Hiring someone to build or fix your website is a bit like hiring a contractor for your house. Most of the problems people run into later could have been avoided with a few clear questions at the start.
Here are the ones I'd ask if I were on your side of the table, and what a good answer sounds like.
About ownership
1. Who will own the domain, hosting, and code?
Good answer: "You do. The domain is registered in your name, and you get full access to the hosting and the files."
Be careful with arrangements where the developer owns your domain or the only login to your hosting. If the relationship ends, you want to walk away with everything.
2. Will I get all the logins at the end?
You should receive admin access to your website, hosting account, domain registrar, and any paid plugins or services that were bought for you. Ask for this in writing.
About the work
3. Can I see similar projects you've built?
Look for work that's close to what you need, not just pretty screenshots. If you need an online store, ask to see stores. Click around the live sites on your phone.
4. What exactly is included, and what isn't?
A clear scope lists the pages, features, number of revision rounds, and what happens with content. The "not included" list is just as important. It's where surprise invoices come from.
5. Who writes the content and supplies the images?
Content is the most common reason projects stall. Agree early on who writes the text, who provides photos, and what happens if content is late.
6. How will the site perform on phones?
Most visitors will see your site on a phone first. A good developer builds and tests for small screens from the start, not as an afterthought.
About process and communication
7. How will we communicate, and how often?
Email, a shared board, or a weekly update all work. What matters is that you know when you'll hear from them and who to contact if something's wrong.
8. What does your process look like from start to launch?
You want to hear clear stages: discovery, planning, build, review, launch. Vague answers like "we'll figure it out as we go" usually mean missed deadlines.
9. How do you handle changes after we agree on the scope?
Changes are normal. A professional will explain how they're priced and approved before any extra work starts.
About money and the long term
10. How is payment structured?
Common setups are a deposit up front with the balance on completion, or milestone payments. Be wary of paying 100% before any work is shown.
11. What happens after launch?
Ask what's covered after the site goes live: bug fixes, a short support window, or nothing at all. Then ask what ongoing maintenance costs if you want it.
12. Who maintains updates and backups?
Websites, especially WordPress sites, need regular updates and backups. Find out who's responsible, how often it happens, and how a site would be restored if something broke.
A simple way to compare answers
Put the answers side by side and look for three things:
- Clarity: did they answer directly, or dodge?
- Ownership: will you control your own site and accounts?
- Honesty: did they tell you anything you didn't want to hear? That's usually a good sign.
The cheapest quote rarely turns out to be the cheapest project. The developer who asks you good questions back is often the one worth hiring.
