Most web design companies show you a portfolio, and most portfolios look good. What separates them is everything a screenshot can't show: who owns the site when it's finished, what the price leaves out, whether your old pages keep their rankings, how the site performs on a phone, and who answers when something breaks. Those are the things to compare, and the 10 questions below bring them out.
- Get the scope and price in writing before anything starts.
- Make sure the domain, hosting, files and logins are in your name.
- If a site is being replaced, ask how every old URL will be redirected.
- Open their live sites on your own phone, not just on a desktop.
- Know what support costs after launch, and how to stop it.
About the best web design company lists
Search for the best web design agency and the first page is full of ranked lists. On 31 October 2026 we opened two of them: each was published by a web design firm, and each included its publisher, one of them in first place. Lists are useful for finding names. They can't tell you how a company will handle your site, which is what the questions are for.
The 10 questions
Ask them on the first call. For each, here's what a good answer sounds like and what should make you hesitate.
Can I see live sites you've built?
Good answer: links to working sites you can open on your own phone, ideally for businesses like yours. Red flag: only mockups and screenshots, or sites that have since been replaced.
Who will own the domain, hosting, files and logins?
Good answer: you, from day one, with the designer given access. Red flag: a domain registered in their name, or hosting you can't log in to.
What does the price include, and what costs extra?
Good answer: a written scope listing the pages, revisions, integrations, tracking and launch, at a fixed price. Red flag: an hourly estimate with no cap, or extras you only hear about halfway through.
Who writes the words?
Good answer: a clear answer either way, and if they write it, a process for getting what they need from you. Red flag: "lorem ipsum" in the designs and an assumption that you'll fill it in later.
How will you protect my rankings if you're replacing my site?
Good answer: a map of every old URL to its new one, with server-side permanent redirects, as Google's site-move guidance recommends. Red flag: no mention of redirects, or old pages simply deleted.
How fast will it load on a phone?
Good answer: they test on real phones and know Google's Core Web Vitals targets. Red flag: a site only ever shown on a desktop on office wifi.
Which platform will you build on, and why?
Good answer: a reason tied to what your site has to do, such as WordPress for content you'll update often, or Shopify for a store. Red flag: the same platform for every client, or a closed system of their own you can't take elsewhere.
Will tracking be working before launch?
Good answer: analytics and conversion events for forms, calls, bookings or sales, set up and tested before the site goes live. Red flag: "you can add Google Analytics later".
What happens after launch?
Good answer: training so you can make everyday edits, and a clear price for updates, backups and security if you want them handled. Red flag: nobody answering once the final invoice is paid.
What are the payment terms, and how do I leave?
Good answer: payments tied to milestones, and any maintenance plan you can stop. Red flag: the full fee up front, or a long maintenance contract as a condition of the build.
Two checks you can run yourself
Speed: put a few of their live sites into PageSpeed Insights and look at the mobile result. Google's guidance on Core Web Vitals treats a page as good when its largest element loads within 2.5 seconds, it responds to a tap within 200 milliseconds, and its layout barely shifts as it loads, measured across most visits.
Redirects: if they've rebuilt a site you can find, try an old URL from it in your browser. It should land on the matching new page, not a 404 or the homepage. Google's guidance is to keep those redirects for at least a year.
Weigh the whole price
Compare quotes on what's included, not the total. A lower quote that leaves out copy, tracking or redirects often costs more by the time those are added. How much a website costs in 2026 has the market rates, the running costs and what moves the price.
How we'd answer them
Here are our own answers, as a website design company for small business:
- A fixed price agreed in writing before we start: from $1,200, with most projects $1,200-$15,000. 50% to begin, the balance on delivery, and revisions until you sign off.
- The files, code, logins and accounts are yours. If you move on, you take everything with you.
- When we replace a site, we bring the content and SEO across, and we audit the old site first to decide what's worth keeping.
- Analytics and conversion tracking are set up before launch, and checkout and forms are tested on real devices.
- We build on WordPress, on Shopify for stores, or custom-coded, and tell you which fits on the call.
- Most sites go live 3-4 weeks after kickoff. Maintenance plans start at $450 a month, with no lock-in.
For specific builds, see WordPress website design and Shopify website design.
Questions people ask
What is the best web design company?
The one that fits your site, not the one at the top of a list. Look for live sites like the one you need, a written scope at a fixed price, the domain, hosting and files in your name, a plan to protect existing rankings if you're replacing a site, pages that load fast on a phone, and someone to call after launch.
What does a web design company do?
It plans, designs and builds your website: the page structure, the design, the build on a platform such as WordPress or Shopify, forms, bookings or checkout, and the launch. A good one also handles speed, SEO foundations and tracking, and looks after the site afterwards if you want it to.
Should I hire a freelancer or a web design company?
A freelancer suits a smaller site with a clear brief, when you're happy to supply the words and manage the project. A company suits a site that needs copy, design, development and tracking from different people, or one that has to keep running when one person is away. Either way, ask the same questions.
How long does it take a web design company to build a website?
It varies with the size of the site. Clutch's 2026 pricing guide says most projects reviewed on its site last seven months, a figure that includes large builds. Most of our small business sites go from kickoff to live in 3-4 weeks.
Who should own my website's domain and hosting?
You. Register the domain in your own name, keep the hosting account in your name, and give the designer access rather than handing over ownership. Then you can change designers without losing the site or the address.
What should a web design contract include?
The pages and features in scope, who supplies the copy and images, the number of revision rounds, the price and payment schedule, the timeline, who owns the files and accounts at the end, what's included at launch, and what support costs afterwards.
Want to put these questions to us? Book a strategy call. Ask all 10, and we'll answer them about your site.
