Hiring a web developer can look pretty simple from the outside.
You find someone whose work looks good, talk about the price, agree on a deadline, and wait for the new website.
Then a few weeks later, you realise the website looks great on a laptop but feels terrible on mobile. The pages are slow. Nobody knows how to update anything. Google isn’t indexing important pages. And the developer has disappeared because the project was “finished.”
I’ve seen versions of this happen more than once.
The problem usually isn’t that the developer was bad. Sometimes the problem is that the right questions weren’t asked before the project started.
A website is more than colours, images and a nice homepage. It needs to work for the people visiting it, but it also needs to be manageable for the business behind it.
So before you hire a web developer, here are some questions worth asking.
1. Have you built websites similar to mine?
This is probably one of the first things I’d ask.
Not because you need someone who has built the exact same website, but because experience in a similar type of project can save a lot of headaches.
A local service business has different needs from an online store. A SaaS website is different from a restaurant website. A website that depends heavily on organic traffic needs different planning from a simple brochure site.
Ask to see a few real examples.
And don't just look at how they look.
Open the websites on your phone. Click around. Check how quickly they load. Look at the navigation. See if the pages actually make sense.
A portfolio can tell you what someone has designed. Using those websites yourself can tell you a little more about how they actually work.
2. What platform or technology will you use?
You don't need to be a developer to ask this.
You just need to know what you're getting.
Will the website be built on WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, a custom framework, or something else?
There isn't one platform that's perfect for every business.
For example, WordPress can be useful when a business wants control over content and has a lot of pages. Shopify makes sense for many ecommerce businesses. Webflow can be a good option for certain marketing websites where design and visual control are important.
The important part is understanding why the developer recommends a particular platform.
If the answer is simply, “That's what I always use,” I'd ask a few more questions.
3. Will I be able to update the website myself?
This one gets overlooked all the time.
Imagine you need to change a phone number, add a new service, publish a blog post or update a price.
Do you have to message your developer every single time?
That's not necessarily a deal-breaker, but you should know about it before signing anything.
Ask the developer to show you how you'll manage basic updates after launch.
A good website shouldn't leave the business completely dependent on one person for every small change.
4. Will the website be mobile-friendly?
This sounds obvious in 2026, but it still needs to be asked.
A website can look perfectly fine on a desktop and still be frustrating on a phone.
Buttons might be too small. Text might be difficult to read. Images might push content around. Forms might be annoying to complete.
Ask the developer how they'll test the website across different screen sizes.
And when they show you the finished site, don't only check it on their computer.
Pick up your phone and use it like a normal customer would.
That's where you'll often notice the little problems.
5. How will you handle website speed?
This is another area where “it loads fine for me” isn't really enough.
Page speed can affect user experience, conversions and search performance.
Ask what the developer plans to do about things like image sizes, scripts, caching, fonts and unnecessary plugins or code.
You don't need a technical lecture.
A simple explanation is enough.
You just want to know that performance is being considered from the beginning rather than treated as an emergency after the website launches.
6. Will SEO be considered during development?
This question matters a lot if you want people to find the website through Google.
SEO shouldn't start six months after the website is built.
Things like website structure, URLs, headings, internal links, indexability, redirects, canonical tags, XML sitemaps and page speed can all be affected by development decisions.
That doesn't mean your developer needs to be a full-time SEO specialist.
But they should understand the basics and be comfortable working with whoever handles your SEO.
Otherwise, you can end up rebuilding things later.
And nobody wants to pay twice for the same work.
7. Who owns the website, hosting and domain?
Please don't skip this one.
Ask who will own the domain name, hosting account, website files, licenses and other important accounts once the project is complete.
Ideally, these should not be locked inside the developer's personal account.
You should know how to access your own website.
It sounds boring when everything is going well.
It becomes very important when the relationship doesn't go well.
8. What exactly is included in the price?
A cheap quote isn't always a cheap project.
Ask what's included.
Does the price cover:
- Website design
- Development
- Mobile optimisation
- Basic SEO setup
- Contact forms
- Analytics
- Security
- Testing
- Content upload
- Revisions
- Launch
- Post-launch support
You don't need every item to be included.
You just need to know what you're paying for.
This avoids the awkward situation where you hear “that's extra” every time you ask for something that you assumed was part of the project.
9. How many revisions do I get?
This is worth discussing before the first design is approved.
Some developers offer a fixed number of revisions. Others work differently.
Neither approach is automatically right or wrong.
The important thing is having a clear process.
Ask how feedback will be collected and at what stage you'll be able to request changes.
It can also help to have one person on your side responsible for giving feedback. Otherwise, five people can give five different opinions and the project can go in circles.
10. What happens after the website goes live?
Launch day isn't the end of a website project.
There can be small bugs. Forms can break. Plugins can conflict. Tracking might need checking. A page that worked during testing might behave differently after launch.
Ask what kind of support is included after launch.
Is there a support period?
Is maintenance available monthly?
How are urgent issues handled?
Even a simple answer is better than having no idea what happens after the final payment.
11. How long will the project actually take?
Don't just ask, “When can you finish?”
Ask what the timeline looks like.
For example:
Planning → Design → Development → Content → Testing → Launch
A developer might be able to build the site quickly, but your own delays with content, images, approvals or feedback can change the timeline.
So get clear about what they need from you too.
A realistic timeline is much better than an impressive deadline that nobody can actually meet.
12. Can you explain your process in simple terms?
This might be my favourite question.
You don't need someone to throw technical words at you.
You want to understand how they work.
What happens after you say yes?
Who designs the website?
Who develops it?
How do you review it?
How do you report bugs?
How do you approve the final version?
If someone can explain their process clearly, that's usually a good sign that they have thought about the project beyond just writing code.
Don't choose a developer only because of the price
Price obviously matters.
Every business has a budget.
But a website isn't something you should compare like you're buying a printer.
A developer charging less may still be the right choice. Someone charging more isn't automatically better either.
Look at the whole picture.
Their previous work. Their communication. Their process. The technology they're recommending. What happens after launch. And whether they actually understand what your business needs from the website.
Because the goal isn't simply to get a website online.
You want something you can actually use, maintain and grow.
And if the website is going to be an important source of leads or sales, it needs to be built with that in mind from day one.
The best conversation to have with a web developer isn't just:
“How much will the website cost?”
Ask what you're getting, how it will work, how you'll manage it, and what happens when the project is finished.
Those few conversations at the beginning can save you a lot of frustration later.