Quick answer
Before hiring a web designer, ask who owns the domain and content, what the total first-year cost is, how long the project takes, who builds the site, how SEO and redirects are handled and what support costs after launch. The 15 questions below cover scope, ownership, cost and support.
The 15 questions
- Who will own the domain, content and files? The answer should be you.
- Will I get administrator access?
- What is the total first-year cost, including hosting, licenses and support?
- What exactly is included: pages, revisions, forms, copywriting?
- What is not included?
- Who will actually build the site? In-house or outsourced?
- How long will it take, and what do you need from me to keep it on time?
- Can I see live sites you built that are similar to mine?
- Which platform will you use, and why?
- How will I edit text and photos after launch?
- How do you handle SEO basics: titles, structured data, speed, sitemap?
- If you redesign my site, how will you handle redirects?
- What does support cost after launch, and what is the response time?
- What happens if I want to leave? Will I receive files and database?
- What is the payment schedule?
What good answers sound like
- Specific and written, not verbal promises.
- Ownership stays with you, with no conditions.
- Costs include the monthly side, not just the build.
- SEO answers describe work to be done, never guaranteed rankings.
- The designer asks you questions too: goals, customers, competitors.
How to compare the answers
| Topic | Green light | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Domain in your name, full access | “We keep the domain for you” |
| Price | Itemized scope with exclusions | One number, no breakdown |
| SEO | Clear tasks and redirect plan | “Guaranteed page one” |
| Support | Written plan and response time | “Just call us when needed” |
| Exit | Files and database handed over | Fees or silence |
See also web design red flags.
Questions the designer should ask you
A good designer asks what the site must achieve, who your customers are, what makes you different, which pages matter most and what your budget and deadline are. If a designer quotes without asking, the quote is a guess.
Their questions also show how they work. A designer who asks about goals and customers will build around them; one who asks only about colors will build around taste.
Documents to request before you sign
- A written scope listing pages, features, revisions and exclusions.
- A timeline with the dates you must deliver content and approvals.
- A payment schedule tied to milestones.
- Ownership terms covering domain, content, theme files and database.
- A support or maintenance description with monthly cost and response time.
- A list of third-party licenses and whose account they are in.
Keep these documents with your domain and hosting logins. If the relationship ever ends, they make the handover simple.
How Media Express answers
Media Express answers these questions in writing before work starts. Clients own their domain, content and access (see website ownership); projects are built by our team, not outsourced; everyday content is editable with Szef Editor; and scope and price are agreed before we begin. Starter sites begin at $500 under the current offer, with domain, hosting and maintenance separate.
Related
Questions and answers
What questions should I ask a web designer?
Ask about ownership, total first-year cost, what is included and excluded, who builds the site, timeline, platform, editing, SEO and redirects, support costs, exit terms and payment schedule.
What should I ask before signing a website contract?
Confirm the domain is in your name, you get admin access, the scope and exclusions are written, and you will receive files and database if you leave.
What should a web designer include in a quote?
Pages, features, revisions, timeline, price, payment schedule, exclusions and support terms. A quote without exclusions is incomplete.
Should a web designer write my content?
Some do, usually for an extra fee. Clear, customer-focused copy matters as much as design, so ask who writes it and how it is priced.
Who should own my website domain?
You. The domain should be registered in your business name with your contact details, even if the designer manages it for you.
Explore website design in Chicago from a team working continuously since 1995.
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Popular pages
Our own audience
We don’t buy traffic. We create it.
Most agencies build a website and leave you to find visitors. Media Express owns the audience. Polish Network is the largest Polish-American network of owned media in the USA: 120+ of our own websites and portals, social media channels and news portals.
We also run the world’s largest aggregator of Polish radio stations, with 300+ stations from Poland, the United States and the diaspora in one place. We are building the American edition now, and next an edition for every country.
And we run your business on Szef.AI, our own AI operating system and CRM that works with everything, everywhere. New and better AI models appear every day, and Szef.AI is already connected to them. It is a solution nobody can match.
More than 8 million Americans report Polish ancestry (U.S. Census Bureau). Through our network, millions of people can become your customers. A typical web design agency cannot offer you this.
Ready to talk about your website?
31+ years of continuous web work, same-day website design that grows from a business card site to a portal for millions of views, a media network of our own, Szef.AI, our AI operating system connected to every new model, and direct access to the people who build your site. Tell us what you have in mind; you will get a clear recommendation, scope and price before any work begins.