Top 10 things to ask before paying a web designer

What to ask your web designer before you sign and pay

Hiring a web designer is one of the bigger decisions a small business makes. A good site can drive enquiries and sales for years; a bad one wastes time, money, and credibility. Yet many business owners skip the hard questions and end up in disputes over scope, cost, or who owns the code when the project ends.

This guide covers the 10 things you should ask any designer, whether they're a freelancer, a small studio, or a larger agency, before you hand over a deposit. We focus on questions for web designers that uncover pricing clarity, performance accountability, and what happens after launch. You'll also spot red flags unique to different service models and understand what trade-offs are normal versus what's a warning sign.

Do you charge per project or per hour, and what's the breakdown?

Most web designers work on fixed project fees rather than hourly rates. Fixed pricing is cleaner, you know the total cost upfront, and the designer is incentivised to work efficiently rather than drag out billing.

But you need specifics. Ask:

• Is the setup fee separate from monthly hosting or CMS costs?
• Does the quoted price include revisions, or do changes cost extra after a certain round?
• Are integrations (e.g. contact forms, payment processing, newsletter sign-up) billed separately?
• What happens if the project scope changes mid-build, how much does that cost?

A designer who hands you a vague quote ("from £2,000") without itemising design, development, integrations, and revisions is setting you up for scope creep and surprise invoices. A good questions for web designer approach includes asking for a written proposal that spells out what's included at each stage and what costs extra.

Avoid designers who want hourly retainers with "banked hours" that roll over, that creates confusion and disputes. Look instead for clarity on what counts as a minor edit (e.g. copy or image tweaks) versus a new feature that needs separate billing.

How many rounds of revisions are included, and what's the process?

This is where most design projects derail. One designer's idea of "unlimited revisions" is another's nightmare of constant back-and-forth.

Ask directly:

• How many design direction options will you show me at the start?
• After I pick a direction, how many rounds of changes are included in the price?
• What counts as a revision versus a scope change (e.g. adding a whole new page)?
• After revisions end, how much do additional changes cost?
• What's the timeline for feedback and turnaround on each round?

A designer who offers 1 to 2 revision rounds is signalling they expect you to brief clearly at the start. One who promises unlimited revisions is either very confident or banking on you getting fatigued and accepting what you get. The healthiest model we've seen is 2 to 3 rounds included, with a clear scope document that you both sign off on before work begins.

Also ask: if you're unhappy with the direction after round one, can you pivot, or are you locked in? A designer confident in their craft will allow a direction change mid-project rather than force you down a path you don't like.

What's your typical timeline from brief to launch?

"Timeline" matters more than you'd think. A designer who says "8 to 12 weeks" is usually working on bigger clients or running a larger team. A freelancer who says "5 days" may be cutting corners or may just be efficient.

The real question is: what are you doing in that time? Ask:

• How long until you show me the first design draft?
• Is that time active work, or are you waiting for feedback between stages?
• Once I approve the design, how long until the site is ready to go live?
• What happens if I need the site urgently, can you expedite, and at what cost?

If a designer is vague about timeline, they're probably juggling multiple clients and you'll be on the back burner. If they give a fixed date in writing, they're taking you seriously.

A good sign is a designer who breaks the project into clear stages (brief → first draft → revisions → build → testing → launch) and gives you a date for each milestone. A red flag is someone who says "we'll let you know" or promises a launch date they later shift.

Who owns the code after the site is built?

This is critical and often overlooked. When your project finishes, do you own the source code, or is it locked into a proprietary platform?

Ask:

• Will I have access to the full source code and can I take it elsewhere if I want to?
• If I want to hire a different designer later, can they work on the same code?
• Is the site built on a custom codebase, a template, or a no-code platform like Webflow or WordPress?
• If it's a no-code platform, what are the lock-in costs if I want to migrate to a different platform?

Ownership matters most if your designer goes out of business, raises prices, or you outgrow them. With bespoke custom code, you can fork the code and hire anyone to maintain it. With a platform like Webflow or Wix, you're stuck, migration is expensive and complex.

One honest comparison: Sitewright vs WordPress shows that custom Next.js code is portable, but so is WordPress (though theme and plugin lock-in can creep in). Webflow sites are harder to migrate. The safest move is asking for code ownership in writing before you sign the contract.

What's included after launch, and how do you handle ongoing edits?

The site goes live and then what? Some designers disappear; others include a few months of free support. Ask:

• Are there any bugs or problems covered in the first month after launch?
• How many minor edits (copy changes, image swaps, adding a team member) are included per month?
• If I want to add a new page or feature later, how much does that cost?
• Do you offer ongoing maintenance, or do I manage the site myself?
• If I make my own edits and break something, do you offer emergency support?

A designer offering zero post-launch support is risky. One offering unlimited free edits forever isn't realistic. A fair middle ground is something like 30 minutes of minor edits per month included, with larger work quoted separately. This prevents scope creep and sets expectations clearly.

Also find out about updates. If the platform (e.g. WordPress, Next.js) releases a security patch, who applies it? If the site gets hacked, is that covered? These questions matter especially for freelancers, if they get ill or step back, you need to know if your site is maintained or abandoned.

Do you use AI tools in your design and development, and how?

AI is now part of most designers' workflows. The question isn't whether they use it, it's how and whether they're transparent about it.

Ask:

• Do you use AI to generate initial design directions or code scaffolding?
• If so, how much manual work do you do to refine and customise the output?
• Does AI involvement reduce my cost, or is it just a faster workflow for you?
• How do you handle AI limitations (e.g. hallucinated form fields, generic-looking images)?
• Are there any IP or licensing concerns with AI-generated assets in my site?

A designer using AI for initial drafts and then hand-finishing the work is being smart. A designer relying on AI for the final output without heavy customisation is cutting corners. The red flag is a designer who hides AI use or pretends everything is hand-made when it isn't.

The honest answer: AI tools can speed up repetitive work (boilerplate code, placeholder layouts), but they need expert review. If your designer glosses over this, dig deeper.

Will you provide performance data after launch, and how often?

A beautiful site that loads in 5 seconds is worse than an ugly site that loads in 1 second. Yet many designers hand over a site and vanish, leaving you to wonder if it's actually performing.

Ask:

• What metrics will you track (page load time, Core Web Vitals, time to interactive)?
• Will you provide a performance report after launch?
• How often will we review performance, monthly, quarterly, annually?
• If performance drops, will you investigate and fix it?
• Do you use analytics (Google Analytics, Plausible, Fathom) to track user behaviour and conversions?

A designer who shrugs and says "it'll be fine" is a red flag. A designer who builds with a Lighthouse score target (e.g. 90+) in mind and audits after launch shows professionalism. Performance directly affects SEO, user experience, and whether visitors actually convert.

If you're serious about results, ask your designer to set up Google Search Console and a privacy-first analytics tool so you can see search rankings, keyword data, and user journeys. The best designers bundle this into their service; others offer it as an add-on.

Sitewright

Sitewright builds custom React sites on Next.js with Tailwind, deployed globally on Vercel. Setup ranges from £487 to £2,797 depending on scope. Sites include Lighthouse 90+ performance, bespoke design, and full SSL security out of the box.

Every site on a recurring plan (Starter through VIP) gets a CMS so you can edit copy and images yourself. Larger plans include annual strategy reviews and performance audits. There's no lock-in, the Own It tier transfers full code ownership for a one-off fee.

• Bespoke Next.js + Tailwind design → Lighthouse 90+ on mobile at launch
• Strapi CMS with drag-and-drop page builder → edit copy and images yourself
• Vercel global CDN + auto-SSL → 99%+ uptime and instant security
• First month of edits included → bug fixes, copy tweaks, integrations tested
• Own It tier available → full GitHub repo ownership whenever you want

Is there a contract, and what does it say about liability and dispute resolution?

You'd be surprised how many designers work on a handshake. A contract protects both of you.

Ask to see the contract before you commit money. Look for:

• What's the payment schedule? (Deposit now, balance on delivery, or milestone-based?)
• What happens if you're unhappy with the final result?
• Are there any clauses about intellectual property, confidentiality, or what you can and can't do with the site after launch?
• What's the liability cap if something goes wrong?
• How do you resolve disputes, arbitration, small claims court, or something else?
• Is there a cooling-off period if you change your mind before work starts?

A designer with a plain-English contract (not legal jargon) is a good sign. One who refuses a written agreement or gets defensive about terms is a red flag. Freelancers should have basic terms in place; agencies must.

Red flag for freelancers: is there a contingency if they get ill or stop trading mid-project? Some freelancers buy insurance or partner with another designer as backup; others don't. Ask.

For freelancers: what's your backup plan if you become unavailable?

Freelance designers can be brilliant, but they're individuals. If your designer gets ill, has a family emergency, or steps back from work, what happens to your site?

Ask:

• Do you have another designer you partner with for emergency cover?
• If you stop working, who maintains my site and handles urgent fixes?
• Are you insured for extended absence?
• Do you share access to site hosting and code with a backup contact?

A freelancer with a contingency plan (a partner, business insurance, or a handover process) is more professional than one flying solo. You're not asking them to stop freelancing; you're asking them to plan for reality.

This is especially important if your site handles payments, bookings, or critical communication. Downtime costs money.

How much does this typically cost, and what does that price actually buy?

Finally, let's talk money directly. Web design costs vary wildly, £500 for a template site to £50,000+ for a custom e-commerce build. Ask your designer where they sit and why.

Common pricing shapes:

• Template or no-code builder (Wix, Squarespace, Carrd): £300, £1,500 setup + £10, £50/month. Fast, limited customisation, vendor lock-in.
• WordPress + Elementor or similar: £1,000, £5,000 setup + £0, £50/month hosting. Flexible, steeper learning curve to maintain.
• Bespoke custom code (like Sitewright): £500, £3,000 setup + £13, £150/month for hosting and edits. Portable, higher upfront cost, true ownership.
• High-end agency: £10,000, £50,000+ for large teams, strategy, ongoing management.

Ask your designer:

• What's included in your setup fee versus recurring costs?
• Do you offer different tiers for different budgets?
• Is there a price difference between a brochure site and a conversion-focused one?
• Are there industry-specific pricing (e.g. nonprofits, SaaS, medical practices get a discount)?

The cheapest option isn't always the best value. A £300 site on a builder platform may need a complete rebuild in two years when you outgrow it. A £2,000 custom site that you own and can scale is a better long-term investment. But you need to know what you're paying for.

For a detailed look at what different budgets actually buy, our comparison of bespoke versus template builds breaks down the real costs and trade-offs.

Picking the right designer

The questions above will reveal a lot about professionalism, process, and whether a designer is a fit for your business. But here's the uncomfortable truth: you can ask all the right questions and still end up with someone who doesn't deliver.

That's why references matter. Ask for three recent clients (preferably in your industry or similar) and call them. Ask: Did they ship on time? Is the site still running? Do they still work with the designer for edits? Would they hire them again?

Sitewright's approach is to keep things transparent: fixed pricing with clear scope documents, 3 to 5 minute briefs so there's no surprise, and a handover within days rather than months. No account managers, no sales spin, just a designer and developer who build the site you need, hand over edits as needed, and let you own the code whenever you want. That honesty is worth asking for from any designer.

At the end of the process, you should feel confident about:

• Exactly what you're paying and when
• How many design iterations are included and what "done" looks like
• Whether the site is yours to keep and modify forever
• How performance is measured and by whom
• What happens after launch without surprise costs

A designer who answers these clearly, in writing, and without defensiveness is worth hiring. One who dodges questions or oversells will cost you time and money later. Pick carefully.