How to Choose a Web Designer: 10 Questions to Ask Before You Hire

Most People Hire Based on Looks Alone

A designer shows you a beautiful portfolio, you like the aesthetic, and you hire them. Three months later, your gorgeous site loads in 8 seconds, ranks nowhere on Google, and the designer is unreachable. This happens constantly.

Visual design matters, but it's only one piece. Here are the questions that separate professionals from portfolio-pretty amateurs.

The 10 Questions

1. Can you show me your Google PageSpeed Insights scores? Run their own website and client sites through pagespeed.web.dev while they watch. If their scores are below 50 on mobile, their sites are slow and they don't prioritize performance. Red flag.

2. Will I own the code? Some designers and agencies retain ownership of the code and charge you to host on their servers. If you can't take your website files and host them elsewhere, you don't own your site — you're renting it.

3. Is SEO included or extra? For any site costing $1,000+, basic technical SEO (meta tags, schema markup, sitemap, heading hierarchy, page speed optimization) should be included. If SEO is a separate line item, the base build isn't complete.

4. What platform do you build on? WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and hand-coded all have different performance ceilings and maintenance requirements. Know what you're getting.

5. What happens after launch? Who handles updates, security patches, and content changes? What does that cost? Get this in writing before you start.

6. Do you provide hosting? What kind? Shared hosting, managed hosting, CDN-based static hosting — these have massive performance differences. Ask specifically.

7. What's your process and timeline? Professional designers have a defined workflow: discovery, wireframes/mockups, development, review, launch. Vague answers mean a vague process.

8. Can I see live client sites (not just screenshots)? Screenshots can be manipulated. Live sites can't. Visit their client sites on your phone and see how they actually perform.

9. What's included in the price? How many pages, how many revisions, is email setup included, what about a contact form, analytics, SSL? Get the full scope documented.

10. What happens if I want to cancel or leave? No cancellation penalty. No losing your site. No "you owe us the full contract balance." If a designer's answer to this question makes you uncomfortable, walk away.