You shouldn't have to be a tech expert to hire one. Here's the bar every web designer should clear before you sign a contract.
1. They explain the build before they start
You should know what's getting built, in plain English, before any money changes hands. If the proposal is full of jargon you don't understand, that's not your problem — it's a sign they don't know how to translate.
2. The price is the price
One number on the proposal. The work it covers. The work it doesn't cover. Anything more is a quote-by-call sales tactic.
3. They commit to a timeline in writing
Not ‘a few weeks’. A real launch date with a real reason. If they push, they tell you why and the new date.
4. You own everything when it's done
Your domain name, your hosting account, your design files, your content. They might host it for you for convenience — but you should be able to take it anywhere on a single email request.
5. You can reach the person who actually built it
Not an account manager. Not a ticket queue. The actual human whose hands were on the keyboard. Within one business day. Forever.
6. The site is set up to rank, not just to look pretty
Local SEO basics, Google Business Profile setup, schema markup, fast page speed. These are not premium add-ons. They're the floor.
7. You get a single source of truth
Project status, deliverables, billing, support — one login, one place. So when you're trying to remember what they're working on, you don't have to dig through your email.
If a designer can't clear all seven of those, keep looking.
