Websites
Questions to ask a web designer before you hire them
Choose the web designer who understood what the site must achieve, tells you in writing what you get for the price, and leaves you the owner of the site. The most important questions: whose name the domain, accounts and copyright are in, what exactly the price includes, who writes the copy, which platform and why, how long the warranty is, and what you'll pay each year after launch. Compare quotes on the total two-year cost, not on the starting price.
Contents
Key points
- The domain, hosting and accounts should be in your company's name, with admin access for you.
- In the US, a website built by an outside designer generally isn't a work made for hire: ask for a signed written assignment of copyright.
- Compare quotes on two-year cost: the build, plus hosting, maintenance and subscriptions.
- Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking; a designer who promises one is a red flag.
Website quotes look alike on the first page: "modern design", "SEO-optimised", "mobile-friendly". The differences are in what isn't written there: whose site it is, what you pay after launch, what happens when something breaks. Below are the questions that bring those differences out, and how to compare the answers.
Before you ask for quotes
- Write down what you need. A two- or three-page brief makes quotes comparable: template here.
- Set a budget range. Without one, designers guess. For reference: How much does a website cost.
- Ask for three quotes. Enough to see the range, few enough to compare carefully.
The questions to ask
| Question | The answer you want | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Whose name are the domain, hosting and accounts in? | Your company's, with admin access for you | "We keep them, it's simpler" |
| Who owns the copyright in the site? | It's assigned to your company on full payment, in writing | The contract says nothing |
| What exactly does the price include? | A list: pages, features, copy, photos, legal pages, basic SEO | "A complete website" |
| Who writes the copy and who provides the photos? | Spelled out, with a deadline for each side | Not discussed |
| Which platform, and why? | A choice explained by who edits the site and what it does | "We only work in X", with no reason |
| What do I see before you build? | A sketch of the pages, then the design | You see the site only at the end |
| How long will it take, and what do I need to send? | A timeline by stage, with what's expected from you | Just a final date |
| How long is the warranty, and what does it cover? | A written period and what's included | No written warranty |
| What will I pay each year after launch? | Hosting, domain, maintenance, subscriptions, with amounts | "It depends" |
| What does a change cost after launch? | A price or an hourly rate, in writing | Unknown |
| Does the site meet legal requirements? | Privacy policy, cookies, accessibility | "That's the client's problem" |
| How will the site show up in Google? | Titles and descriptions on every page, a sitemap, speed, Search Console | "We guarantee #1" |
Ownership: the domain, the accounts and the copyright
This is the part that costs the most when it's wrong, because you find out only when you want to leave.
- The domain should be registered in your company's name. A domain in the designer's name or a former employee's is hard to get back: How to register a domain name.
- Hosting, email, Search Console, analytics, the Google Ads account also in the company's name, with the designer added as a user.
- Copyright in the site. Under US law, a commissioned work counts as a "work made for hire" only if it falls into one of nine specific categories and both sides sign a written agreement (17 U.S.C. § 101). A website usually doesn't fit, so the designer keeps the copyright unless it's transferred, and a transfer is valid only in a signed writing (§ 204). Ask for a written assignment of the rights in the design, copy and code made for you. Bought themes and plugins stay under their own licences. How this plays out with a subscription site versus one you pay for once is in website subscription or one-time payment.
- Your customers' data. If the designer hosts the site or sees form submissions and orders, they're processing data for you. In the EU, Article 28 of the GDPR requires a written agreement for that, and several US state privacy laws expect contracts with service providers too.
How to compare quotes
The starting price says little. Put the quotes in one table:
| Quote A | Quote B | Quote C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The build | |||
| What's included (pages, features, copy, photos) | |||
| Hosting and domain, per year | |||
| Maintenance or subscription, per year | |||
| Total cost over two years | |||
| Warranty | |||
| Timeline | |||
| Whose name the site and accounts are in |
A $300 site with a required $30-a-month plan costs $1,020 over two years. A $600 site with no plan and $70 a year of hosting costs $740. The two-year cost shows both for what they are.
Portfolio, reviews and how they work
A portfolio shows a designer's taste, not how they work. A few simple checks:
- Open the portfolio sites on your phone. Do they load fast? Are they easy to read? Do the forms work?
- Look up reviews on Google, not only on the designer's own site.
- Notice how quickly and clearly they reply while quoting. That's how they'll reply after launch.
- Ask what you see before paying in full: a sketch, a design, the site in progress.
Red flags
- "We guarantee the #1 spot on Google." Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking.
- The domain in the designer's name, or "we'll move it to you later".
- A required subscription with nothing in writing about what happens to the site if you cancel.
- No contract, or one that doesn't say what will be delivered.
- Full payment up front, before you've seen anything.
- A price with no list: "complete website, $500", without saying what complete means.
Agency, freelancer or website builder
| Agency | Freelancer | Website builder (Wix, AI builders) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | Several people, by role | One person | You |
| Price | Higher | Usually lower | Monthly subscription |
| Continuity | Stays if someone leaves | Depends on one person | Depends on the platform |
| Good for | Sites with features, stores, businesses that don't want to do it themselves | Simple sites, small budgets | A quick start, done yourself |
When an AI builder is enough and when it isn't: AI website builder vs agency.
How we answer these questions
At Manvro, the domain and accounts are in your company's name, you get the price and timeline in writing after the first conversation, which is free, you see a sketch of the pages before we build, and the warranty is 24 months for anything that doesn't work as agreed. You talk directly to the person who builds your site, in English or Romanian, and get a reply to every message within one business day. Details on our web design agency page.
Questions
How do I choose a web design company?
Send the same brief to three companies, compare the quotes on what they include and on two-year cost, then choose the one that understood the site's goal, leaves the domain and copyright in your name, and gives a written warranty. The starting price is only one of the criteria.
How many quotes should I get?
Three is usually enough to see the price range and how each one works. More makes comparing harder and rarely changes the decision.
Agency or freelancer?
A good freelancer is usually cheaper and can be enough for a simple site. An agency has several roles (design, development, copy) and continuity if someone leaves. For both, the questions in this article are the same.
How much should I pay up front?
Many designers ask for half at the start and half at launch. Payment split by milestone, tied to what's delivered (the sketch, the design, the finished site), protects you better than paying everything in advance.
What should the contract say?
What will be delivered, delivery and acceptance dates, the assignment of copyright in the site, whose name the domain and accounts are in, the warranty, what changes cost and, if the designer handles your customers' data, a data processing agreement.
Sources
- Do you need an SEO?, Google Search Central
- 17 U.S. Code § 101: Definitions (work made for hire), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 17 U.S. Code § 204: Execution of transfers of copyright ownership, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Article 28, EUR-Lex