Questions to Ask a Web Designer Before You Hire One

Short answer: compare proposals by deliverables, ownership, revisions, content responsibility, launch support, recurring care, and the rules for extra scope. Ask every designer the same questions and keep the answers with the proposal.

A portfolio shows visual taste. A written proposal shows what you are actually buying. Two similar-looking quotes can assign very different work to the designer, leave different tasks with you, and create very different costs after launch.

Keep Halo's offers separate: the single-page website promo is $297 one time plus $47/month hosting. The focused five-page Website Launch is $497 one time. Optional Hosting & Care is a separate $99/month service. Compare the scope and recurring commitment, not just the first number.

The proposal comparison checklist

Send this same checklist to each provider. If an answer is missing, mark it “not stated” instead of filling the gap with an assumption.

1. What exactly will you deliver?

Ask for a line-by-line scope. “A professional website” is not a deliverable. A useful answer names the pages or templates, contact paths, mobile behavior, integrations, basic search setup, analytics, launch work, and exclusions.

Halo's public answer: the $497 Website Launch covers a focused five-page service-business website with the listed package deliverables, one revision round, and 30 days of launch support. Extra pages, ecommerce, and custom integrations are scoped separately. The $297 promo is a different single-page offer paired with $47/month hosting.

2. Who owns the website, domain, and accounts?

Ask who controls the domain registrar, hosting account, analytics, forms, and paid software. Also ask what you receive if the relationship ends. Third-party subscriptions and licensed media can remain subject to their own licenses even when you own the finished website files.

Halo's public answer: Halo's terms say each party keeps its pre-existing materials and that the applicable order controls project deliverables. Halo's hosting page also states that Halo does not claim ownership of the customer's website or domain. Confirm the project-specific handoff in the applicable order.

3. How many revisions are included?

Ask when feedback is collected, what a round means, how many changes fit in it, and when a request becomes a structural or scope change.

Halo's public answer: Website Launch includes one revision round. Halo's pricing FAQ describes up to five changes in that round across layout, design elements, text, or color; major structural or scope changes may require additional work.

4. Who is responsible for copy and images?

Separate providing business facts from writing polished copy. Record who drafts the words, sources images, verifies licenses, and approves claims, prices, service areas, and contact details.

Halo's public answer: Halo uses approved copy and images when they are ready, can source stock imagery, and offers copywriting as an add-on. Customers remain responsible for reviewing business-specific facts and approvals before launch.

5. What support is included at launch?

Ask who connects the domain, checks forms, reviews mobile layouts, installs analytics, and responds to defects found after launch. Distinguish defect correction from new requests.

Halo's public answer: Website Launch includes 30 days of launch support. Timing is confirmed after Halo reviews content readiness and feedback needs; the public offer does not promise a universal completion date.

6. What happens after launch?

List every required and optional recurring charge. Hosting infrastructure, backups, software updates, content edits, form testing, and human troubleshooting are different responsibilities even when marketed together.

Halo's public answer: Hosting & Care is optional at $99/month and lists managed hosting and SSL, daily backups stored for 30 days, security updates and monitoring, performance care, email support, and one change session per month. The $47/month hosting attached to the single-page promo is a separate offer and does not include that monthly change session.

7. How is extra scope approved?

Ask the provider to name common extras before work begins. Added pages, integrations, ecommerce, expanded copywriting, extra revision rounds, and changes after approval should follow a written process with cost and timing explained first.

Halo's public answer: Halo's terms say requests outside the agreed scope may require a written scope change and additional fees, and that out-of-scope work is not treated as approved until the change is confirmed.

Answers that deserve a second look

• A ranking, traffic, lead, or sales guarantee.
• A price without named deliverables or exclusions.
• Vague ownership or no plan for transferring files and accounts.
• “Unlimited revisions” with no definition, review process, or boundary.
• A low introductory monthly price with no term, renewal, or cancellation explanation.
• Verbal promises that do not appear in the proposal, order, or contract.

Frequently asked questions

What should I ask a web designer before accepting a quote?

Ask for the exact deliverables, ownership terms, included revisions, content responsibilities, launch support, recurring costs, exclusions, and written change process. Compare the answers in the same order for every proposal.

Do I own my website after it is built?

The contract or applicable order decides. Ask separately about finished website files, the domain, your content, third-party software, stock media, and account access.

Is hosting included in a website-design quote?

Only if the quote says so. Halo's $497 Website Launch and optional $99/month Hosting & Care are separate. Halo's single-page promo is also separate: $297 one time plus $47/month hosting.

How many revision rounds should a website include?

There is no universal number. The useful answer defines the included round or rounds, the feedback deadline, the changes allowed, and how further work is approved and priced.

Compare Halo's written answers

Review Halo's pricing and deliverables, terms, website-design process, and recurring care scope beside another proposal. If one point is still unclear, send the most relevant next question through the project inquiry form.

Ask a Project Question

Guide review: Halo reviewed this guide and its linked pricing, service, and terms pages on September 10, 2026. The applicable order or checkout controls engagement-specific scope and billing.