Questions to ask a web designer before you hire one

The sales call is not the time to nod along. It is the time to write down answers.

If you run a trade, salon, food truck, or local service around Richmond, Sandston, or eastern Henrico, you will talk to at least one web shop before you sign. This is a call sheet: the questions to ask, what a straight answer sounds like, and the red flags that mean slow down.

For the wider buyer guide (red flags, ownership checklist, and how shops compare), read how to choose a web design company in Richmond. This post is the interview script for that first conversation.

Not ready to hire anyone yet? Request a free website demo on our hosting so you can click through a draft and share it with staff before you commit.

Ownership and access

Who owns the domain, and where is the login?

Ask: Is the domain registered to me or my company? Can I see the registrar account before we launch?

Good answer: Your name or company is the registrant. You have recovery email access, and the designer documents where DNS lives. If they buy the domain for you, they transfer registrar access at launch or register it directly in your account from day one.

Red flags: “We keep the domain while you host with us.” Refusal to show WHOIS or a registrar panel. A domain stuck in the designer’s personal email with no transfer plan.

Do I get the site files, or only a login inside their platform?

Ask: If I leave, what do I walk away with? HTML files, a repo, or only an editor inside a closed system?

Good answer: You know where the build lives, whether files can be exported, and who can take over hosting. Static sites on real hosting are straightforward to hand off. See we do not build websites for why “site” means more than a funnel page.

Red flags: No export path. “You would lose the design if you moved.” Nobody can explain hosting in plain language.

What happens to email and DNS if we part ways?

Ask: Who controls DNS? Will changing hosts break my email?

Good answer: They list MX records, registrar, and host separately. They document what they touch so the next person does not guess.

Red flags: DNS changes are a black box. They cannot say whether email runs through Google, Microsoft, or something else.

Hosting and monthly fees

Who hosts the site, and what does monthly hosting include?

Ask: Where does the site live, what is the monthly cost after year one, and what is included (SSL, backups, security)?

Good answer: Named host, clear monthly or annual bill, SSL and backups included, and a plain list of what you are paying for. For the operational pieces we include on PFQWEB hosting, see Features and what web hosting means.

Red flags: Hosting bundled into a mystery “maintenance” fee with no feature list. No SSL. You cannot reach support when the site is down.

What is included in the build price versus what is monthly?

Ask: What is one time? What repeats every month? Are updates, security, and backups in that monthly number?

Good answer: Design and launch are quoted separately from hosting. Search basics in the build are spelled out versus any ongoing search plan. On our pricing page, the Seeded Site starts at $999 with the first year of hosting included ($300 value), and Active SEO is an optional add-on starting at $200/mo on top of that site. Scope is confirmed before work starts, as noted in our FAQ.

Red flags: One lump sum with no breakdown. Cheap launch price with mandatory high monthly fees nobody mentioned on the call.

Timeline and your homework

How long from approval to launch?

Ask: What do you need from me, and what is a realistic launch window once I send it?

Good answer: Most projects go from approval to launch in about one to two weeks once content and feedback are moving, with longer timelines for bigger custom builds. They list what slows projects (missing photos, delayed approvals). See how long a website takes and how to prepare for a website project.

Red flags: Guaranteed launch date before they have your services list. No mention of revision rounds.

Who writes the copy, and who supplies photos?

Ask: Do you need finished text from me? Do you polish what I send? What about photos?

Good answer: Provide what you have and they make it work. Initial content population is included based on materials you supply, and they can recommend professional copywriters and photographers if needed, as our FAQ describes. Two revision rounds are typical for design direction.

Red flags: “Just send a paragraph and we will fill the rest” with no review step. Stock photos only when your trade depends on trust and real job photos.

SEO: built in versus ongoing

What SEO is included in the website itself?

Ask: What is done before launch versus what costs extra each month?

Good answer: Technical search basics in the build: titles, meta tags, sitemap, mobile layout, HTTPS, submission to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and monitoring there. That matches what we describe for a Seeded Site on pricing and in SEO after launch.

Red flags: “SEO included” with no specifics. Page one guarantees for competitive terms. They cannot explain the difference between launch setup and ongoing work.

When does ongoing search work make sense?

Ask: If I want more than launch basics, what do you do each month and how do I see results?

Good answer: Ongoing search is a defined add-on with cadence, reporting, and clear geography. Our Active SEO add-on starts at $200/mo on the Seeded Site; at that tier you get a weekly checkup and update, a client portal with daily traffic and search numbers, ongoing search monitoring, a monthly rankings and calls report, and exclusive territory (one business per niche per area, 15 to 25 miles by default) while the plan stays active. Plans go up from there; new businesses building a steady foundation usually need twice a week or more. Details are on Active SEO pricing.

Red flags: Ongoing SEO sold as required on day one with no launch checklist. No reporting you can open yourself. Vague “we optimize keywords” every month.

Leads, mobile, and proof

How will we track calls and form leads?

Ask: Will I see analytics? Can we tell which pages drive calls or form fills?

Good answer: Analytics setup you can access, Search Console for search performance, and forms that route to your inbox. See website page analytics and contact forms that work.

Red flags: No analytics. Forms that send to the designer’s email only. No plan to connect the Google Business Profile website field to your domain.

Will the site work on a phone in a parking lot?

Ask: Show me the demo on your phone. Is the phone number tap to call above the fold?

Good answer: Responsive layout checked on phones and desktops. Number visible without hunting. Every site we build is responsive and checked on phones, tablets, and desktops, per our FAQ.

Red flags: Desktop only mockups. Phone number only in the footer. Slideshow hero before the call button.

Can I see a demo before I sign?

Ask: Is there a working preview on real hosting, not just a PDF?

Good answer: A clickable demo on HTTPS hosting so you can share the link internally. We offer a free website demo for that reason.

Red flags: Screenshots only. Pressure to sign before you open the site on your own phone.

After the call

Write down who owns the domain, monthly cost, launch dependencies, and what happens if you leave. Compare answers side by side. If one shop is vague on ownership or SEO, that matters more than a slick portfolio.

We work from Sandston in eastern Henrico, serving Richmond, Henrico, and New Kent. Call 804-938-5201, email info@pfqweb.com, or use the contact page.

Hero photo: Kindel Media on Pexels (Pexels License).