Questions to ask before you hire someone to build your website

Who owns the website when it is finished?

This is the most important question. Some website builders rent you a page on their platform, and if you leave, it stays with them. Ask whether you will own the site, its code and your customers' data, and ask for that in writing.

What exactly is the price, and what is not in it?

Ask for one price that says what it covers: how many pages, how many rounds of changes, and what happens if you want more. Be careful with a low first price that grows with add-ons. Ask what the monthly cost is and what it pays for.

Can I see it before I pay?

Looking at a real design of your own site, before you commit, tells you far more than a portfolio of other people's work. Ask whether a demo of your site is possible first.

Who looks after it afterwards?

A website needs updates, backups and security checks long after the day it launches. Ask who does them, how often, and who you write to when something breaks. Ask how to leave, and what notice is needed.

A fair answer to all of these is short and clear

If the answers are vague, or you are pushed to decide today, take that as information. A good designer is happy to put plain answers in writing.

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