Before you sign a contract or hand over a deposit, the right questions tell you whether a web developer understands the job, owns the outcome, or is about to leave you with a site you cannot update, move, or prove you own. Ask these before work starts.
Start with the outcome, not the pages
A site is a business tool. If the developer cannot say what success looks like, the project will drift.
- What business result is this site supposed to produce in the first 90 days: leads, sales, bookings, applications, or something else?
- Who is the primary visitor, and what should they do on the first visit?
- Which pages are required at launch, and which can wait?
- What is explicitly out of scope?
- How will we know the project succeeded, and who decides that?
Get the answers in writing. “A modern site that looks great” is not a scope.
Budget, timeline, and how change works
Most overruns come from unclear process, not from bad code.
- What is the total cost, and what does it include: design, development, copy, images, forms, ecommerce, training, launch?
- What is not included, and what do those extras usually cost?
- Is this a fixed price, hourly, or milestone-based? What happens if we go over?
- What is the payment schedule, and is any of it refundable if the project stops?
- What is a realistic launch date, and what has to be true on your side for that date to hold?
- How are change requests priced and approved once work has started?
- Who is the single point of contact, and how fast do they usually reply?
Ask for a written change-order process. Verbal “we can add that” becomes a dispute later.
Ownership and access
This is the question set that protects you after the relationship ends.
- Who owns the design, code, content, and accounts when the final invoice is paid?
- Will I get the source files, not just a login to a hosted builder?
- Will the site, domain, hosting, email, analytics, and payment accounts be in my name from day one?
- What happens to the site if I stop paying a monthly fee?
- Are there third-party licenses, themes, plugins, or stock assets I will have to keep paying for?
- Can another developer take over without your involvement?
If they will not put ownership in the contract, do not start.
How the site will actually be built
You do not need to pick the stack. You do need to know whether it fits the job and whether you can live with it.
- What platform or framework are you recommending, and why is it right for this project rather than a cheaper or simpler option?
- Will I be able to edit text, images, products, and blog posts myself?
- How does the site handle forms, spam, payments, and customer data?
- Is it built to work well on phones, and will you test real devices, not just a resized browser window?
- What are the performance targets: how fast should key pages load?
- How will the site be backed up, and how quickly can it be restored?
- What browsers and devices will you officially support?
For a store or booking site, also ask how inventory, taxes, shipping, refunds, and failed payments are handled.
Design, content, and brand
Pretty mockups are not a plan.
- How many design concepts do I get, and how many rounds of revision are included?
- Will you design from our brand, or are you expecting us to supply a full brand guide?
- Who writes the copy, and who supplies photos?
- What happens if our content is late?
- Can you show two or three recent sites in our industry, and can I speak to those clients?
Search, measurement, and launch
A site that cannot be found or measured is a brochure with a hosting bill.
- Will the site be set up for basic SEO: titles, descriptions, headings, clean URLs, sitemap, and redirects from the old site?
- Who moves the domain, and who keeps the old URLs from breaking?
- Will Google Analytics, Search Console, and conversion tracking be installed and owned by me?
- What is the launch checklist: SSL, forms tested, 404 page, speed check, mobile check, backup, and spam protection?
- Who monitors the site the first two weeks after launch?
After launch
The project is not done when the site goes live.
- What is included in the warranty period, and how long is it?
- What does ongoing support cost, and what is the response time for a down site versus a text change?
- Who applies security and software updates?
- How do you document the site so another person can maintain it?
- What training do I get, and is it recorded?
Questions that reveal how they work
These are less about the site and more about the person.
- Can you walk me through a recent project that went sideways, and what you did?
- What do you need from me, and by when, to stay on schedule?
- Will I see work in progress, or only a final reveal?
- Who actually does the work: you, an employee, or a subcontractor?
- Do you carry liability coverage appropriate to the project?
Red flags worth walking away from
Treat these as stop signs, not negotiation points.
- They will not put scope, price, timeline, and ownership in a contract.
- The domain, hosting, or analytics must stay in their accounts.
- They cannot explain the platform in plain language.
- The quote is far below everyone else and light on detail.
- They promise a specific Google ranking.
- They want full payment up front with no milestones.
- They discourage you from getting a second opinion.
A good developer will welcome these questions. The useful ones answer them in writing, tie them to a scope, and leave you able to run the site if they disappear. That is the standard to hire against.