How to Choose a Web Designer: 12 Questions

Short answer: choose a web designer by comparing the written scope, account access, intellectual-property terms, testing process, ongoing costs, and launch support. A portfolio can show design skill, but it cannot tell you what you will own, what is included, or what happens if the relationship ends. Ask the same questions of every provider and make the signed proposal—not a sales conversation—the source of truth.

Ownership, licensing, and account access

1. Who controls the domain and key accounts?

Ask whose account will hold the domain registration, hosting, analytics, Search Console, and any business profiles. For many small businesses, client-controlled accounts with provider access are the cleanest arrangement. If a provider controls an account, the agreement should explain access, renewal, transfer, and offboarding.

2. What exactly will I own or license?

Do not assume that paying for a site transfers every underlying right. Code, design files, licensed fonts, stock media, plugins, platform features, and client-supplied content can have different terms. Ask for a written list of the deliverables, ownership or license granted for each, and any restrictions. At AKSIS, managed website plans license the site code for use during the service; purchased-site deliverables and transfer rights are defined in the signed agreement.

3. What happens if we stop working together?

The proposal should identify the cancellation method, final billing, access period, data or content export, domain handling, and which features depend on an active subscription or third-party platform. Ask for the offboarding terms before paying a setup fee.

Scope, price, and responsibilities

4. What is included in the quoted price?

Ask for the pages or templates, functionality, copywriting, images, integrations, revision process, launch work, and exclusions. Also ask how added work is approved and priced. Starting prices are useful for planning, but a project-specific proposal should control when the requested scope is known.

5. What will recur after launch?

Separate the build or setup charge from domain renewal, hosting, software licenses, maintenance, content changes, SEO, and support. Confirm billing frequency, renewal terms, cancellation method, and what stops when a recurring service ends. Our guide to website maintenance costs explains the common categories without assuming that every site needs the same plan.

6. What do you need from me?

Identify who supplies copy, images, approvals, credentials, legal or regulated statements, and factual business information. The schedule should state dependencies and how delays or scope changes affect delivery. No responsible provider can verify every fact about a client’s business without client participation.

Performance, search, and accessibility

7. How will you test mobile and desktop use?

Ask which browsers, devices, screen sizes, forms, and user journeys will be checked. Google recommends content that loads quickly and displays properly across screen sizes, but no provider can promise an identical experience on every device or network. Test live portfolio sites yourself and ask what changed after the provider launched them.

8. What does the SEO setup include?

Useful answers name the work: crawl and index controls, page titles, internal links, useful service content, structured data when relevant, sitemap handling, Search Console, and measurement. A technical setup can improve eligibility and discoverability; it cannot guarantee indexing, traffic, leads, or a ranking. Google expressly warns that no one can guarantee a number-one ranking.

9. How do you measure performance?

Ask for both lab testing and real-user monitoring when traffic makes field data available. A single Lighthouse or PageSpeed score is a diagnostic snapshot, not a promise of search performance or business results. Google says good Core Web Vitals can contribute to page experience, while a good score alone does not guarantee top rankings.

10. What accessibility benchmark and tests do you use?

Ask for the target standard, included pages and components, automated checks, keyboard review, screen-reader or other manual testing, and a remediation process. The U.S. Department of Justice identifies contrast, text alternatives, labeled forms, headings, and keyboard access among important practices. W3C also cautions that no automated tool alone can determine accessibility. Be skeptical of permanent “ADA-certified” or “100% compliant” promises.

Launch and aftercare

11. What happens before and after launch?

Ask for the review and approval process, backups, redirects when URLs change, analytics verification, form testing, deployment ownership, and a post-launch issue window. For an existing site, request a URL map and redirect plan; Google recommends permanent server-side redirects such as 301 or 308 when URLs move.

12. How are support and maintenance handled?

Get the contact channel, service hours, response targets, included work, excluded work, and additional rates in writing. Security, compatibility, content, privacy, accessibility, and third-party services can change after launch; clarify which reviews are included and which require a new scope.

Red flags

• Guaranteed search rankings, traffic, conversions, or revenue.
• “Full ownership” without naming the files, code, accounts, licenses, and transfer conditions.
• Accessibility or legal-compliance certification without a defined standard, scope, test method, and qualified legal review.
• Unclear recurring charges, cancellation steps, or offboarding terms.
• Objective claims about speed or results without current, representative evidence.

How AKSIS scopes the work

AKSIS documents the project scope, price, recurring services, responsibilities, account access, and deliverable rights before work begins. Managed sites use a license model; purchased deliverables are governed by the written agreement. We can implement technical SEO, performance, privacy, security, and accessibility practices within an agreed scope, then report what we tested. We do not guarantee rankings, leads, uninterrupted third-party services, or legal compliance.

Common questions

How much should I pay up front?

There is no universal deposit percentage. The agreement should state the exact amount, when it is earned or refundable, what triggers later payments, and what each party receives if the project ends early. Compare the payment schedule with the provider’s actual milestones and your state’s contract requirements.

Should I hire local or remote?

Either can work. Compare communication, availability, relevant experience, verifiable work, written scope, account handling, and aftercare. Location can matter when on-site photography, meetings, or market knowledge are part of the scope, but it does not establish quality by itself.

How do I check past work?

Ask for live examples and permission to contact references. Review the sites on common phone and desktop sizes, test key actions, and use PageSpeed Insights as one diagnostic input. Confirm what the provider actually delivered; a live site may have been changed by other people after launch.

What if the provider becomes unavailable?

Reduce disruption through client-controlled domain and business accounts, documented access, backups or exports when included, a list of dependencies, and written offboarding terms. Whether code or design files transfer depends on the signed ownership and license provisions.

Primary references

• Google Search Central: choosing an SEO and avoiding ranking guarantees
• Google Search Central: page experience and Core Web Vitals
• U.S. Department of Justice: web accessibility guidance
• W3C WAI: evaluating web accessibility

This guide provides general business information, not legal advice. Contract, intellectual-property, accessibility, and regulatory needs vary by business and jurisdiction. Consider qualified counsel for your agreement and compliance obligations.