What to Look for When Hiring a Web Designer (And What to Avoid)

Hiring a web designer is one of those decisions that feels small and turns out to matter a lot. A great website brings in clients for years. A bad one costs you money twice — once to build it, and again when you have to replace it. Here's what to actually pay attention to when you're evaluating someone to build yours.

Look at work they've done for businesses like yours

A portfolio full of tech startups and e-commerce brands doesn't tell you much about whether someone can build a great website for a salon or a contractor. Service businesses have specific needs — booking systems, local SEO, trust-building content, mobile-first design — and a designer who hasn't solved those problems before is going to learn on your dime.

Ask to see examples of websites they've built for service businesses. Ask what results those clients saw. If they can't answer either question, that's informative.

Make sure they ask about your business before quoting

A designer who gives you a price in the first five minutes of a conversation hasn't understood your business yet. A good quote should follow questions: Who are your clients? What do you want them to do when they land on your site? Do you need booking? Do you take payments online? What's your timeline? Are there competitors whose sites you like?

The questions a designer asks before quoting tell you more about their process than anything in their portfolio.

Find out who actually does the work

Some designers — especially agencies — take your project, hand it off to a junior designer or an overseas contractor, and check back in at the end. This isn't inherently bad, but you should know it's happening. If you're expecting to work directly with the person you spoke with, ask explicitly: will you be building this yourself, or will it be delegated?

For small business owners, working 1-on-1 with the designer often produces better results because there's less translation between what you want and what gets built.

Understand what happens after launch

A website isn't a one-time purchase — it needs updates, security patches, occasional content changes, and someone to call when something breaks. Ask your potential designer: what does post-launch support look like? Is it included or extra? How quickly do they respond to issues?

A lot of designers disappear after handoff. Find someone who offers a clear maintenance option, even if you don't take it right away.

Watch out for these red flags

A designer who can't explain what platform they're building on (and why) is a red flag. So is a contract that doesn't specify what deliverables are included, or one that locks you out of owning your own domain and hosting. You should always own your website — the files, the domain, the hosting account. If a designer makes that unclear or difficult, walk away.

Also be cautious of very low prices with no clear scope. "I'll build your website for $300" usually means a template with your name dropped in, no customization, and zero strategy. You get what you pay for, and a website that doesn't convert is worth exactly nothing.

Price vs. value

The right question isn't "how much does the website cost?" — it's "how quickly will this pay for itself?" A well-built website for a service business that converts even a handful of additional clients per month can pay for itself in weeks. A cheap website that loses visitors at every step costs you those clients indefinitely.

Think of it as an investment with a return, not an expense to minimize.

If you're currently shopping for a web designer and want to talk through what your business actually needs, start here — no pressure, just a conversation.