Most small business owners have no idea what they’re buying when they hire a web designer. And honestly, why would they? It’s not their field. So they end up making decisions based on price, or how nice the designer seemed on the phone, or a portfolio full of sites they can’t really evaluate.
Then six months later they’re stuck with a website that looks fine but doesn’t show up in search results, runs slowly on phones, or breaks every time they try to update something. I’ve rebuilt a lot of sites that were done wrong the first time. It’s frustrating for everyone, and it’s usually avoidable.
Here’s what actually matters when you’re hiring someone to build your website, and what questions will tell you whether they know what they’re doing.
Performance Matters More Than You Think
A pretty website that loads slowly is a failed website. Google has been clear about this for years. According to their own research, 53% of mobile visitors will leave a page that takes longer than three seconds to load. And since 2021, page speed has been a direct ranking factor in search results through what Google calls Core Web Vitals.
Ask any designer you’re considering: how do you optimize for page speed? If they can’t give you a specific answer that includes things like image compression, minimizing code, and choosing the right hosting, they’re probably not thinking about it.
You can test any website’s performance for free using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. Run it on sites in their portfolio. If their own work scores poorly, that tells you what your site will look like.
Mobile Isn’t Optional
More than half of all web traffic now comes from mobile devices. For local businesses, that number is often higher because people are searching on their phones while they’re out. If someone looks up your business and the site is hard to read or navigate on their phone, they’re going to hit the back button and find a competitor whose site works.
This isn’t just about the site “fitting” on a smaller screen. True mobile optimization means buttons are easy to tap, text is readable without zooming, forms are simple to fill out, and the most important information is front and center. It’s a different way of thinking about the layout, not just a shrunken version of the desktop site.
Ask to see examples of their work on your phone, not just on a big monitor in their office.
Someone Has to Maintain This Thing
One of the biggest questions that gets overlooked: what happens after launch?
Websites aren’t like brochures. They need updates — security patches, plugin updates, content changes, fixes when something breaks. If you’re on WordPress, which powers about 40% of the web according to W3Techs, those updates happen frequently. Ignoring them leaves your site vulnerable to hackers and can cause things to stop working.
Before you sign anything, understand who handles maintenance. Some designers offer ongoing support plans. Others hand you the keys and wish you luck. Neither is inherently wrong, but you need to know what you’re getting into and whether you’re capable of managing it yourself.
If they’re setting you up on a proprietary platform where only they can make changes, be very careful. You don’t want to be locked in with no way out if the relationship goes south.
SEO Should Be Built In, Not Bolted On
Search engine optimization isn’t a separate service you add after the site is built. The structure of the site, the way pages are organized, the headings, the image file names, the page load speed, the mobile experience — all of this affects whether your site shows up when people search for what you do.
A good designer thinks about this from the start. They’ll ask you about your target customers, what search terms matter to your business, and how you want people to find you. If no one mentions SEO until you bring it up, that’s a red flag.
This doesn’t mean they need to be SEO experts. But they should understand the basics and build a solid foundation that an SEO specialist can work with later if needed.
The Portfolio Only Tells Part of the Story
Looking at a designer’s portfolio is obvious. But what are you actually looking for?
Don’t just ask “do I like how this looks?” Ask how old the sites are and whether they’re still live. Run them through PageSpeed Insights. Pull them up on your phone. Check if they show up in search results for relevant terms.
A portfolio full of beautiful sites that perform terribly isn’t impressive. It’s a warning sign.
Also, try to talk to past clients if you can. Ask whether the project stayed on budget and on schedule. Ask how communication was during the process. Ask if they’d hire the same designer again. The answers to these questions matter more than how the site looks in a screenshot.
Price Is the Last Thing to Compare
Web design pricing varies wildly. You can find someone on Fiverr who’ll build you a site for $200 and an agency that quotes $20,000 for something similar. Neither price is inherently right or wrong — they reflect completely different services, levels of expertise, and ongoing support.
Cheap sites often come with hidden costs: poor performance that hurts your search rankings, no training on how to update content, templates that look like a thousand other sites, and no one to call when something breaks.
Expensive doesn’t guarantee quality either. I’ve seen businesses pay agency prices for sites that should have cost a fraction of that.
Get quotes from multiple designers, but compare what’s actually included. A $3,000 quote with ongoing support, SEO basics, and performance optimization might be a better value than a $1,500 quote for just the design with nothing else.
Questions to Ask
Before you hire anyone, get clear answers to these:
What platform will the site be built on, and will I own it?
How do you handle page speed and mobile optimization?
What’s included after launch — training, updates, support?
Can I see the performance scores of sites you’ve built?
What happens if I want to leave and take my site elsewhere?
A good designer won’t be bothered by these questions. They’ll appreciate that you’re taking it seriously.
The Bottom Line
Your website is how most potential customers will first encounter your business. It needs to load fast, work on phones, show up in search results, and actually convert visitors into customers or leads. A designer who only focuses on how it looks is missing most of what matters.
Take your time, ask hard questions, and don’t choose based on price alone. A website done right is an asset. A website done wrong is an expense you’ll pay for twice when you eventually have to redo it.