Start with the job your website must do. Before hiring a web designer, write down the customer action you need, the pages and integrations involved, and who will supply the content. Compare proposals on the same scope, not just the headline price.
For a Formby business, ask about relevant work and a practical enquiry journey. Locality can make communication convenient, but it does not itself prove quality or guarantee search rankings. Explore our web design service, or use this checklist to compare suppliers fairly.
Copyable quote-comparison checklist
| Ask about | What to record |
|---|---|
| Scope | Pages, content responsibility, forms, integrations and explicit exclusions. |
| Cost | Project price, tax basis, payment stages, renewals and optional ongoing work. |
| Revisions | What feedback rounds cover and how extra work is agreed. |
| Ownership | Domain/hosting accounts, administrator access, licences and export/handover. |
| Testing | Phone usability, accessible labels/errors, working links and delivered form submissions. |
| Maintenance | Who updates, backs up, restores and fixes problems after launch. |
| Timing | Your content deadlines, approval points and realistic dependencies. |
Mark unanswered items as “confirm” rather than assuming they are included. A lower quote may have a smaller scope; a higher quote does not automatically mean better suitability.
Experience is integral
Ask for relevant examples and find out exactly what the designer delivered. Look at the customer journey, content clarity and phone usability—not just a screenshot. A supplier can explain its approach without promising a particular ranking or revenue result.
Customised Approach
Ask how the proposed design fits your customers and content. A well-implemented maintained template can be a sensible starting point; a bespoke design can be appropriate where the requirements justify it. Neither templates nor freelancers are inherently inferior. Judge the actual scope, maintainability and quality.
Practicality over Aesthetics
Agree what customers must be able to do: understand a service, compare options, contact you or complete a purchase. Ask the designer how these tasks will be tested. Attractive visuals should support those tasks rather than obscure labels, navigation or enquiry forms.
Mobile Compatibility
Ask to see the proposed pages and form on a narrow phone screen. Check readable text, usable navigation, tap targets, table overflow and helpful validation. “Responsive” is a starting point; complete the customer task rather than approving a resized screenshot alone.
Communication & Support
Agree a named contact, feedback process, approval milestones and how scope changes will be costed. Write down what you must supply and when. Ask about content ownership and account access before the project begins.
Confirm what happens after launch: update responsibility, backups, restore support, form delivery checks and any ongoing charge. These are separate responsibilities; do not assume continuous support is included.
Before you commit
- Compare written scopes and recurring costs.
- Check relevant examples and who did the work.
- Keep domain and important accounts under business control.
- Agree content, revisions, testing and handover.
- Know the maintenance and support boundary.
Use our small-business website planning guide to prepare your requirements. If WordPress is being proposed, read the platform decision guide.
For a Formby-area project, send Formby Web Design your current website and project outline so we can discuss the scope. No rankings, price or turnaround are guaranteed by this checklist.
