Get this decision right and you've got a website that works as a 24/7 salesperson. Get it wrong and you're thousands of pounds lighter, with a site that loads slowly, ranks nowhere, and quietly loses you enquiries for years. This guide walks you through the questions that actually matter.
Start before you start — know what you're buying
Most people go wrong at the very first step. They start browsing designers' portfolios before they've worked out what they actually need. Then they get seduced by pretty pictures and end up with a site built to look good in the designer's portfolio — not to win customers for their business.
Before you speak to anyone, jot down three things:
- Who is the site for? Be specific. “Homeowners in Horsham who need an emergency plumber” beats “everyone” every time.
- What do you want it to do? Generate phone calls? Take bookings? Sell products? Or simply look credible enough that a prospect doesn't rule you out?
- Roughly, what can you spend? Even a range helps. A £500–£1,500 conversation is very different to a £5,000–£15,000 one — and the right designer for each isn't the same person.
A good designer will ask you all of this in the first ten minutes. A great one will help you sharpen your answers.
The 10 questions to ask any web designer
Ask these in your first conversation. The answers tell you almost everything you need to know.
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Can I see live websites you've built — not just screenshots?
Mockups are easy. Live sites show whether the work holds up: does it load fast, does it work on a phone, is it still online a year later? If they can only show you images, that's a warning sign.
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Who owns the website, the domain and the hosting when it's finished?
This is the big one. You should own all three outright, in your name. Some designers register the domain in their own name or host on their own account and effectively hold you hostage. If ownership isn't yours in writing, walk away.
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What happens if you disappear tomorrow?
Designers move on, go bust, ghost you. If no one else can pick up your site, you don't own it — you're renting it. Ask whether it's built on standard tools any developer could take over, and whether you'll get the files and full access.
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What's included in the price — and what gets charged extra?
“From £X” is rarely the full number. Ask specifically: does that include the domain? SSL? SEO setup? A contact form? Copywriting? Stock images? Hosting? Get the complete list before you compare quotes, or you're comparing apples to oranges.
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Will it be fast on a mobile? Show me the numbers.
Most of your visitors are on a phone, and Google ranks slow sites lower. Ask them to run a past site through PageSpeed Insights with you watching. A good designer is happy to prove it; a vague “oh, it'll be fast” means they haven't thought about it.
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Do you handle SEO, or is that a separate thing?
“SEO” gets thrown around to mean everything from basic setup to ongoing ranking work. Ask what's actually included in the build: proper page titles and meta descriptions, clean code, structured data, fast load times, and help setting up a Google Business Profile. That foundation should be in the build price — not sold to you later.
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How do ongoing changes work?
Sites need updating — a new service, a price change, a fresh photo. Ask whether small edits are included, how quickly they happen, and whether there's a monthly fee. Some designers bundle this in; others charge per change and it adds up fast.
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What's the timeline, and what do you need from me?
A realistic custom build is 2–4 weeks once you've supplied content. If they promise “a few days,” they're using a template and swapping your logo in. Ask what they need from you (text, photos, logins) and by when — because most project delays are caused by the client, not the designer.
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Can I speak to a past client?
Not a written testimonial — an actual person. A five-minute call with a previous customer tells you more than any portfolio ever will. If they can't or won't arrange it, that's worth understanding.
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What happens if I don't love the design?
You're going to live with this for years. Ask how many rounds of changes are included and what happens if you want to start over. A designer who gets defensive about revisions is one who won't listen to you.
Red flags that should end the conversation
Any one of these is reason enough to look elsewhere:
- Prices that are too good to be true — a £199 “website” is a template with your phone number pasted in. You'll pay again to fix it.
- They won't put the price or scope in writing.
- They own your domain, or insist “it's easier if we just handle that.”
- Every site in their portfolio looks identical — it's one template, recoloured.
- They promise “page one of Google.” No one can honestly promise that.
- High-pressure tactics: “this price is only valid today.”
- A contract that locks you into years of monthly fees with no way out.
- They can't explain anything without resorting to jargon — or won't try to.
The cheapest website you'll ever buy is the one you only pay for once. The most expensive is the £300 one you replace every two years.
What a genuinely good web designer does
Flip the red flags around, and here's what you're looking for:
- Asks about your business, your customers and your competitors before showing you anything visual.
- Gives you a fixed, written price with a clear list of what's included.
- Builds mobile-first and can prove the result is fast.
- Talks in plain English — if you don't understand something, that's their failure to explain, not your failure to understand.
- Hands over full ownership: domain, hosting, files and logins.
- Is easy to reach and gets back to you within a working day.
How much should it actually cost?
We've written a full breakdown of UK website costs, but the short version: a proper, custom small-business website sits roughly between £1,000 and £3,000. Under £500 and you're buying a template. Over £5,000 and you're into agency territory — custom functionality, integrations, ecommerce and ongoing strategy. That's worth it for bigger businesses, and overkill for most local trades and service companies.
The number matters less than the clarity. A designer who quotes a flat £1,495 and lists exactly what's included is usually a better bet than one who quotes “from £800” and layers on the domain, hosting, SSL, SEO and “premium support” until you're at £2,400. See our pricing for how we keep ours simple.
Does it matter if they're local?
For most projects, no. The vast majority of web design work happens over phone, email and video calls, and a good remote designer will always beat a mediocre local one. Local matters if you specifically want face-to-face meetings — some people simply work better that way, and that's a perfectly good reason to choose someone nearby.
If you're in West Sussex, we're based in Horsham and happy to meet for a coffee before you commit to anything. If you're not local, we'll do it over a call. Either works.
The 60-second checklist
Before you sign anything, make sure you can tick all eight:
- You've seen live sites they built, not just screenshots
- You own the domain, hosting and files — in writing
- Fixed price, with a clear list of what's included
- They've shown you a fast mobile site with real numbers
- SEO basics are in the build, not a vague future extra
- You can speak to a past client
- There's a clear, fair process for changes and ongoing support
- No pressure, no jargon, no “page-one Google” promises
Get those boxes ticked and you'll dodge almost every common mistake people make when hiring a web designer. A website is a long-term investment in your business — spend an hour doing the homework and it'll pay you back for years.
Want to see what a website built this way looks like? We'll design your new homepage before you pay a penny — free, and with no obligation. Get a free demo →