Most people choosing a web design company compare three things: price, portfolio and how long the company has existed.
Those are the three worst inputs available. Price without scope is meaningless. A portfolio shows taste, not process. And age is a measure of how long someone has survived, not how good they are.
Here are twelve questions that actually tell you what you are getting. Ask all of them. Any studio worth hiring will answer without hesitation.
The ownership questions
1. Who owns the site and the design files when the invoice is paid?
The answer should be: you do, outright — source files, full copyright, complete usage rights. If they want to keep the files "for future reference," or hold a licence, or own "the design in all media," walk away. You will need those files the moment you want a change, and any studio that will not hand over source files is telling you what happens next.
2. Which platform will it be built on, and who owns the account?
The platform should be named before you sign, and the account should be created in your name with your email. Not theirs, with you as a contact. This is where clients get trapped — a site technically belongs to the agency and requires their cooperation to move.
3. Is there a monthly fee for hosting, and what happens to the site if you stop paying?
Hosting has to be paid for by someone, and every agency sells it. That is fine — ask what it costs, ask whether the domain is registered to you, and ask what happens to the content if you leave. A reasonable answer is a straightforward export of everything.
The scope questions
4. Exactly how many pages, and what is on each of them?
Not "a 5 to 10 page site." The actual page list. If they cannot produce one without a call, ask for it before the call.
5. Is copywriting included, and who writes it?
A lot of "website design" packages include placeholder text and an empty content brief. That is a hidden cost you will pay for in your own time, and it is the single most common reason a website takes twice as long as quoted.
6. What exactly is included in "SEO"?
Get a list. Page titles and meta descriptions written properly? Structured data? A sitemap? Search Console setup? Image optimisation? A real content plan, or a plugin? "SEO" on its own means nothing.
7. Are revisions a fixed number, and what happens past that?
Two or three rounds is normal. What you need to know is what the overage is and whether it is quoted before the work happens. If revisions are unlimited, the project will take twice as long — that is not generosity, it is a timeline risk.
The people questions
8. Who is actually doing the work?
Not "the team." A name. And are they senior or junior? A studio with one senior and five juniors will produce the junior work unless the senior is genuinely on it.
9. Can I speak to a past client?
A real one, on a call, not a written testimonial. Every studio has testimonials. The reference call tells you how they handle a difficult client and whether the work landed.
10. What happens in the first two weeks?
There should be a specific answer — a workshop, an audit, a sitemap, a kickoff. If the answer is "we will send you a questionnaire," the beginning of the project is going to be slower than it should be.
The outcome questions
11. What speed will it load at, and what is tested?
Ask for a PageSpeed score target, on mobile and desktop, and ask whether it is measured before launch. Mobile matters more, because most of your traffic will be mobile and most of your competitors' sites are slow.
12. What support do I get after launch, and for how long?
Post-launch support should be included and time-limited — ten days on a smaller project, thirty on a larger one. Then there should be a maintenance option, priced clearly, covering updates, backups and security.
How to read the answers
Watch for three things.
Answers that are vague on ownership. "We'll look into it" on who owns the files is a no. Push until it is in writing in the proposal.
Answers that are enthusiastic about everything. A studio that says every part of the scope is unlimited, fast and free has not thought about it.
Answers that are honest about limits. The best answer we ever give is "that is a good idea and it will add a week — here is what it costs." Studios that tell you everything is easy are either lying or have never shipped the thing.
The most revealing question, which is not on the list
Ask this one: "What would you tell me not to do?"
A good studio will talk you out of things. Not out of salesmanship — out of fit. A site that needs ten pages is not a five-page project. A logo-only identity is not enough. A business with no clear offer should do positioning first. If the answer is "we would do exactly what you asked for," you are talking to an order-taker, not a studio.
That is the whole difference, in one question. The rest is detail.
If you would rather see how a studio handles this in practice, our web design service page sets out exactly what is in each package and what happens after launch. And if you want a second opinion from a studio closer to home, this guide to hiring a local web design company covers what to ask for and what to be wary of.
