Website redesign questions to ask before you hire anyone

The most useful questions to ask a web designer are not about colors or style. They are about ownership, money after launch, and what happens when you need a change or want to leave. A designer with good answers will give them plainly and put them in writing. Below are the questions, why each matters, and what a good answer sounds like.

Questions about who owns what

These come first because they are the hardest to fix later.

1. Whose name will the domain be registered in? The domain is your web address. It should be registered in your name or your business's name, with your email address on the account. A good answer: "Yours. I can set it up with you, or you set it up and give me access." A worrying answer: "Don't worry, I handle all that." If the designer registers it in their name and later disappears, getting it back can take weeks. My web designer registered my domain: how to get it back shows what that looks like.

2. Who owns the finished website? Ask whether you own the design, the text and the photos once you have paid, and whether you can take a copy if you move to someone else. Some designers build on their own system and license it to you monthly. That can be fine, but you should know it before you sign, not after.

3. If I stop working with you, what do I leave with? The honest answer names specific things: the domain, a copy of the files or an export, the photos, the logins. If the answer is "the site stays with us," you are renting, not buying. Website rental vs owning your website explains the difference.

4. Which accounts will be in my name? Make a list together: domain, hosting, email, Google Business Profile, analytics, any booking or payment tool. Each should have you as an owner, even if the designer also has access.

Questions about money after launch

The quote covers the build. These questions cover the years after.

5. What will I pay every year once the site is live? Ask for every recurring fee in one list: hosting or builder plan, domain renewal, email, any care plan, any plugin or app subscription. Ask what the renewal price is, not just the first-year price.

6. Who pays for hosting, and can I see the account? Some designers resell hosting at a markup, which is normal, but you should know who the actual host is and how to reach them if the designer is unavailable.

7. Is there a contract length or a cancellation fee? Monthly plans with a twelve or twenty-four month minimum are common. Read that part twice.

Questions about changes

This is where most owner frustration ends up.

8. How do I make a small change myself? New opening hours, a holiday notice, a new photo. You should be able to do these without calling anyone. Ask the designer to show you, not just tell you.

9. What does it cost if you make a change for me? Some charge per change, some by the hour, some include a set amount per month. Ask for an example: "If I want to swap three photos and rewrite one paragraph, what would that cost and how soon would it be done?"

10. How many rounds of revisions are included in the build? Most quotes include two or three rounds of feedback. Ask how a "round" is counted. A round can mean one email with all your notes, or one change at a time. How to give a web designer feedback that gets results helps you use each round well.

Questions about your current site

A redesign is not a new site from nothing. Your old one has things that must survive.

11. Will every page address of my current site keep working? If your site gets visitors from Google, the old page addresses are part of what brings them. A careful designer will list them and set up forwarding for any page that moves. If they look puzzled at the question, that tells you something.

12. What happens to my email during the switch? If your email address uses your domain, the website change must leave the email settings untouched. A good answer mentions the MX records, which are the settings that route your mail, and says they will check them before and after.

13. Will you use my existing text and photos, or start fresh? Either can be right. But if they plan to write new text, ask who writes it, whether you review it, and whether it costs extra.

Questions about the work itself

14. Can I see three sites you built that are still online? Open them on your phone, not just on the designer's laptop. Look for a phone number you can tap and pages that load quickly. If you can, call one of those businesses and ask how the designer was to work with.

15. When will I see something, and can I see it before I pay in full? Ask when the first look will be ready and whether it is a working site or a picture of one. Many designers take a deposit and the rest at launch, which is fair. Be wary of paying everything up front.

16. Who does the work? Some agencies sell the project and hand it to a subcontractor. That is not wrong, but you should know who to call.

17. What do you need from me, and by when? A clear answer lists your homework: logins, photos, text, approvals. A designer who has thought about this will finish on time more often.

Red flags in the answers

• Vague answers about ownership, or "we'll sort that out later".
• Pressure to sign today for a discount.
• Promises about Google. Nobody can promise where a site will appear in search results, and anyone who does is guessing or selling.
• No examples of live sites, or only examples that look nothing like a business like yours.
• A long contract with an automatic renewal and a fee to leave.

Before your first call

• Print this list or copy the questions into your notes.
• Gather what you have: your domain registrar, your hosting company, your email provider.
• Ask each designer the same questions and note the answers side by side.
• Keep the written answers with your contract.

If you would like to judge the result before you hire anyone, you can also see your site rebuilt first and bring that to the conversation as a point of comparison.