Most people who get in touch with me about a website have already been let down by someone else. Not always, but often enough that I have started to notice the same pattern. Someone looks at a portfolio, likes what they see, and signs up. Then six months later something needs changing and nobody answers the phone.
This is not a dig at every other web designer in Harrogate. Plenty are good at what they do. But if you are hiring one for the first time, here is what I think is actually worth asking, beyond whether you like the look of the website.
Look past the pretty pictures
A portfolio tells you whether someone can make a website look nice. It does not tell you much else. Ask to see a live site they built, not a screenshot. Open it on your phone and click around. Does it load quickly? Does it work properly, or does the menu fall apart on a small screen?
Then ask what the brief was for that project. A designer who knows their work should be able to tell you what problem the site was solving, not just which colours they picked.
Ask what happens to the price
This is the one I think trips people up most. Almost everyone I speak to has some worry about being overcharged once the work has started, extra costs appearing that were never mentioned at the start. So ask for a fixed price before anything begins, and ask what happens if something unexpected comes up halfway through.
I price every project this way. Years ago I was on a retainer with a shop called Bias, building their website and doing some of their graphics too. They paid the same amount every month and knew exactly what they were getting for it. No surprise invoices. No extras they had not agreed to. That arrangement worked because both sides knew where they stood from day one, and it is still how I work now. The client knows the cost before I start, full stop.
If a designer cannot give you a number before they start, or that number keeps moving, take that as a sign.
Ask what happens after the site goes live
A website is not finished the day it goes live. Plugins need updating. Security needs checking. Something small will eventually break, usually at an inconvenient time.
Ask directly what happens after launch. Is there a maintenance plan, and what does it actually cover? If you need a small change in six months, will anyone pick up the phone?
Ask how long it will actually take
Vague timelines are a red flag. “A few weeks” can mean almost anything. Ask for something closer to an actual date, and ask what could push that date back. Someone who has done this a long time should be able to give you a realistic answer, not a guess designed to sound reassuring.
Does it matter if they are local
This one is more complicated than it sounds, and if I am honest, it gets oversimplified a lot, including sometimes by me. “Local knowledge” sounds like a good thing to look for, but it is also the kind of thing every designer says about themselves, whether it is true or not.
What I think actually matters is whether there is a real person you could meet up with if you needed to. One of my longest standing clients, Julian Varley, chose me partly for that reason. He liked knowing he could call and arrange to meet up if something needed sorting out face to face. In practice, most of the work happens by email, because I am usually quick enough that the job is finished before a meeting would happen anyway. I work set hours, published on my website. But having the option to meet up in person was what mattered to him at the start, even if he rarely needs to use it.
So the real question is not “do they know Harrogate”. It is “could I actually meet this person if I wanted to, or are they just a name on a website.
The short version
None of this is complicated. Before you sign anything, ask:
- To see real work, not just screenshots
- For a fixed price before anything starts
- What happens after the site goes live
- For an actual date, not a vague one
- Whether there is a real person behind the website, or just a contact form
If a designer can answer all of that clearly, without flinching, you are probably in good hands.
