Hiring a web designer feels a lot like hiring a builder for your house. You’re trusting someone with something important, spending real money, and you probably can’t evaluate the technical quality of their work yourself. The difference is that everyone knows to ask a builder for references and check their license. With web designers, most people just look at the portfolio, hear a price they like, and hope for the best.
That’s how projects go wrong. Not because the designer is incompetent, though some are, but because expectations were never aligned. The client assumed one thing, the designer assumed another, and by the time the gap becomes obvious, you’re three months and several thousand euros into a project that’s headed nowhere good.
I’ve been on both sides of this. I’ve been hired by clients who asked all the right questions (those projects went brilliantly). And I’ve rescued projects where the client hired someone without asking any questions at all (those projects were expensive to fix). Here are the 15 questions that separate good hiring decisions from bad ones.
Questions about their process
1. What does your process look like from start to finish?
A good designer should be able to walk you through their process clearly: discovery, design, development, content, testing, launch, post-launch support. If they can’t articulate their process, they probably don’t have one. And a designer without a process is a designer who wings it.
Red flag answer: “We’ll figure it out as we go” or a vague “we just start designing and iterate.” That’s not a process, that’s improvisation.
Good answer: A clear sequence of phases with estimated timelines and deliverables at each stage. They should mention client review points, moments where you see and approve work before it moves to the next phase.
2. How do you handle revisions?
Every project needs revisions. The question is how many are included and what happens when you exceed them. Some designers include unlimited revisions (which sounds great until you realize it means the project never ends). Others include two rounds and charge extra after that.
Red flag answer: “Unlimited revisions!” This usually means they haven’t thought about scope management. Or it means they’ll get frustrated after round three and start rushing.
Good answer: “We include two rounds of design revisions. Each round, you give us all your feedback at once, and we implement it. If you need more revisions beyond that, we charge [amount] per round.” Clear, fair, predictable.
3. What do you need from me, and when?
This question reveals whether the designer has managed real projects before. Experienced designers know exactly what they need from clients and when: content by a specific date, brand assets upfront, feedback within a defined window, a single point of contact for approvals.
Red flag answer: “Just the brief and we’ll handle everything.” They’re either oversimplifying or they haven’t thought about the content, images, and feedback they’ll inevitably need from you.
Good answer: A specific list with deadlines. “We’ll need your brand files before we start design. All page content by week 3. Feedback on mockups within 5 business days. One person authorized to approve designs.”
Questions about their work
4. Can you show me sites you’ve built that are similar to what I need?
A portfolio is nice, but relevance matters more than aesthetics. If you need a property listing site and they’ve only built restaurant websites, there’s a learning curve you’ll be paying for. Ask to see work that’s functionally similar to your project.
Red flag answer: They show you a beautiful portfolio but nothing similar to your project. Or worse, they show you templates they’ve customized and present them as custom work.
Good answer: Two or three relevant examples with explanations of the challenges and how they solved them. Bonus points if they can share the results: “This site increased their leads by 40%.”
5. Can I talk to a recent client of yours?
References matter enormously. And “recent” is the key word, a designer who was great five years ago might be coasting now. Ask to speak with someone whose project was completed in the last 6-12 months.
Red flag answer: Hesitation, excuses, or “our clients prefer privacy.” If their clients are happy, at least one will be willing to vouch for them.
Good answer: “Absolutely. Here are two clients you can contact.” Then actually follow up. Ask the reference: Was the project on time? On budget? Would you hire them again? What was the hardest part of working with them?
6. What platform will you build the site on, and why?
WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace, custom code, there are legitimate reasons to use each one. The important thing is that the designer can explain why they recommend a specific platform for your project, not just default to whatever they’re most comfortable with.
Red flag answer: “We build everything on [platform]” without considering your specific needs. A one-size-fits-all approach usually means they only know one platform.
Good answer: “For your project, I’d recommend WordPress because you need multi-language support, a blog, and the ability to update content yourself without calling us. Here’s how it handles your specific requirements.” Platform recommendation based on your needs, not their preferences.
Questions about SEO and performance
7. How do you handle SEO during the build?
SEO shouldn’t be an afterthought or an add-on. Basic SEO, clean URLs, proper heading structure, meta tags, image optimization, page speed, mobile responsiveness, should be part of every web build. If they treat SEO as a separate service you need to pay extra for, their standard builds are probably missing the basics.
Red flag answer: “SEO is a separate service. We focus on design.” Design without SEO is a pretty billboard in the desert, nobody will see it.
Good answer: “We include on-page SEO as standard: clean URL structure, optimized headings, meta descriptions, image compression, schema markup, and speed optimization. For ongoing SEO strategy and content marketing, that’s a separate engagement, but the technical foundation is built in.”
8. What page speed scores should I expect?
This is a great question because it separates designers who care about performance from those who don’t. A specific target (like “above 80 on Google PageSpeed Insights for mobile”) shows they understand that speed matters and they’ll be accountable for it.
Red flag answer: “Page speed depends on a lot of factors” (true but evasive) or “we don’t guarantee specific scores.” If they can’t commit to a performance target, they probably build slow sites.
Good answer: “We target 85+ on PageSpeed Insights for mobile. We achieve this through image optimization, minimal plugin use, clean code, and good hosting. Here’s a site we built, you can test it yourself.”
9. Will the site be mobile-first?
In Spain, more than 70% of web traffic is mobile. Designing for desktop first and then cramming it onto a phone screen is backwards. A mobile-first approach means designing for phones first, then scaling up to tablets and desktops. The result is always a better mobile experience.
Red flag answer: “Of course it’ll be responsive”, responsive is the minimum. Mobile-first is the standard.
Good answer: “We design mobile-first. We start with the mobile layout, ensure it’s fast and usable on phones, then enhance for larger screens. We test on real devices throughout development, not just browser emulators.”
Questions about money and ownership
10. What exactly is included in your price?
Get this in writing. Every element: number of pages, rounds of revisions, content creation (or not), image sourcing, SEO setup, hosting, ongoing maintenance, training. The number one source of budget overruns is assumptions about what’s included.
Red flag answer: A round number with no breakdown. “It’ll be 3,000 euros for the website.” For what, exactly? A one-page landing page or a 20-page site with e-commerce?
Good answer: A detailed proposal with line items or clear scope description. You should know exactly what you’re getting and, equally important, what you’re not getting.
11. Who owns the website when it’s done?
This seems obvious, you paid for it, you own it, right? Not always. Some designers retain ownership of the code or design. Some use proprietary platforms that lock you in. Some won’t hand over login credentials or source files.
Red flag answer: Any hesitation. You should own everything: the design, the code, the content, the domain, the hosting account. If they build it on a platform you can’t access without them, you’re locked in.
Good answer: “You own everything. The design files, the code, the content, the domain. We’ll hand over all login credentials and admin access at the end of the project. If you ever want to move to a different developer, you can.”
12. What happens after launch?
A website isn’t a painting, it’s a living thing that needs updates, security patches, backups, and ongoing optimization. Ask what support is available after launch and what it costs.
Red flag answer: “We build it and hand it over.” Great, and when something breaks at 11 PM on a Friday?
Good answer: “We offer a maintenance plan that includes [monthly updates, security monitoring, backups, support hours]. It costs [amount] per month. We also include [2-4 weeks] of post-launch support to fix any issues that come up after the site goes live.”
Questions about communication and timeline
13. How will we communicate during the project?
Email only? A project management tool? Slack? Regular video calls? The communication method matters less than having a clear structure. Projects that live only in scattered email threads always have communication problems.
Red flag answer: “Just email me whenever.” That’s not project management.
Good answer: “We use [project management tool] where you can see all tasks, timelines, and progress. We have a weekly check-in call on [day]. All feedback goes through the project tool, not email, so nothing gets lost.”
14. What’s a realistic timeline for my project?
You’ve read about how long websites take to build. Now see if their answer aligns with reality. A standard business site should take 4-8 weeks. If they say 2 weeks or 6 months for a 10-page site, something’s off.
Red flag answer: “We can have it done in a week” (cutting corners) or “it depends” without giving any range at all (no project management).
Good answer: A specific range with caveats. “For a site like yours, typically 5-7 weeks, assuming you provide content by week 3 and feedback within 5 business days. The biggest variable is content readiness.”
15. What happens if I’m not happy with the design?
This is the question most clients are afraid to ask. But it’s critical. What’s the process if the first design direction is completely wrong? Do you start over? Is there a kill clause in the contract? What’s the financial exposure if the project fails?
Red flag answer: “That won’t happen” or “we don’t offer refunds.” Confidence is good. Ignoring the possibility of misalignment is arrogance.
Good answer: “Our process starts with a discovery phase where we align on direction before any design work. This minimizes the chance of a mismatch. But if the first design round isn’t working, we include a second direction at no extra cost. Our contract also has a termination clause, if we can’t find a direction that works, you pay only for work completed.”
The questions you should NOT ask
A few questions that seem reasonable but actually waste everyone’s time:
“Can you give me a ballpark price right now?” Without understanding your project, any number they give is meaningless. Would you accept a ballpark quote from a builder who hasn’t seen your house? Insist on a proper proposal based on your brief and specific requirements.
“Can you make it go viral?” No. Nobody can promise viral content. If they say yes, run.
“Can you copy this other website?” Aside from potential legal issues, copying another site means you’ll always be a derivative of someone else’s brand. Tell them what you like about the other site and let them create something original for you.
How to use these questions
Don’t treat this as an interrogation. Weave these questions naturally into your initial conversations with potential designers. A good designer will welcome these questions, they show you’re a serious, organized client who will be easy to work with.
Talk to at least three designers or studios before deciding. Compare not just prices but processes, communication styles, and how well they listen to your needs. The cheapest option is almost never the best one, and the most expensive isn’t automatically the best either.
The right designer for your project is someone who asks you as many questions as you ask them. If they’re more interested in closing the sale than understanding your business, keep looking.