10 questions to ask before you hire a web designer.

Hiring a web designer can feel like buying a car when you don't know what's under the bonnet. Every quote looks different, everyone says they're the best, and the cheapest offer is always one scroll away in your social feed.

You don't need to understand code to choose well. You just need to ask the right questions. Here are the ten I'd ask if I were in your shoes, and what a good answer sounds like.

About the result

1. "What should this website do for my business?"

A good designer asks you this before they talk about colours. If the conversation starts with templates and ends with a price, they're building pages, not a tool to win customers. Look for someone who asks about your customers, your services and how people find you now.

2. "Can I see work you've done for businesses like mine?"

Ask for live websites, not just screenshots. Click around on your phone. Is it fast? Is it clear what the business does? Can you find the phone number in five seconds? If you can, ask to speak to a past client.

3. "Who writes the words?"

This catches more people out than anything else. Many quotes assume you'll supply all the text, and the project stalls for months while you stare at a blank page. Find out whether writing, or at least editing, is included.

About the cost

4. "What exactly is included in the price?"

Get it in writing: number of pages, features, rounds of changes, SEO setup, training. If two quotes are thousands of dollars apart, this is usually why.

5. "What will it cost me each month after launch?"

Hosting, domain, updates, backups, security and support all cost something. Some designers include a month and then bill separately. Others offer a care plan. Neither is wrong, but you should know the year-two cost before you sign.

6. "What happens if I want changes later?"

Can you edit text and photos yourself? Will they show you how? What do they charge for bigger changes? A good answer includes some training and a clear rate.

About ownership and safety

7. "Who will own the website, the domain and the content?"

The answer should be "you". Make sure the domain is registered in your business's name, and that you could move the site to another provider if you ever needed to.

8. "How do you keep the site secure and backed up?"

Look for regular updates, automatic backups and an SSL certificate (the padlock in the browser). If they can't explain it simply, that's a warning sign.

About getting found

9. "How will local customers find my website?"

A beautiful site nobody sees won't bring in work. Ask what they do for Google: page titles, local keywords, speed, mobile, and setting up your Google Business Profile. I've written a plain-English guide to local SEO if you want to know what good looks like.

About working together

10. "Who will I actually be dealing with?"

With some agencies and online offers, the person who sells you the site isn't the person who builds it, and support is a ticket system. That might be fine for you. But if you want someone local who picks up the phone and knows your business, ask.

Red flags to watch for

• A price before they've asked anything about your business.
• Pressure to decide fast, like "limited slots available".
• No clear answer on who owns the domain.
• Monthly fees that aren't explained up front.
• No real examples you can click through.

My answers

It's only fair I answer these too. I'm Tim, based in Fremantle, and you'll deal with me from the first chat to launch and beyond. You own your site, domain and content. Local SEO and Google Business Profile setup are included in every package, and my prices and care plans are listed openly on my pricing page.

If you've got a quote from someone else and want a second opinion, send it through. I'm happy to tell you honestly whether it looks fair.