Choosing a web designer comes down to three things: what is included, how quickly they respond, and whether you own what you pay for. Get those answers in writing before you hand over money and you will avoid almost every common horror story. Taste matters less than you think. A pretty portfolio with a vague quote is how people get stuck.
I am based in Hassocks and I would say the same about us. If the answers below are woolly, keep looking.
What should be in the quote before you agree?
“A website” is not a specification. Two quotes with the same headline price can mean completely different jobs. Ask for a plain list.
Is hosting included, or a separate bill you set up yourself? Is the domain registered in your name? Does the price include the words and the images, or are you expected to write and photograph everything? Are changes after launch included, or billed by the hour? What is the ongoing cost, and what does that monthly or yearly figure actually buy?
A good designer answers those without a speech. A vague answer usually means a surprise invoice. Compare the lists, not the headlines. A slightly higher all-in price is often cheaper than a cheap build plus hosting, plus SSL, plus “oh, the copy is extra”.
For a sense of the real UK ranges, what a website costs is the longer breakdown. Freelancers, agencies, DIY builders and subscriptions sit in different bands. The pattern is the same in each: the number you remember is rarely the number you keep paying.
Ask what “done” means. Live on your domain, working on a phone, with a contact method that actually arrives, is a finished job. A folder of files and a “you just need to connect hosting” email is not.
How do you test whether they will still answer after launch?
Watch how they treat you before they have the work.
If an enquiry takes four days to get a reply while they are trying to win you, imagine the wait when you need a phone number changed in November. Responsiveness before the sale is the best predictor I know. Charm in the first meeting is not.
Ask directly: when I need a change, how do I ask, and how long does it usually take? You want a process, not a hero who “just sorts it”. A process survives holidays. A hero does not.
Speak to a recent client if you can, or at least load their live sites and see whether they still look cared for. Abandoned client sites are a review in themselves.
Local helps here. A designer you can phone, who cares about a reputation in Mid Sussex, has a reason to stay useful. Remote work is fine. Silence after invoice is not.
Who should own the domain and the content?
You should. This is the question that catches people out.
Some providers register the domain in their own name “to make it easy”. Leaving then becomes a hostage negotiation. The domain is a small annual item. It is also your address on the internet. It needs to be in your name, with a login you control.
You do not always need to own the underlying software. Plenty of sensible managed sites run on the provider’s platform. That can be fine, as long as you can leave with the domain and a copy of your content. Ask what happens if you cancel. The answer should be dull and specific: you keep the domain, you get the text and images, the site itself may not transfer as a working clone. That last part is normal. Pretending you can pick up a custom system and drop it on another host is how people get misled.
Content you wrote or paid for is yours. Stock photos with a licence may not travel. Ask.
If anyone is uncomfortable putting the domain in your name, that is the whole review.
What should you look for in their own site and client work?
Load their website on your phone. Time it. See whether you can tell what they do in five seconds and whether the number is obvious. Someone who cannot make their own page fast and clear will not make yours fast and clear. Portfolios with only screenshots, no live links, are harder to trust. You want to click a real site.
Then look at client work, ideally in a trade or a town like yours. A gallery of restaurants is weak evidence if you are a builder. Check the basics on those live pages: phone number, service and area in the first screen, pages that work with a thumb. Pretty is easy in a mockup. Useful is what you need on a wet Tuesday.
Ask who wrote the words. A designer who expects you to supply all the copy, then blames you when the site is thin, is common. Either they write, or they guide you with a short brief. “You send the content” with no help is how sites launch half-finished.
Ignore awards and partner badges unless you already care about them. Look at the work and the replies.
What are the red flags worth walking away from?
Slow down, or leave, if you see these.
No clear price. Endless “it depends” with no ballpark often means the number will grow. A range is fine. A refusal to give one is not.
Domain registered to them. Not a technical need. A control tactic.
Every tiny change billed, and not mentioned up front. Hourly work is legitimate if it is disclosed. A monthly fee plus a surprise bill for swapping a photo is two charges for one job.
Long lock-in with heavy exit fees. Confidence does not need a twelve-month trap for a one-page site.
All jargon, no plain English. If they cannot explain hosting in a sentence, they may not understand it, or they may prefer that you do not.
Pressure to decide today. A real professional can wait while you think. Deadline discounts that expire at midnight are sales, not design.
Green flags are dull on purpose: a written list of what is included, a live price, a fast reply, examples you can visit, and a straight answer about leaving. Our own version of that list is on web design across Sussex and on the pricing page. Read them the same way you would read anyone else’s.
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose a local web designer?
It helps more than people think. A local designer knows the area and has a reputation to protect nearby. The work can still happen by phone and email. Accountability is the advantage, not the postcode on the invoice.
Is the cheapest quote always worse?
Not always. The cheapest quote often leaves things out that return as extras. Compare what is included. A higher all-in figure can be the cheaper three-year cost.
How do I know they will be reliable after launch?
Test the reply speed now, ask how changes work, and look at sites they finished a year ago. Reliability is the thing people forget to check and then regret.
Do I need to own the website software?
You need to own the domain and your content. The software can be theirs if leaving is documented and you are not locked in by a domain you do not control.
Should I hire someone who also does SEO?
Useful if they are honest about timelines and do not sell page-one guarantees. Design and SEO are different jobs. One person can do both. They should still separate the quotes so you know what you are buying.
What if I already have a half-finished Wix or Squarespace site?
Say so. A good designer will tell you whether to finish it, fix it, or start again. “We only ever rebuild” is a sales line. “We can work with this” should come with a reason.
If you want those questions asked of us, get in touch. I would rather lose a job on a clear no than win one on a foggy yes.