One of the best ways to get clarity before making a big investment – like your website design – in your business is to ask your potential designer the right stuff, whether that’s in email or your initial call with them. Here’s the essential questions to ask a website designer –  just as importantly, the answers they should provide if they’re the right fit for your business.

0 | Things You Shouldn’t Have to Ask

I’m starting with a strong opinion – but if you’re going to invest in someone’s website design skills for your business, their website should do a fantastic job of making a case to work with them. This includes answering these questions without you having to ask:

What’s a typical price range for your services? 

Price transparency isn’t a controversial topic – listing your prices on your website benefits both your business and your clients. You should be able to get at least a starting price for the services you think may work for you without reaching out – otherwise, your time may be wasted by someone trying to bait and switch or make a hard sell.

Can I see some websites you’ve designed? 

Lukewarm take, but: website designers should have updated websites (to a degree – we do need a slight pass since we’re usually busy with other people’s sites). You should be able to view at least a few past projects or a portfolio before deciding to reach out. This helps you get the vibes (or a gut feeling) for the designer’s style, and whether or not it will work for your brand.

1 | What parts of the website project will I be responsible for?

I’ve seen a lot of website designers advertise their services as 100% “done for you,” with the idea being that you can completely unplug while your website is designed, popping in at the end to just post about it on socials – but unless your website designer is also providing brand design, graphics, and copywriting, you’ll still have some things to do.

For reference, in projects where I provide as much as possible from start to finish (brand design, copywriting, SEO, and website design), I still need a few things from my client, like:

• Brand and/or stock photography (you can find my favorite resources here)
• Insight into their brand and business through questionnaires they fill out during onboarding, and calls we have during our project
• Privacy policies & other legal considerations (since I can’t legally generate them for anyone else)
• Feedback and input throughout the project

Want a sneak peek of what you may need to provide or procure as your part of the project? Here's everything you need to create a website.

2 | Do you provide any resources for my website copy?

Website copywriting is, essentially, all of the writing that goes on your website. It’s everything from headings to body text to what gets written on buttons, and it’s the thing that persuades your audience to take action on your website (the design is there to catch their attention and make it logistically easy for the action to occur).

Most website designers do not provide copywriting services – and if they do, I recommend asking for specific copywriting samples if they’re not obvious from browsing their portfolio. Highly qualified website designers aren’t necessarily qualified copywriters, and vice versa.

If your website designer doesn’t provide copywriting services, I recommend asking the following questions:

• Do you offer any kind of template of support with writing my website copy (or can you recommend a template or copywriter)?
• What copy should I provide for each page of my website?
• When will my copy be due, if I’m writing it?

Curious about what's typically included in website copywriting services? Click here to view my packages!

3 | Do you design on the platform I have in mind, or will you help me choose?

If you're entering a website project with an open mind or no attachment to a platform, this should be one of the first questions to ask a website designer. Your designer should be able to explain the benefits and drawbacks of the platform(s) they use and help you make a choice. If your business requires a specific platform (for example, Shopify is the premier platform for an e-commerce business), they should be able to explain their plan for migrating you or updating your current website.

Choosing a website platform? Here's my guides for how to do it:

• How to choose between Showit & WordPress
• How to choose between Showit & Squarespace

4 | What kind of attention to SEO do you include in your services?

It’s widely (and incorrectly, unfortunately) assumed that SEO is always part of website design – and if it’s important to you, this is THE question to ask!

And ofc, because I’m me – here’s the other questions I’d also ask:

• What’s your plan for maintaining (or improving) SEO on my new website? (If you already have a website)
• What do you do to ensure a smooth SEO transition to my new website design?
• Do you provide keyword research?

At a minimum, here’s what *should* be included:

• Compressing/optimizing images and making sure your pages load quickly
• Making sure your headings and text tags are correct
• Installing SEO page titles & descriptions (and ask who provides them)
• Setting up any URL redirects you’ll need
• Helping install Google Analytics

Obviously, this is my professional opinion! Your designer may vary and provide more or less than this for SEO – but this is THE thing that unpleasantly surprises people, so it needs to be talked about early!

5 | What’s your typical project timeline (both turnaround and project milestones)?

Self explanatory(ish), but ask about how long the project will take and what the communication expectations are. Some designers take on multiple projects at once (and spend longer on them), while some book projects as “sprints” and take on one website per week (or similar).

6 | What’s your process for feedback?

Throughout your project, it’s likely (hopefully) that your designer will ask you for your feedback, and certainly before launching your new website. A very common feedback schedule is for the designer to create one page as a preview, get your feedback, then complete more pages or the rest of the website.

Knowing when feedback will happen and what the expectations are around it can help you block off the appropriate time on your calendar & always know what’s next.

Example: I use MarkUp to send my clients their pages for feedback, and do a preview page before completing the website. I usually ask for feedback to be sent back within 3 business days to keep my own projects on track!

7 | Will I need a website maintenance plan?

This varies by both the website design platform and the website designer themselves.  Some platforms require monthly maintenance in order to stay functional (like WordPress websites), while others (like Showit and Squarespace) include hosting and mostly run themselves.

If you are interviewing a WordPress website designer, ask about their options for maintenance plans.

 Many designers also offer some kind of monthly or one-off update service.  I've seen some designers offer up to an hour (or some set amount of time)  of design updates per month for a monthly subscription fee, and some designers offer something like Design Days for more condensed, sprint-style update projects.

8 | What kind of support do you offer around launch, after launch, and for website maintenance?

After your website is live, the support shouldn’t just end. A good website designer will offer some form of post-launch support to ensure a smooth transition. Here are a few questions to ask about the support you’ll receive after launch:

• Do you provide a tutorial or training session?
  If you’ll be managing updates or adding content yourself, you’ll want to know how to navigate your new website confidently. Many designers will offer a walkthrough or training session to show you how to use your new site.
• What kind of post-launch troubleshooting do you provide?
  It’s common to run into small hiccups after launch — ask if your designer offers any complimentary support for a period of time post-launch (often 14 days) to fix any bugs or glitches.

By clarifying the level of support provided after your site goes live, you can rest easy knowing you won’t be left to navigate any unexpected issues alone.

Do I have to use all of these questions to ask a website designer, or…?

Nope! It's totally up to you, and each designer will share a different amount of information on their own website (which will influence how much you need to ask them face-to-face). But if you want to ensure your investment is truly worth the money, this is where I'd start.

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Let me guess – looking for a website designer?

>> Browse my all-inclusive website design packages (copywriting + SEO included)! I designed each package to make things as easy and effective as possible – with a focus on showcasing your services and making your marketing more sustainable.
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