12 questions to ask before you hire a web designer

The short version: get the price and the scope in writing, make sure everything is registered in your name, and find out exactly what happens if you stop paying. Most bad web design experiences trace back to one of those three.

Whether you're in Columbia, Greenville, or anywhere else, hiring a web designer usually comes down to a phone call and a gut feeling. These twelve questions give you something firmer. Ask them of anyone you're considering, including us, and listen for the answers below.

Price and scope

1. What will it cost, in writing, before we start?

Listen for: a fixed number with a list of what it covers. Be careful with: "it depends" with no range, or an hourly rate with no estimate. A price you can't see is a price that can move.

2. What exactly is included, and what isn't?

Listen for: the number of pages, the features (contact form, booking, online store), who writes the words, who supplies photos, and how many rounds of changes are included. Be careful with: a scope that only lives on a call. If it isn't written down, it's easy to disagree about later.

3. What happens if I ask for something that wasn't in the scope?

Listen for: "we'll quote it separately, in writing, and you decide before any work starts." Be careful with: surprise invoices at the end.

Ownership

4. Whose name is the domain registered in?

Listen for: yours. Your business's domain should be in your name, on an account you can log into. Be careful with: a designer who registers it in their own name "to make things easier." It makes leaving harder.

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

Listen for: you do: the files, the content, and the hosting account. Be careful with: sites built on a platform only the designer can edit, or contracts that license the site to you rather than handing it over.

6. What happens if I stop paying the monthly fee?

Listen for: "nothing breaks; you keep everything and we help you move if you want to." Be careful with: "the site comes down." That isn't a maintenance plan. It's rent.

Timeline and process

7. When will it launch, and what do you need from me to hit that date?

Listen for: a date, not a range, and a clear list of what you owe them and when (logo, photos, text, logins). Be careful with: open-ended timelines. Projects that run late usually run late because nobody said whose turn it was.

8. Will I see the site before it goes live?

Listen for: a private preview link as it comes together, with a set number of revision rounds. Be careful with: a big reveal at the end, when changes are most expensive.

Quality you can't see at first

9. How do you make the site accessible?

Listen for: that they build to WCAG 2.1 AA in the code, with labeled form fields, keyboard access and readable contrast, and test it. Be careful with: "we add an accessibility widget." The FTC fined the best-known widget maker $1 million for claiming its tool made sites compliant. More on why widgets don't work.

10. How will the site show up on Google?

Listen for: page titles and descriptions written for the searches your customers make, a connected Google Business Profile, and structured data so search engines understand your business. Be careful with: guarantees of "page one" or "#1 on Google." Nobody controls that, and anyone promising it is selling something.

11. What will it cost to run each year?

Listen for: a plain list: domain, hosting, and any optional support, with which parts are required. Be careful with: costs that only appear after launch. We broke down what websites really cost, including the yearly part.

Proof

12. Can I see work you've done and talk to someone you built it for?

Listen for: real sites you can visit, and what changed for that business afterward. Be careful with: a portfolio of screenshots with no names, or work that turns out to have been built by someone else.

Red flags in one list

No price until after a call, and no range either.
The domain or hosting in their name, not yours.
A site that stops working if you stop paying.
"Accessibility widget" as their accessibility plan.
Guaranteed Google rankings.
A scope that isn't written down.

How we answer these

We publish our prices: Starter Site $4,500, Business Site $8,500, Custom Build $15,000+. You get a written scope and a launch date before you pay anything, and half is due to book your slot, half at launch. Everything is registered in your name, monthly support is optional, and if you ever leave, we help you move for free. See the details.

Frequently asked questions

Should I hire a freelancer or a studio?

Either can be great. What matters more is the answers to the questions above. A freelancer can be cheaper; a studio is less likely to disappear mid-project. Ask each how they handle illness, holidays, and handing over the site.

Do I need someone local?

Not strictly, since most of the work happens on shared links. Local helps if you'd like someone to visit your business, meet in person, or who already knows your market. We're in Newberry, SC and meet clients in person across the Midlands and Upstate. If you're near Columbia, our guide to choosing a web designer in Columbia, SC goes further.

What should the contract include?

The price, the scope, the revision rounds, the launch date and what you need to supply for it, the payment schedule, and a clear statement that you own the site, the domain and the content.