Having a well-designed website is crucial for your business. With just one glance at your site, visitors can decide whether or not they should choose products or services from your company. That’s why choosing a trusted, experienced web design agency is a must to help you attract your target audience, increase conversion, and stay competitive. But wait, don’t rush to sign a contract! Below are 10 questions to ask a web designer to evaluate his/her potential web design before you make a final hiring decision.
10 Questions You Need to Ask a Web Designer
Today, the demand for web design is significantly growing, with the global revenue of web design services surpassing $61 billion in 2025. However, hiring a good web design company can be time-consuming and daunting. And if you don’t make the right choice, you can end up wasting lots of money on a site you don’t like. That’s why, after some preliminary assessments through review platforms and client testimonials, you should set up an in-person or online meeting with potential web designers. Here are several questions you should ask to evaluate these designers further:
Question #1: Can you show me the portfolio of your past work?
Just like hiring a new employee, ask a web design agency to showcase the portfolio of projects they’ve implemented so far. Is this action redundant if you have already viewed their past work before on their websites or review platforms (e.g., Clutch or Behance)? The answer is NO. Meeting the web design agency and seeing their portfolio will keep you updated with their latest projects that haven’t been published. Then, you may further ask questions about the projects related to your specific industry:
- Are these websites easy to navigate? Or are all the key features (e.g., Contact Us or Services pages) displayed for all visitors to access?
- How quickly do these sites load?
- Do these web designs reflect the brand identity of past clients?
- Which positive results do these web designers bring (e.g., increased conversion rates)?
FURTHER READING: |
1. Top 5 Best UX UI Design Companies |
2. The 6 Factors to Choose a UI UX Design Company |
Question #2: How do you evaluate my current website?
If you already have a website but it doesn’t work effectively, you need a professional web designer to evaluate it first. This helps both your company and the web design agency better understand why your site performs poorly (i.e., due to a lack of key features like a search bar and filters or because of an increase in products that the site can’t handle). Then, determine technical specs to improve your website (e.g., changing color schemes or adding new functionality).
But what if you have no current website for assessment? In this case, you can present your business’s existing problems and ask for a design solution to them. Through a web designer’s evaluations, you can assess their expertise and experience in your business domain.
Question #3: Do you focus on responsive design?
Responsive design refers to a website design that can perform seamlessly on any device and platform without compromising the key features and user experience. In the era when people are shifting their focus to mobile devices due to their convenience, designing a website that not only runs well on desktops and personal computers but also is friendly to mobile users is a must. Most design agencies nowadays still offer you a responsive one. But remember to check how your chosen agency creates a responsive design or whether you need to pay extra for that service.
Recommended reading: 45 Web Design Terms: The Basic Glossary in 2022
Question #4: Do you build a site with SEO in mind?
Many people often ignore the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) factor when designing a website. But this is a big mistake.
SEO helps your visitors find your site easily without the need to pay extra for advertising on search engines. How? Normally, search engines like Google will prioritize an intuitive, mobile-friendly website design that has a clear structure, easy-to-use navigation, and fast load speed. Further, websites that are designed with SEO-friendly URLs, relevant keywords, and easy-to-understand content not only attract visitors but also increase site rankings on search engines’ page results.
For this reason, it’s crucial to ask the potential web designer whether they will build your site with SEO in mind to increase organic traffic.
Recommended reading: How To Outsource SEO & Web Design Processes?
Question #5: Do you customize design websites or use pre-made templates?
Web design agencies usually offer both options to meet customers’ expectations. Deciding whether you need a website template or a custom one for your business may be based on your time, budget, and value.
Do you want a unique website or just a simple one that can save money? Let’s imagine a bigger picture and really think about where you want your business to stand in the next couple of years. Discuss your website needs and ask for a price comparison of the two before making your decision.
Recommended reading: 5 Things You Need to Notice When Using Website Templates?
Question #6: How do you price your services?
You wouldn’t buy a car without knowing how much it costs, right? Every company has a different pricing structure. It depends much on whether you only recruit some designers to augment your team or outsource a whole project. Also, it’s crucial to know whether a web design agency offers a fixed price or hourly rates.
Another important question you need to ask a web designer is what exactly you’re paying for. Asking for a detailed list of deliverables included in the price is the only way to get clear about how much your website’s actually going to cost you. This also lets you know what services the total design cost covers, like pre-design consultancy or post-launch maintenance.
In case you have a limited budget, ask a web designer for which key functionalities they focus on to ensure the final deliverable is within your budget.
Question #7: How many revisions are included in your design service, and what do you charge if I require extra edits?
Normally, web design agencies offer their clients a defined number of revision rounds for free to edit your design. The exact number depends on different designers and even your project scope.
However, the most common range is often 1-3 rounds, as this range is considered enough to provide feedback and modify the design effectively. In these revisions, web designers can adjust some factors of a visual design, like fonts, color palettes, images, minor texts, and even layouts. But if you want a web designer to make significant changes, this can affect the whole website structure, hence incurring additional costs.
Further, if you require extra revisions beyond the number agreed in the contract, a design agency inevitably bills you at a fixed price or a standard hourly rate. The extra work’s scope can also add more fees to the total cost. So, to avoid unexpected or hidden fees, ask the potential web designer clearly before signing the contract.
Question #8: Will I own my website when it’s finished?
Funny thing is that even though you pay hundreds of dollars for a website, you still don’t own it at the end. Therefore, be sure to ask if you own the domain name (registered in your name, not the web design agency’s), website design, and hosting account (registered in your name, not the design agency’s). Also, find out whether you will receive all source files for your site and access to your hosting account, backend administration platform, and server.
Question #9: How long will it take to design my site?
It depends on various factors like your project’s complexity level and scope. However, if you plan to publish your website within a specified time, tell a web designer about your planned timeframe.
Some companies, for example, Designveloper will use professional techniques like Planning Poker or analogous estimation to calculate the approximate timeframe and cost for your project. Besides, we leverage Agile approaches (SCRUM, Kanban) to divide the work into smaller, manageable tasks that must be completed within each iteration (2-4 weeks). These methods allow us to deliver the most important features and functionalities of your work on time and within the predefined timeline.
Question #10: How do you keep me updated about the work?
You definitely shouldn’t entrust the entire work to a web designer without knowing anything about how the design process is going on. Following up on the project’s progress also allows you to provide immediate feedback for revisions or improvements. This avoids costly rework later. Therefore, one important question to ask a web designer is how they keep you updated about the project’s progress and through which communication channels (e.g., emails or chats).
How Does Designveloper Help Transform Your Web Design?
The above questions are just some crucial ones of the many questions you need to ask a web designer to start the project effectively. If you want someone trusted to design a custom, cost-effective website for your company, Designveloper is a good partner!
We have a decade of experience in creating scalable, responsive designs for clients across industries like healthcare, eCommerce, finance, and education. With expertise in 50 technology stacks, we’re committed to delivering a fully functional yet visually appealing website within budget and on time. Our solution not only reflects your brand identity and increases your online presence but also increases conversion and drives sales.
Further, we keep you updated with the design work through regular meetings, emails, and other communication tools. If you are struggling with your design idea for a potential website, contact us to get a free consulting service for basic technical analytics! You can choose to receive detailed estimation and analytics with our paid consulting package. And this fee will be refunded after you sign the contract with us! Why wait? Start your design journey with Designveloper from now on!
Also published on
Share post on
Read more topics
