How to choose a web designer: 12 questions to ask before you sign
How to shortlist and compare web designers in Sydney: where to look, 12 questions to ask and what good answers sound like, red flags, and freelancer vs agency.
Shortlist two or three designers whose recent, live work includes businesses like yours, then get written quotes for the same scope. Ask who owns the domain and the site, exactly what is included (words, photos, SEO, redirects, testing), how you will edit it, what it costs over the first year, and what happens after launch. Walk away from anyone who guarantees Google rankings.
Before you contact anyone
You will get better quotes, and comparable ones, if you can answer a few questions first. They don’t need to be polished.
- What the website needs to achieve: calls, quote requests, bookings, sales, or credibility for referrals.
- Your services and the areas you cover.
- Roughly which pages you think you need, and any must-have features such as bookings or payments.
- What you already have: domain, logo, photos, written content, an existing site and its logins.
- Two or three websites you like, and what you like about them.
- A budget range, even a rough one. It helps a designer suggest the right kind of build.
Where to find designers worth shortlisting
Search results for “web design Sydney” mix agency pages with “best agencies” lists and lead-generation directories. Lists can be useful for names, but many are written by an agency that ranks itself first, or by a directory that sells placements, so treat their order as marketing rather than a ranking.
Better signals are the websites themselves. Open three or four sites from each designer’s portfolio on your phone. Are they fast? Can you tell what each business does in a few seconds? Is it easy to get in touch? A designer’s own site is a sample too: if it is slow or confusing, yours may be.
Referrals from businesses like yours are worth more than any list. Ask who built a site you admire.
The 12 questions
| Ask | Why it matters | A good answer sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Can I see recent sites for businesses like mine, live? | Screenshots can be polished; live sites show speed and real content. | Links to live sites, ideally with a short case study. |
| 2. Who will do the work, and who do I talk to? | Some agencies sell, then hand you to someone else or outsource. | Names and roles, and how often you will hear from them. |
| 3. What exactly is included? | Quotes differ mostly in scope, not hourly rates. | A page-by-page or line-by-line breakdown, with extras listed. |
| 4. Who writes the words and supplies the photos? | Content is the most common cause of delays. | A clear answer and a plan, including what it costs if they do it. |
| 5. Whose name will the domain, hosting and site be in? | You should own your domain and be able to leave. | “Yours”, in writing. |
| 6. What platform will you use, and why? | The platform decides cost, speed and how you edit. | A reason tied to your needs, not just “we always use X”. |
| 7. How will I update it? | Small edits shouldn’t need a developer. | A demonstration of editing, and training at handover. |
| 8. How do you handle SEO in the build? | Basics belong in the build, not a later upsell. | Titles, headings, sitemap, Search Console, redirects, speed. |
| 9. I already have a site. What happens to its search traffic? | Redesigns without redirects lose rankings. | An inventory of existing URLs and a redirect map. |
| 10. How do you test before launch? | Untested forms lose enquiries silently. | Phones, browsers, forms, speed and accessibility, with a checklist. |
| 11. What does it cost after launch? | Running costs can exceed the build over a few years. | Hosting, maintenance and licences itemised per month or year. |
| 12. What results should I expect, and how will we measure them? | Expectations should be honest and measurable. | Enquiry tracking set up, no guaranteed rankings or lead numbers. |
Google publishes its own list of questions to ask an SEO provider, including asking for examples of previous work, what results to expect and in what timeframe, and how they communicate. The same questions work well for web designers.
Red flags
- Guaranteed rankings. Google is blunt about this: “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.” If someone guarantees first place, its advice is to find someone else.
- A single price with no breakdown, or a price given before they understand your business.
- The domain registered in the designer’s name.
- Long subscription contracts where you never own the site.
- No mention of redirects when you already have a site.
- A portfolio of screenshots with no live links.
- Pressure to sign quickly because an offer or intake window is “closing”.
Freelancer, studio or agency?
| Freelancer | Small studio | Larger agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | Lower | Middle | Higher |
| Who you deal with | The person doing the work | Usually the people doing the work | An account or project manager |
| Range of skills | One person’s strengths | Design, build and often SEO | Specialists for each part |
| Capacity and cover | Limited if they’re sick or busy | Some cover | Most cover |
| Good fit for | Simple sites, tight budgets | Small and medium businesses | Complex projects, many stakeholders |
Comparing quotes fairly
Line the quotes up against the same scope, then compare what each costs over the first year and the second, not just the build price. Our website cost guide includes published Australian price ranges and a first-year cost calculator.
When two quotes are close, choose the designer who asked the better questions about your business. The questions someone asks before quoting tell you how they will think about your website.
Sources
- Do you need an SEO?Google Search Central, accessed 25 October 2026
- Web design cost in AustraliaWhat’s The Damage? (Focus Search Pty Ltd), prices verified October 2026, accessed 25 October 2026. Third-party estimate. The publisher also sells listings to web design agencies