How to choose a web designer without getting burned

Hiring a web designer is awkward because you're buying something you can't fully judge. The site will look finished either way. Whether it actually works, loads fast, shows up on Google, brings enquiries, is invisible on handover day. Here's how to protect yourself.

Questions worth asking

• "Can I see three sites you built that are still live?" Then actually visit them on your phone. Slow, clunky examples tell you everything.
• "Who owns the site and the domain when we're done?" The only acceptable answer is you. Walk away from anyone who keeps your domain in their name.
• "What happens after launch?" Updates, small changes, hosting. Get the ongoing costs in writing before you start.
• "What do you do about speed and Google?" You don't need to understand the answer fully. You need them to have one that isn't a shrug.
• "What do you need from me, and by when?" Most late projects are waiting on words and photos. A good designer tells you this upfront.

Red flags

• Guaranteed page one on Google. Nobody honest guarantees that.
• No contract, or a contract with no ownership terms.
• Pressure to decide today for a "special price".
• A portfolio of sites that are slow or broken on a phone.

What a fair deal looks like

A clear scope, a clear price, your name on the domain, and a designer who talks about your customers more than their design awards.

Two practical tools for your shortlist. First, run each designer's own website through the free SiteMOT check; a designer whose own site fails its MOT is telling you something. Second, if you'd like a benchmark to compare quotes against: at Optima Web Design we build finished sites for around the price of doing it yourself, and you see a preview of your site before paying anything. No pressure, and now you know exactly what to ask us too.