7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Designer
Hiring a web designer? Ask about ownership, content, mobile testing, search foundations, inquiry handling, and support before you commit.
For service business owners across the United States, the useful questions to ask before hiring a web designer go beyond whether the portfolio looks good. You need to know who controls the finished site, what visitors can do on it, and who handles an inquiry when it arrives. Lumen works with businesses in all 50 states. This interview checklist helps you turn a sales conversation into a clear project scope.
Bring a real customer scenario to the conversation: a homeowner checking your service area, a patient requesting an appointment, or a property manager asking about an estimate. Ask the designer to explain that person's path through the proposed site. Their answers should lead to documents, examples, and responsibilities you can review.
1. Who will control the domain, website, and business accounts?
Ask: “Which accounts will be registered to my business, and what access will I receive at handoff?”
Separate the domain, website files, images, written content, and connected business accounts. Identify the account holder and your access, even when a designer manages them for you. Clarify which elements you can move and which depend on a licensed service.
Request a handoff list with an owner beside each item. List who controls the domain, website access, and inquiry destination. Discuss how access changes if a team member or provider leaves.
A clear answer names the accounts and explains the handoff. “We'll handle everything” leaves important questions open. Request the written arrangement before assuming you can transfer or edit every part of the site.
2. What exactly is included in the website scope?
Ask: “Can you show me the page list, editing options, and responsibilities in writing?”
Start with the pages your customers need. An electrician might need separate pages for residential work and commercial services, plus accurate service-area information. An appointment business may need an explanation of what happens after a booking request.
Have the designer identify who supplies the copy, photographs, service details, and approvals. Ask which content you can change yourself and which changes need their help. Clarify who maintains any connected accounts.
Our guide to what to look for when hiring a Fresno web designer covers the broader selection criteria. During the interview, turn those criteria into specific deliverables rather than repeating a list of features.
3. How will you test the phone experience and contact forms?
Ask: “Can you walk me through the tests a customer-facing page must pass?”
Request a demonstration on a phone, not only a resized design preview. Follow the navigation, open a service page, tap the phone link, and try the inquiry form. Include an incomplete submission so you can see whether the instructions explain what needs attention.
Google recommends connecting each form control with a label in its guide to accessible forms, so people can identify the purpose of the field. Ask the designer to demonstrate visible field labels and usable instructions, rather than treating a placeholder inside a box as the whole form design.
For performance, Google's Core Web Vitals documentation describes measurements of loading, responsiveness, and visual stability. Ask what the designer will measure, which representative pages they will test, and how findings will be addressed. Request a testing process rather than a guaranteed score.
4. Which search foundations are included at launch?
Ask: “What will be done for the pages, and what belongs to ongoing search work?”
Request a page-by-page explanation of service content, titles, descriptions, and navigation. If you serve several cities or counties, supply an accurate service-area list. Ask how the content will help a customer understand whether your business handles their job in their location.
Google recommends useful, organized content, descriptive links, and clear page titles in its SEO Starter Guide, which also explains that following its guidance does not guarantee a particular ranking. Ask the designer to identify their launch deliverables without promising a search position.
If you already have a site, ask which existing pages will be retained and how changes to their addresses will be handled. You should receive an explanation of the change plan, including who reviews it, instead of assuming a redesign includes every search-related task.
5. What happens after someone submits an inquiry?
Ask: “Can we trace one test inquiry from the site to the person responsible for responding?”
A form appearing on a page does not tell you where the submission goes. Confirm the recipient, the information they receive, and the confirmation the visitor sees. Distinguish a request for an appointment from an appointment that has actually been accepted.
Consider an illustrative example: a homeowner requests a garage-door repair while the office is closed. The business needs the request recorded, its service-area details available, and a named person responsible for the next conversation. Any automated acknowledgment should describe the actual process rather than promise availability your team has not confirmed.
Ask to test both a successful submission and a delivery problem. Agree on how the business will notice a problem and who investigates it. The useful deliverable is a tested handoff with a clear owner.
6. Can you show relevant work and explain your role?
Ask: “Which parts of this example did you design or develop, and what can I inspect on the live site?”
A portfolio image shows an appearance. A walkthrough can show how visitors navigate, find services, and make an inquiry. Ask the designer to explain the decisions behind an example and identify their contribution.
Do not require an identical business in the portfolio. Instead, look for comparable needs: service-area information, several service categories, appointment requests, or a custom business process. Ask how that experience would apply to your project.
If the conversation includes results, ask what was measured and whether the business approved sharing them. Keep examples of delivered work separate from promises about your own future results.
7. Who supports the site after launch?
Ask: “When something needs changing or stops working, who do we contact and what is covered?”
Identify the person or team responsible for content changes, maintenance, and inquiry-delivery problems. Ask how to report an issue and how its priority will be assessed. Confirm what your own team needs to maintain, such as business hours and service information.
Discuss website hosting and support as a defined responsibility, with written coverage and handoff instructions. Avoid assuming that website design automatically includes every ongoing task.
Turn the answers into an acceptance checklist
Before you approve the scope, summarize the conversation in this order:
- Record the account owners and handoff items.
- Agree on the pages, content responsibilities, and customer actions.
- Define the mobile, form, and inquiry-delivery checks.
- Name the person who accepts the work and the person who supports it.
Keep this checklist with the proposal. If two providers describe their work differently, use it to clarify the differences rather than compare screenshots alone.
Lumen's custom website design services connects the public site with the way inquiries are handled. Start by identifying those responsibilities.
FAQs
What should I ask a web designer during the first meeting?
Ask who will control the accounts, what pages and features are included, how customers will contact you, and who handles support. Request examples and written responsibilities so you can review the answers afterward.
Do I need finished website copy before hiring a designer?
You do not need every sentence finished before the first conversation. Bring accurate service details, customer questions, and business information, then agree on who writes, reviews, and approves the copy.
How can I assess a portfolio without technical knowledge?
Open a relevant live example on your phone and follow a customer's path. Ask the designer to explain their role, the intended customer action, and the checks they performed.
Should a website form automatically confirm an appointment?
Only if the business process actually confirms that appointment. Otherwise, the message should clearly state that the request was received and explain the next step.
Choosing a web designer for your business? Bring your page list and unanswered questions. Talk through your website project with Lumen, and we'll help clarify the scope and customer journey.