How to Choose a Web Designer

To choose a web designer, start with a short written brief, shortlist three or four candidates whose live work resembles what you need, ask each one the same questions about process, ownership and support, and compare their written proposals line by line. The right designer is the one whose answers are specific, whose past sites work well on a phone, and who puts your control of the domain, hosting and content in writing without hesitation.

Price matters, but it is a poor first filter. A low quote that leaves you without admin access or with a site only one person can edit will cost more over time. This article covers how to build a shortlist, what to look for in a portfolio, the questions to ask before hiring and how to compare proposals. For the full picture, including budgets and contract terms, see our guide to hiring a web designer.

Start with a brief

Before you contact anyone, write a page describing what the site is for, who it is for, the pages and features you think you need, whether your content is ready, a budget range and your deadline. Designers can only quote accurately on what they understand, and a brief lets you compare like with like. It also shows you quickly which candidates read it carefully and which send a generic reply.

Build a shortlist

Good places to find candidates include referrals from other business owners, sites you admire (many credit their designer in the footer), local business networks and review platforms. Aim for three or four serious options. More than that and comparing proposals becomes a job in itself.

Decide early whether you lean toward a freelancer or an agency. A freelancer is often better value for a small, well defined site. An agency suits a project that needs several skills at once or ongoing support after launch. Our guide on web designer vs web developer helps if you are unsure what kind of skills your project needs.

How to judge a portfolio

Screenshots tell you very little. Ask for links to live sites and check them yourself:

• Open them on your phone. Google uses the mobile version of a site’s content for indexing and ranking, so a site that is awkward on a phone has a real problem.
• Notice how quickly they load. Slow pages frustrate visitors, whatever the cause.
• Try to do something. Find a phone number, fill in a form, book an appointment. Was it obvious?
• Look for variety. If every site looks the same, you may get a template with your logo on it.
• Look for relevance. Sites for businesses similar in size and type to yours are the best evidence.

You can also run a portfolio site through Google’s PageSpeed Insights, which reports on the user experience of a page on mobile and desktop, for a rough view of performance. Treat the score as one data point, not a verdict, since hosting and content also affect it.

Questions to ask before hiring a web designer

Ask every candidate the same questions, ideally in a call, and take notes. Specific answers are a good sign. Vague ones are worth probing.

About their work and process

1. Can you show me two or three live sites similar to mine, and can I speak to those clients?
2. Who will actually do the work, and who will be my contact?
3. What are the stages of your process, and what do you need from me at each one?
4. How many rounds of revisions are included at the design and build stages?
5. Who writes the content, and is editing included?
6. How do you handle accessibility basics like color contrast, image text alternatives and keyboard navigation?
7. How do you set up the search basics: page titles, headings, structured data and redirects from my old site?

About ownership and control

1. Will the domain be registered in my name, with my email address?
2. Will the hosting account be in my name?
3. Will I have a full administrator account from the start?
4. Will the contract assign me the copyright in the custom design, code and content created for me?
5. Which themes, plugins or services will the site depend on, and are their licenses in my name or transferable?
6. If we stop working together, what do I receive and how quickly?

These six questions matter most, because they decide whether the website is truly yours. Under U.S. copyright law, paying for work does not by itself transfer the copyright; the U.S. Copyright Office explains that work by an independent contractor counts as “work made for hire” only in limited categories and with a signed written agreement. A transfer of copyright must be in writing and signed to be valid. A designer who answers these questions clearly and puts the answers in the contract is showing you how they will behave if anything goes wrong.

About cost, timeline and support

1. What is the total price, and what is the payment schedule?
2. What ongoing costs should I expect: hosting, domain renewal, licenses, maintenance?
3. What is the realistic timeline, and what usually causes delays?
4. What happens after launch? Is there a warranty period for fixing bugs?
5. Do you offer a maintenance plan, and what does it include?

Answers that should worry you

Some responses are worth treating as red flags:

• “I’ll register the domain for you; it’s easier.” Easier for whom?
• “You don’t need admin access; just send me any changes.”
• “The site runs on our own platform.” That may mean you cannot move it.
• “We’ll get you to the top of Google.” Nobody can promise that.
• “We don’t really do contracts.”
• “Full payment upfront.”

None of these is proof of bad intent, but each one increases your dependence on a single provider. A good designer will happily adjust when you ask.

Compare proposals line by line

Once you have proposals, put them side by side. Check each one covers scope (pages and features), content, platform, revisions, timeline with milestones, total price and payment schedule, ongoing costs, and what you receive at launch. When prices differ widely, the gap usually sits in what is included rather than in the hourly rate. Our article on web design cost shows published price data and the line items that drive cost.

A milestone based payment schedule protects both sides. A deposit to start, then payments tied to approved designs, a working staging site and launch is common and reasonable.

Check references properly

Call one or two past clients. Ask whether the project finished on time and on budget, how the designer handled disagreements, whether they own their domain and hosting, and what happened after launch. The last question is often the most revealing: a site that nobody updated for a year tells you something about the support you can expect.

Make the decision

Choose the designer whose answers were specific, whose live work holds up on a phone, and whose proposal puts your ownership in writing. Then get everything you agreed into the contract before any work starts. If you would like to see how we answer these questions, our how we work page sets it out.