Choose a website designer who explains the scope, shows relevant work, understands your customer, and can demonstrate how the finished site will deliver inquiries. Confirm account access, recurring costs, support, and search basics before you commit. A ranking guarantee is not evidence of quality.
Start with Your Customer’s Next Step
Tell the designer what your customers need to do: request an estimate, book an appointment, call your team, or buy a product. Ask how the page structure will help a new visitor understand the offer and complete that action.
Discuss your real service coverage, the questions customers ask, and the information needed to respond. For a local contractor, a service area and project details may matter more than an elaborate animation. For a venue, photography, availability inquiries, and event requirements may lead the design.
Inspect the Experience, Not Just the Screenshot
Ask for examples the designer is authorized to share. Open them on your phone. Read the headings, use the menu, and check whether the next step is clear. A beautiful screenshot cannot show whether an inquiry reaches someone.
Ask which launch checks are included. The useful checks cover mobile layouts, keyboard navigation, visible focus, readable contrast, broken links, and the complete form delivery process. If a result is claimed, ask what was measured, for which period, and in which source system.
Get Scope, Access, and Costs in Writing
Agree the pages, content responsibilities, integrations, feedback process, and launch schedule. Confirm who controls the domain, hosting, website files, and connected accounts. Clarify what happens when an ongoing service ends.
DDHQ’s standard website build is $400 one time. An active managed plan includes hosting and DDHQ CRM; without one, these are separate arrangements. Ask about domains, advertising, SMS, and other paid services before comparing the total cost.
Ask for a Search Plan You Can Evaluate
A useful search plan starts with crawlable content, accurate business details, relevant service pages, descriptive titles, and a sitemap. A redesign should identify useful old URLs and redirect changed pages to their closest relevant destination.
Google says established SEO practices also apply to its AI search features. No special AI text file or special schema is required. Ask how the designer will measure relevant impressions, clicks, and qualified inquiries. Promises of a guaranteed first position or permanent AI citation deserve scrutiny.
- Ask what is included in technical search setup.
- Identify the pages that answer real buying questions.
- Confirm how old pages are preserved or redirected.
- Measure inquiries alongside search visibility.
About This Guide
Prepared with AI assistance for the DDHQ knowledge base. Examples describe illustrative workflows, not measured client results. Business requirements and platform capabilities should be checked for the specific project.