10 Questions to Ask a Web Developer Before Hiring Them

Getting a website built looks like a one-off purchase. In practice it is a long relationship: who controls the domain, whose account the hosting sits in, and who changes things next year all matter long after launch - and you usually find out the answers at the worst possible moment.

I am a web developer, and a steady share of my work comes from business owners stuck with a site someone else built. The cause is almost always the same: the right questions were not asked at the start. Here are the ten I would ask before paying anyone, with what a good answer looks like.

1. Whose name will the domain be registered in?

Good answer: yours, under your email address.

This is the single most important question. Some developers register the domain in their own account for convenience. If you fall out, or they stop trading, your business's web address belongs to someone else, and getting it back can take months - or not happen at all.

Open the account at a registrar yourself (Namecheap, Cloudflare, GoDaddy, or 123-reg in the UK), pay for it yourself, and give the developer access. If domains and hosting are new to you, read domain vs hosting: what is the difference first.

2. Whose account will the hosting be in?

Good answer: yours - or, if it is theirs, a written promise of a full backup on request.

The same logic applies. Whoever controls the hosting controls your files, your database and often your email. Plenty of good developers host clients on their own servers because it makes maintenance easier; that is fine, as long as you can get a complete copy of everything whenever you ask.

3. Will I get the source code?

Good answer: yes, all of it, with no conditions.

You are paying for the site, so it should be yours. Ask directly: "When the project is finished, will I receive the full source code and database?" The answer should be an unqualified yes. A developer who keeps the code is building in a reason you can never leave.

4. How many pages, and who writes the content?

Good answer: a numbered list of pages, and a clear line on who supplies text and photos.

"A five-page website" is where most disputes start. Which five pages? Who writes them? Who provides the photos? Writing content is a separate job that takes real time, and projects stall for months waiting for it. Agree it in writing before work begins.

5. How will it look and work on a phone?

Good answer: it is designed for mobile first.

Most visits to a small-business site now come from phones, yet some developers still design for desktop and "adjust" for mobile afterwards. Ask for links to recent work and open them on your own phone - live sites, not screenshots. Check how fast they load on mobile data, too; speed is something Google measures, as I explain in the Core Web Vitals guide.

6. When will it be ready?

Good answer: a date, and what you will have on that date.

"Soon" is not an answer. A straightforward brochure site can be live within one to two weeks once content is ready; an online shop typically takes several weeks. If someone quotes two months for a simple five-page site, they are either very busy or you are not a priority.

7. How many rounds of changes are included?

Good answer: a set number - two is common - and the rate for anything beyond that.

Without this agreed up front, every small change becomes a negotiation. Knowing the rate for extra work removes the awkwardness on both sides.

8. What will it cost after launch, every year?

Good answer: domain, hosting and any maintenance listed separately, with renewal prices.

The build is a one-off cost; the domain and hosting renew every year, and some packages hide the first year's costs so the second-year invoice comes as a shock. Ask: "After the first year, what will I pay every year, and for what?" I break down what ongoing care should include in what website maintenance costs and what you get.

9. Can I make small changes myself?

Good answer: yes, through an admin panel you will be shown how to use.

Changing your phone number, swapping a photo or updating opening hours should not need a developer and an invoice. Ask whether you will have an admin dashboard, and ask for a working demo at handover. This is also one of the deciding factors between platforms - see WordPress vs a custom website.

10. What will you do so the site can be found on Google?

Good answer: the technical basics are included - and they can tell you what they are.

No honest developer can promise you the first page of Google. But the foundations should be part of the job: a proper title and description on every page, a fast mobile-friendly build, a sitemap, Search Console set up in your name, and your Google Business Profile linked. If the answer is "SEO is a separate package" with nothing included, the site will launch invisible.

Bonus: how do you take payment?

A deposit of 30-50% up front with the balance on completion is normal and fair to both sides. Be wary of anyone who wants the full amount before any work starts - and equally of a quote that seems far too cheap, because the cost usually reappears later as hosting you cannot leave or changes you cannot make.

Put the answers in writing

A short email confirming the answers to these ten questions is worth more than any contract template, because it covers the things that actually go wrong. If a developer is reluctant to answer any of them clearly, that tells you what you need to know.

If you would like to see how I answer them, my pricing sets out what is included, and you can get a free quote here.