Most small businesses choose a web designer the same way: ask around, look at a couple of portfolios, compare two or three quotes, and go with whoever feels about right on price. It's understandable. It's also how a lot of people end up with a site that looks fine and quietly does nothing.
A portfolio shows you what a designer can make look good. It doesn't tell you whether those sites bring their owners any work. These seven questions get closer to that, and none of them need any technical knowledge to ask.
1. Can I see something for my business before I pay?
Screenshots of other people's sites only go so far. The clearest test of whether someone understands your business is seeing what they'd actually build for it. Plenty of designers won't do this, and that's their choice, but if someone will show you a working example first, you're judging the real thing rather than a promise.
2. Who will I actually be dealing with?
Some agencies sell you on a senior person, then hand the work to someone you never meet. Neither model is wrong, but you should know which one you're buying. Ask who writes the copy, who builds the pages, and who answers the phone when something breaks in eighteen months.
3. How will people find the site?
A good answer mentions the searches your customers actually type — the service plus the town — and how the site will be built to show up for them. It should also mention your Google Business Profile, because for most local searches that's what people see first. A vague "it'll be SEO-friendly" isn't an answer.
4. Have you looked at who I'm up against?
Your site doesn't need to be the best website in the world. It needs to be the most convincing option when someone in your area compares you with the two or three businesses next to you in the results. A designer who has looked at those competitors before quoting is already thinking about the right problem.
5. Who owns the site and the domain?
You should own your domain name outright, registered in your name, and be able to take the site elsewhere if you ever need to. Ask this directly. It's the question people most often wish they'd asked sooner.
6. What happens after launch?
Websites need small, regular attention: security updates, fresh content, fixes when something changes. Find out what's included, what costs extra, and what happens if you'd rather look after it yourself. There's no single right arrangement, as long as it's clear. Our care plans page sets out how we handle it, if you want a comparison point.
7. How will we know if it's working?
The honest measure of a small business website is enquiries: calls, forms, messages, bookings. Ask what the designer will track, and what they'd change if the numbers don't move. If the only answer is how nice it will look, that tells you where their attention will be.
A simple way to compare
Put the same seven questions to everyone you're considering, and write the answers down. The differences usually become obvious quickly, and price stops being the only thing you have to go on.
If you want a starting point, our guide to five things your website needs to get right covers what the finished site should do, and the website health check will show you where your current site stands. Or ask us the same seven questions — we'll answer them, and show you a free working example before you commit to anything.
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