Hiring a web designer feels straightforward until it isn’t. You find someone, you like their portfolio, you agree on a price, and a few months later, you’re staring at a website that looks fine but does absolutely nothing for your business.
It happens more than you’d think. And usually, it comes down to the questions you didn’t ask before you started.
Here’s what you should actually be asking.
Start here. Before you reach out to a single designer, get clear on your actual problem and put some real data behind it.
What is the goal? More enquiries? Better conversions? A stronger first impression for warm leads? Whatever it is, define it, and work out how you’ll measure whether the new website actually achieves it.
Because sometimes a new website is the answer. And sometimes it isn’t. If you skip this step, you risk spending thousands making your problem prettier rather than solving it.
Once you’ve decided a website is the right move, the first thing you should tell any designer you speak to is what you’re trying to achieve. Not “I want it to look modern” or “I want something clean.” The overarching business goal.
A good designer will build toward that target. Without it, they’re just making aesthetic decisions in the dark, and you could end up with something that looks great but doesn’t move your business forward at all.
If a designer doesn’t ask you this question early in the conversation, that’s already a red flag.
No, and this is one of the most expensive assumptions business owners make.
There’s a big difference between “someone who does websites” and a designer or agency that thinks strategically about what a website needs to do. The first option might be cheaper upfront. But professional designers have done this kind of project many times; they understand conversion, user experience, and design principles, and their results reflect that.
Hiring a friend of a friend who “knows a bit about websites” might save you money in the short term. It often costs far more to fix later.
Looking at a portfolio is one thing. Understanding what was behind it is another.
When you’re reviewing a designer’s work, ask them to explain what the goal was for a specific project, how they approached it, and what the result was. Did traffic increase? Did conversions improve? Did the client actually achieve what they set out to?
A strong designer will be able to answer that clearly. If they can only talk about how it looks and not what it did, that tells you something important about how they work.
This one covers a lot of ground, and it matters more than most people realise. Before you sign anything, ask:
A designer who has their process sorted will be able to answer all of this clearly. Vague answers here are a warning sign.
One thing worth noting: “What if we don’t like it?” is actually the wrong question if you’ve both agreed on a goal upfront. The real question is whether the website achieves what it was built to achieve. That’s a much more useful measure than personal taste.
Get specific. The headline price rarely tells the whole story.
Ask what the upfront cost covers. Is it just design? Does it include copywriting and content? What about SEO? Are there any additional features or functionalities that would cost extra?
Then ask about ongoing costs. What does monthly hosting cost? Does that fee include maintenance, updates, or content changes, or is that billed separately? Who is responsible for keeping the site running and secure, and what does it cost when something needs changing?
These are the questions that prevent awkward conversations six months after launch when you need something updated, and you’re not sure who pays for it.
A client I worked with at HelloHorizon asked these questions before we started, and it was one of the best things they could have done. When something came up down the line, we both knew exactly whose responsibility it was and whether it needed a new invoice. No confusion, no tension.
Most business owners don’t ask this, and they absolutely should.
At a minimum, ask the designer what level of SEO is included in the build. Even if the answer is “just basic technical setup at launch, nothing ongoing,” that’s fine, as long as you know. Because then you can plan your traffic strategy, whether that’s organic content, paid ads, or a combination.
A website with no traffic plan is just an expensive brochure. Make sure you understand from day one how visitors are actually going to land on it.
This is the question that separates serious business owners from everyone else.
Ask the designer: how do we track someone from the moment they see an ad or a post, through to landing on the website, through to making an enquiry or a purchase? How do we close that loop?
If you’re planning to run paid ads or organic campaigns alongside your new website, this isn’t optional. You need to know what’s working. A designer who can set this up and talk you through it understands that the website is part of a bigger system, not just a standalone project.
If they look blank when you ask this, take note.
This one prevents more headaches than almost any other question.
Get clear on the terms before you start. Who handles hosting? Who fixes things if something breaks? Who updates the content? What’s included in the ongoing relationship and what isn’t?
Clarity here protects both of you. It means that when something goes wrong (and at some point, something always does), there’s no debate about whose job it is to sort it.
Go back to question one.
Define your goal. Put a number on it. Decide how you’ll know if the project was a success. That clarity will make every conversation you have with a designer better, and it will make you a better client to work with.
The best web projects happen when both sides know what they’re building toward. Start there.
