How to Choose a Web Designer for Your Business

Start with the job your website needs to do. That might be bringing in enquiries or helping customers choose a product.

Use that job to judge the work you are shown. A polished picture is useful, but you also need to try the live site.

Ask what the work changed for the customer.

Ask to see a project with needs like yours. Find out what was hard before and what the owner wanted to improve.

Then try the result on your phone. Can you find the service and work out what to do next?

Our Midland Oil case study shows how we changed the path to choosing a product. It includes the old and new pages, so you can compare the work.

Ask for the evidence behind any result you are quoted. Check what was measured and when. One client's result is not a promise for your business.

Get a quote you can check line by line.

Ask which pages and features are included. Agree who provides the words and pictures, and how changes to the plan are priced.

Make sure the quote also explains ongoing bills and support. Ask what you pay before work starts and what each later payment covers.

Keep the agreed scope in writing. Our guide to website quotes explains the details to compare. The hidden-cost checklist covers recurring bills and moving a site later.

Try making the edits you expect to need.

If you want to edit your own pages, ask for a demonstration. Try changing a service description or adding a blog post.

Ask what training is included and what still needs paid help. If you would rather someone else handle edits, agree how to request them.

The useful test is whether the process suits you. A long list of software names cannot answer that.

Check how people can use the site.

Try the menu and contact form on a phone. Also use a keyboard to move through the main links and fields.

You should be able to see which link or field is selected. Enlarge the text and check that you can still read and use the page.

The W3C guide to first accessibility checks explains these starting points. It warns that passing simple checks does not prove the whole site is accessible.

Our free speed check can also highlight loading delays. It does not tell you everything about a designer's work or your customers' experience.

Agree who helps after launch.

Ask who you contact for changes and faults. Agree the expected reply time and what the support fee includes.

Check who holds the website accounts and where access details are kept. Ask what happens if you later move to another provider.

Judge the proposed arrangement on those answers and the work you can check. The size of a business alone will not tell you how it will handle your site.

Bring your questions to the first conversation.

Tell us what your current site makes difficult. We can discuss the job it needs to do and whether our web design work fits.

The first chat is free. Work starts after a non-refundable deposit. Our pledge explains what you can expect when working with us.

Talk to us about your site.

One of us will get back to you the same day, or the next working day at the latest.