Published July 2026 Julius Timgum 5 min read

How Do I Choose the Right Web Designer? A Practical Guide Before You Hire

How to choose the right web designer, what questions to ask before hiring, what to look for in a portfolio and which warning signs to avoid.

Black and white comic illustration about choosing the right web designer

Choosing a web designer can feel harder than it should. Portfolios look polished, services are described differently and prices can vary enormously.

You do not need to understand every part of web design before hiring someone. You mainly need to know what to look for, what to ask and whether the person you are speaking to understands what your website actually needs to do.

This guide covers the questions I think are worth asking before you make that decision.

What should I look for when choosing a web designer?

Start with how they approach your project, not just how their portfolio looks.

A web designer should want to know about your business, who the website is for and what you want visitors to do when they arrive. A website built to generate enquiries needs a different structure from a portfolio, online shop or information-heavy organisation website.

If the conversation immediately jumps to colours, fonts and visual style without discussing the purpose of the website, I would ask a few more questions.

A useful website usually starts with useful questions.

Quick answer

Look for someone who understands why you need the website.

The design matters, but the thinking behind it matters more. Your designer should understand your goals, your audience and what the website needs to help you achieve.

How can I tell if a web designer is actually good?

A portfolio is a useful starting point, but try to look beyond screenshots.

Open some of the actual websites. Look at them on your phone. Can you understand what the business offers without searching for it? Is the navigation clear? Does the site feel comfortable to use?

I would also look for some variety. If every project looks almost identical, the designer may simply be repeating the same style. Different businesses usually need different solutions.

What to check

Look at the real websites, not only the portfolio images.

Pay attention to clarity, mobile usability, speed and whether the design actually feels appropriate for the business it represents.

What questions should I ask a web designer before hiring?

You do not need a long technical checklist. A few simple questions can tell you quite a lot:

How would you approach my project?
What do you need from me before we start?
Which platform would you recommend, and why?
Will the website work properly on mobile and tablet?
Will I be able to edit the website myself?
What is included in the price?
What happens after the website goes live?

The answers should make sense to you. Technical knowledge matters, but so does being able to explain technical decisions without making everything sound unnecessarily complicated.

Should a web designer understand SEO?

At least the fundamentals, yes.

SEO is not something that only starts after a website has been built. Page structure, headings, URLs, internal links, mobile usability and loading speed can all affect how easily search engines understand a site.

Your web designer does not necessarily need to provide an ongoing SEO service, but they should be able to build the website on sensible foundations.

A website should be easy for people to understand and easy for search engines to understand.

Already have a website?

Find out what may need attention before rebuilding everything.

If you already have a website, my free website audit can give you a quick overview of areas such as SEO, performance, accessibility and technical quality.

Run the free website audit →

How much should I pay a web designer?

There is no single useful answer because the scope of a website can vary so much.

A five-page business website is a very different project from a multilingual website, an online shop or a site with custom functionality.

Rather than comparing prices on their own, compare what is included. Ask whether the quote covers design, development, mobile optimisation, SEO setup, forms, integrations, testing and launch.

You should come away with a reasonably clear understanding of what you are paying for and what could create additional costs later.

How do I know what kind of website I actually need?

You may know that your current website no longer works for you without knowing exactly what should replace it. That is normal.

You do not need to arrive at the first conversation with a finished sitemap, a list of technical requirements and every feature already decided.

What helps is having a clearer idea of your goals: what you offer, who the website is for, what information people need and what you would like them to do next.

Planning a new website?

Work out what you need before worrying about how it should look.

My website project planner takes you through a few simple questions about your pages, goals and functionality so you can get a clearer picture of the project before committing to anything.

Use the website project planner →

What are the red flags when hiring a web designer?

I would be cautious if someone cannot explain how they work, avoids talking about ownership of your website or makes very confident promises about guaranteed Google rankings.

Communication is another useful indicator. If getting a clear answer is already difficult before the project starts, that is worth paying attention to.

At the same time, I would not expect a designer to simply agree with everything. Sometimes the most useful answer is: “I would approach that differently, and here is why.”

Should I hire a freelance web designer or an agency?

Either can be the right choice.

An agency can make sense for a large project that needs several specialists working at the same time. A freelancer can be a better fit if you want to work directly with the person who is actually designing and building your website.

For many small businesses, independent professionals and organisations, that direct relationship can make communication much simpler.

The main thing

Choose the person or team whose approach you understand and trust.

The label matters less than the working relationship. You should understand what they are recommending, why they are recommending it and what happens next.

How do I know when I have found the right web designer?

You will often have a fairly good sense after the first proper conversation.

The person should understand what you are trying to achieve, explain the process clearly and leave you feeling that the project is manageable rather than more confusing than when you started.

You are not looking for someone who simply knows how to make attractive websites. You are looking for someone who can take your goals and turn them into a website that makes sense for your business and the people using it.

If you are planning a website and would rather talk through the idea with someone first, you can send me a message here. Tell me a little about what you are working on and I can give you an initial idea of what I think would make sense.