Ten questions to ask before hiring anyone
· 2 min read
The questions you skip before signing are the ones that cost you after delivery. Ask for the answers in writing.
The only question usually asked before commissioning a website is "how much". The questions that actually determine the cost are different. Ask these, and get the answers in writing.
1. Whose name is the domain registered in?
The right answer is yours, in an account you can log into. If it sits in the agency's account, it stays there when you part ways.
2. Where will the site be hosted, and what does it cost yearly?
Year one may be included. Find out what year two costs before you sign.
3. Who changes the content after delivery?
Can you edit prices, text and photos yourself? Is there an admin panel, and will you be shown how to use it? Paying for every small change can exceed the build cost within a year.
4. Do I get the source files?
Site files, the database and the logo source files should be yours. You will need them the day you work with someone else.
5. Will mobile performance be tested?
"Mobile friendly" is not enough. Ask for the pagespeed.web.dev mobile result at handover.
6. Will it be delivered open to search engines?
Sites are blocked from search engines during construction. Confirm that this is reversed and the sitemap submitted.
7. Is there an SSL certificate, and does it renew automatically?
The padlock must appear. When a certificate expires the browser warns visitors the site is unsafe — make sure renewal is automatic.
8. Are there backups?
How often, to where, and how is a restore done? If there is no answer, one day it will be expensive.
9. What does "delivered" mean?
Does it include going live, email configuration, testing the forms, and showing you the panel? Put the difference between "the site is finished" and "the site works" in writing.
10. How many rounds of revisions are included?
How many changes can you request during design, and how is anything beyond that billed?
One warning
Very cheap quotes usually leave several of these out. That is why they are cheap. When comparing, do not compare the total — compare how many of these ten are included.