Most people evaluate a website designer on price alone — then get burned by scope creep, missed deadlines, or a site they can't update later. Asking the right questions upfront avoids all of that. Here are the 10 to ask before you pay anyone a rupee.
1. Can I see 2–3 live websites you've actually built?
A good answer gives you working links you can open right now on your phone. A bad answer offers only screenshots, mockups, or "I'll send some examples later."
2. What exactly is included in this price?
A good answer is an itemized list — number of pages, specific features, how many rounds of revisions. A bad answer is a vague "everything you need" with no specifics.
3. What's the realistic timeline, and what could delay it?
A good answer gives a specific range with honest caveats — for example, "7–10 days, assuming you send content by day 2." A bad answer is an unrealistically fast promise with no conditions attached.
4. Who do I contact if something breaks after launch?
A good answer names a real person and a direct contact method — usually a WhatsApp number or phone call. A bad answer points you to a generic support email with no response-time commitment.
5. Will I own my domain, hosting, and source code?
A good answer is an immediate "yes, registered in your name." Hesitation, or an offer to "manage it for you" with no option to transfer ownership, is a serious red flag.
6. What happens if I want to switch developers later?
A good answer is a straightforward explanation of how handover works — exporting code, transferring accounts. Defensiveness or refusal to discuss this suggests they intend to make it difficult on purpose.
7. Can I update the content myself, or do I need you for every change?
This isn't a trick question — either answer can be fine, but you need to know which one you're getting. A CMS-backed site lets you edit yourself; a static site is faster and cheaper but needs a developer for text or image changes.
8. What's your payment structure?
A good answer is milestone-based — commonly 50% upfront, 50% on delivery. Be cautious of anyone asking for full payment before any work begins, with no milestones in between.
9. How will you handle SEO and mobile responsiveness?
A good answer is specific — proper meta tags, fast load times, mobile-first layout, Core Web Vitals. A bad answer is a generic "yes, we do SEO" with no detail behind it.
10. Can you share a reference I can actually contact?
A good answer is a willingness to connect you with a past client directly. A bad answer offers only pre-written testimonials pasted on their own website, which are impossible to verify.
The Bottom Line
None of these questions are unreasonable to ask, and any designer worth hiring will answer them without hesitation. If someone gets defensive or evasive on more than one of these, treat that as your answer — and keep looking.
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