content and maintaining your own website post-launch.
Does the CMS support business growth? Can you make updates on your own? Can you add on e-commerce? Can you add on scheduling? Can you add on membership?
Do you have all the functionality your business needs and will need in the future?
At Design Powers, we build websites on the Squarespace platform. Read why we recommend it for small businesses.
The CMS platform you need comes down to what your business needs. Read our WordPress vs Squarespace: How to Know Which One is Right for Your Business blog post if you’re looking to compare those two platforms.
After several years working exclusively with WordPress, we made the switch to Squarespace. The aforementioned blog post delineates why. Keep in mind like most things in life, every CMS has its pros and cons.
14. Do you build custom sites or use templates?
Web designers offer template websites, complete custom-coded websites, and a mix. Is your website genuinely custom-made and coded from scratch? Or is it a website built on a CMS (see question #13) and customized from an existing theme/template?
It’s rare to code websites from scratch when not doing enterprise-level websites. There are developers who may still do this (as we learned how to do in college or in a web development course), but mostly, design firms use CMS platforms as a starting point and customize from there.
CMS platforms are the way to go. Knowing how your site will be developed is essential because not all CMS platforms are made equal. Do you have a specific design or tech feature you need?
Make sure to ask about features and limitations on what can and cannot be done.
Even though we use Squarespace, we do not use their templates which are very minimal and are really only starting points. We custom-design every website we build. But that said, we are confined to the limitations of the Squarespace platform.
If your business needs tech functionality that is outside the scope of Squarespace and can’t be satisfied with an appropriate industry-specific platform or software we will let you know we’re not the right fit for your business. From the first email and call, we can usually tell whether we’ll be a good fit.
15. Are your web designs responsive?
Google’s Mobile Index makes having a mobile-friendly design non-negotiable.
A website that responds for desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile with one HTML code on the same URL is Responsive Web Design (RWD). This means the website layout adjusts depending on the device screen size it displays…
Here is an easy way to tell if the website is responsive: Open the website in a browser window > Adjust the size of the browser window > Look at the content on the page and see if it’s moving along with the browser size. If the content is not adjusting, it’s not responsive.
Having a desktop version and a mobile version (Wix platform) is not the best RWD. You want your site to be truly responsive. Squarespace’s code is responsive and does most of the heavy lifting, but we always optimize for different device screens with custom code to make sure everything is displaying optimally before going live. Read about the main reasons your website needs to be responsive.
16. Do you follow SEO best practices when building the site?
Search engine optimization should be included from the beginning of your site development. SEO strategies like fresh content, strategic page titles and meta descriptions, proper URL structure, image optimization, alt tagging, mobile-friendliness, keyword research, and on-page SEO help your site rank higher on Google.
Ask if your web designer builds in SEO from the project's onset to ensure your website is built with the framework you need to be found online.
SEO strategy is so essential with web design. We constantly read up on and test out the tried and true methods and the latest and most significant trends and share our knowledge with our clients. It’s a lot to keep up with so much some people niche in just SEO services.
While we aren’t SEO experts we have experience integrating all the basic best practices in every website we build.
17. Will you integrate my marketing strategies?
Your website should be one of your most important digital marketing sales tools.
Ask your designer these questions:
How will the website convert website visitors into leads and generate more sales?
What strategies will you use?
Can you integrate or develop my marketing strategy?
Here’s a comprehensive intro to online marketing if you are just getting started out with your marketing strategies. Not all designers are marketing and strategy experts. Strategy is usually included because it goes hand in hand with the design process, but marketing plans are usually outsourced.
During the Power Plan, we strategize and develop a plan for your website, this inevitably includes online marketing tactics. SEO and marketing are heavily intertwined. We also use fantastic social media Sparents who help execute the marketing plans and campaigns.
18. How many pages will your website have?
Most small service-based businesses have a 5-page foundation:
Homepage
About
Services
Blog
Contact
Some websites are only one page with multiple sections. The type of website and content you have will help you figure out how many and what pages you need.
If your website is e-commerce it will potentially have many pages (each product is a page). If your site is centered around a blog or membership it will be designed as such. The content dictates how many pages are necessary.
Web designers will create a site map and layout the page hierarchy for the best user experience. This also helps get a clear picture of all the pages on the site.
Ask your web designer if a custom 404 page, terms and conditions, privacy policy, cookie policy, and any other landing pages are included in your build. Some designers charge extra per page.
We always include legal pages and delineate how many pages are needed in the Power Plan. It’s not uncommon to add pages after it goes live…a website is never really done. You always want to add new content and keep your service offerings up-to-date.
19. Can you build an e-commerce site?
The design of an e-commerce site differs from a brochure website.
If you plan on building an e-commerce store carve out some time to discuss tech functionality with your web designer. It’s essential you know the opportunities and limitations of the CMS platform.
Ask your web designer if your CMS supports online stores and accepts online payments. Certain payment processors only accept certain types of currency or business depending on federal and state laws. It’s also important to ask about the in-person point of sale and if that syncs with online sales.
You want to be able to manage the online store yourself or have a dedicated store manager for the job. E-commerce can be a big undertaking depending on your inventory, shipping process, taxes, extensions, commerce policies, auto emails, etc.
If you aren’t ready to add products or create a store just yet, you want to make sure you can add an online store into your existing site when you are ready. Otherwise, you would need to build another site and link it to your main site.
Keep it simple and build a foundational site on a platform that lets you grow with your business.
20. How many rounds of edits/revisions are included?
Establish checkpoints throughout the project so that you will be able to review and approve the work. What happens if the first draft version of your site comes back and you don’t love it? Request changes by giving your designer constructive feedback.
Typically designers offer 2–3 rounds of revision. If you need more than that, you may pay an hourly rate based on changes until they’re complete.
Our intensive process alleviates endless rounds of mockups and goes straight to the design/build after the content is written. We’re able to do this because we not only have extensive experience in design but our ideal client site architecture is straightforward and so is the approval process. We allow time for review and edits on the site after the initial intensive, but the site is close to going live the first day the client sees it.
Our process would not work for organizations that need board or management approval or if it is more than 10-15 pages max ie: non-profits, academic institutions or companies with multiple business services.
21. Is my website secure?
Properly maintaining a website includes keeping it free of bugs, hackers, and spam. Updating your site’s software and plugins, getting routine backups, and an SSL certificate is crucial to ensure ongoing performance.
Ask your website what CMS platform your website will be developed with as this will determine how many security measures you need to take.
We love Squarespace because it doesn't require manual updates like WordPress, has an award-winning support team, an extremely helpful knowledge base and includes an SSL certificate with every plan. Their dedicated team keeps our site secure and keeps us worry-free.
That doesn’t mean we don’t get spam through contact forms, but there is a reporting tool to help mitigate that. We can also install reCAPTCHA keys (I am not a robot checkbox) and take other measures to limit spammy activity.
But overall Squarespace does a great job and nothing has been hacked yet (fingers crossed) — we can’t say the same for WordPress. Although you can’t completely backup a Squarespace site there are a few measures to take to back it up somewhat.
22. What training/support do you offer when the site is launched?
If you’re someone who will want to make changes and updates on your own make sure your web designer uses a web platform that’s user-friendly and easy to use so you can own and maintain your site yourself.
Ask your web designer about website training lessons. Some designers offer 1:1 training, group workshops, and custom video tutorials for clients.
Or if you prefer to send edits and updates and not do it yourself, ask your web designer if they offer a post-launch support/maintenance package for long-term support.
After launch, we include a complimentary 2-hour website training session to help you learn how to self-manage and update your website. We also offer a Power Hour (1:1 60-minute Zoom training) and a website membership that includes a monthly training workshop on Zoom for our website clients.
23. Do I own the site and its contents after it goes live?
Similar to social media platforms, you own the content you upload but you don’t own the platform/template you use.
Make sure your domain name and web hosting are registered in your name.
Find out if your business will be required to lock into an ongoing contract post-launch (common with WordPress) or if the designer plans on delivering the completed site after launch (common with Squarespace).
Often, designers will create graphics for your site (ie: logo). You will want to own these files and have a copy of them saved just to be safe.
After final payment, we transfer the ownership to you and provide all the logo file formats you need. We also create a visual style guide page on your website that’s easy to follow should you need to DIY or hire another designer.
You usually will not own the fonts on your site, unless you purchase them from the type foundry. If we use Adobe Fonts, they are only available via subscription in Creative Cloud and Squarespace. If we use free Google Fonts, you will be able to download them for free. If we use a custom font that we’ve purchased, you will have to purchase it too.
24. Is my website ADA accessible?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was established to make all spaces accessible including websites. Ask your web designer what their accessibility testing process looks like. It’s important to optimize your website to create a smooth user experience for all visitors.
This is such a big question to answer, we wrote an entire blog post about web accessibility. Read it for more specific information about:
What does it mean to have an accessible website
Factors impacting successful web accessibility
Legal and Ethical Importance of Web Accessibility
How to evaluate my website’s accessibility?
Top 10 reasons web accessibility is important to your small business
25. One last question…
Do you feel more prepared and better understand what questions to ask your potential web designer before starting a project? We hope so!
Have a question you want to ask a website designer that we haven’t answered? Ask away in the comment section below or schedule a call with us.
