Web Design

• Bigcrea Team
• Web Design

Choosing a Web Designer: 10 Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Every week we meet businesses stuck with a website they can't edit, hosted somewhere they can't access, built by someone who no longer answers. Ten questions asked upfront would have prevented all of it. Here they are - take them to any designer, including us.

Ownership and access

1. Who owns the domain? (You. No other answer.) 2. Who owns the code and content when it's paid for? 3. Will I have admin access to hosting and the CMS? A 'no' to any of these is your cue to leave.

The work itself

4. Is the quote fixed, and what exactly does it include? 5. Is SEO structure built in - or a bolt-on invoice later? 6. Can I see live sites you built - and may I call one of those clients? 7. Who actually does the work - you, or an outsourced team I will never meet?

After launch

8. What does support cost and how fast do you respond? 9. What happens if we part ways - what do I walk away with? 10. What is my site's speed score on launch day? Good designers answer all ten happily; the wrong ones get vague around numbers 1, 5 and 9. Our own answers are on the FAQ page - and yes, you may call our clients.