The short version
Look at a designer's live websites, not just pictures of their work. Ask how they'll learn about your business before they design anything, get everything in writing, and make sure you'll own your site when it's done. Walk away from anyone who guarantees you'll be first on Google.
Hiring a web designer is a significant investment, and the wrong choice can lead to a frustrating process, a mediocre result, or worse, a site that doesn't actually grow your business.
I've seen it happen often: a business owner falls for a flashy design preview, then discovers the finished site is a nightmare to update or wasn't built around their actual customers. Whether you need a simple site that shows your work or one that takes bookings and payments, finding the right partner is about more than looks.
Here's my guide to what to look for, the questions to ask, and the red flags that should send you running.
Start with their portfolio, and click everything.
Any designer worth hiring can show you live websites they've built, not just polished pictures of designs. When I look at a portfolio, I'm looking for more than "pretty." I'm looking for signs they thought about who the site is for.
Does their style match the feel you're going for? More importantly, have they worked with businesses like yours? A designer who has built sites for therapists and clinics understands the need for warmth, trust, clear information, and the privacy rules health businesses have to follow.
Don't just look. Open a live client site from our web design portfolio and click around:
- Does the menu feel natural, or are you hunting for it?
- Does the site load quickly on your phone?
- Is the next step obvious, like calling, booking, or sending a message?
A great-looking site that is slow or broken on a phone is a warning sign about the designer's technical skills.
Try this
- Pick three sites from a designer's portfolio and open each one on your phone.
- For each one, notice how long it takes to load (more than about three seconds is slow), then try to find the phone number or contact button within five seconds.
- Ask yourself whether you could tell what the business does from the first screen. If the answer is no for two out of three, keep looking.
Ask how they'll learn about your business.
A good designer doesn't just "make a site." They follow a defined process: learning about your business (designers call this discovery), then design, building, and launch.
In my work, I always start with discovery. If a designer skips the part where they learn about your goals, your customers, and the problems those customers need solved, be cautious. The best-looking site in the world won't bring in business if it isn't built around the people you serve.
Questions I recommend asking:
- How will you learn about my business before you start designing?
- How many rounds of changes are included in the price?
- Who writes the words on the site: is that something you offer, or do I provide them?
- What happens after the site goes live, and who do I call when something needs changing?
- If you're in health care: how will the contact form handle private information?
Get everything in writing before you sign.
Before you sign a contract, pin down exactly what's included. Most project nightmares start with a vague agreement.
- What's included: is it just the design and the build? Does it include making the site fast and setting it up to show up in Google?
- What's not included: will you pay separately for hosting (the company that stores your site), your domain (your web address), and stock photos?
- Ownership, non-negotiable: you should own your website, with full access to your design files, the code, and your content. Avoid setups you can't leave without starting over, like a site built on a designer's private system with a monthly fee you can't cancel.
- The plan after launch: is there a period when fixes are free? What does ongoing care cost?
Nerd note What "owning your website" should include
At handoff you should have: the domain registered in your name, with its login; admin access to your hosting account; a copy of the site's files (or a full export, for WordPress and similar systems); the original design files, photos, and written content; and access to your Google Business Profile, Google Search Console, and analytics. If a designer can't hand these over, you don't fully own the site.
Know the warning signs.
You should feel in control of your project, not trapped by it. Watch out for:
- No live portfolio: showing only pictures of designs usually means they haven't solved real-world technical problems yet.
- No defined process: "Just tell me what you want and I'll build it" isn't a strategy; it's a pair of hands.
- Lock-in: if you can't move your site to a different company, you don't really own it.
- Handshake deals: promises that aren't written down lead to projects that keep growing and bills you didn't expect.
- Too-good-to-be-true promises: anyone guaranteeing the first page of Google in 30 days is likely using outdated tricks or tactics that break Google's rules, which can get a site pushed down or dropped from results entirely.
Hire someone honest enough to tell you no.
Beyond technical skills, you'll be working closely with this person through an intensive creative process. You need someone communicative, responsive, and, most importantly, honest.
A designer's job isn't just to carry out your vision. It's to improve it. If a designer only ever says "yes," you aren't getting your money's worth. Find someone who will also tell you why something might not work, and offer a better way.
