Hiring someone to build your website is one of those purchases where you don't find out if you made a good decision until months later — sometimes years, when the bill quietly changes or something breaks and nobody picks up the phone. A few direct questions up front can save you from the most common regrets. Here's what I'd ask if I were on your side of the table.
1. "Who owns the website when we're done?"
You should. At minimum, make sure you own your domain and your content outright — and that you can take everything and leave if the relationship ends. Any reputable provider should be able to tell you clearly what you'll walk away with and how that handoff works.
Also ask about the theme. A lot of shops build on a premium third-party theme they purchased — without telling you, without passing on the license. The site looks great at launch. Then a year later you get an email about a subscription renewal for something you didn't know you were using, or the theme stops being supported and nobody's around to deal with it. If your site is built on a theme, you should know which one, who owns the license, and what happens to your site if that license lapses.
2. "What's actually included in your SEO and security?"
This is where a lot of agencies make their margin. "SEO setup" and "security hardening" sound like serious technical work. Sometimes they are. Often they mean: we installed Yoast SEO and Wordfence — two free plugins that take about ten minutes to set up — and added $800 to your invoice. Ask specifically what they do. If the answer involves plugin names you could Google yourself, you're being charged for convenience at best, padding at worst.
Real SEO work on a new site is about structure, page speed, content strategy, and accurate metadata — not a plugin checkbox. Real security is about keeping software current, limiting access, and monitoring for problems. Both should be part of building the site correctly, not line items on an upsell sheet.
3. "Is your WordPress person actually a WordPress developer?"
There's a wide spectrum between "someone who builds websites in WordPress" and "a WordPress developer." The first person uses the admin dashboard, installs plugins to add features, and works inside page builders. The second understands the codebase, can write or modify PHP, knows what a warning in the error log means, and can actually diagnose a problem instead of just reinstalling things until it goes away.
Neither is wrong for every project. But if you're paying developer rates, you should be getting developer capability. Ask to see custom work, not just sites assembled from off-the-shelf pieces. Ask what they do if they encounter a conflict between a plugin and the theme that results in a critical error. Their answer will tell you a lot.
4. "What does 'branding' mean in this proposal?"
Branding is a real discipline, and good brand work is worth paying for. It's also one of the most inflated line items in a web proposal, because it's hard to evaluate and easy to over-promise. "Brand identity package" can mean anything from a professional brand strategist doing deep positioning work to someone picking fonts and generating a logo in Canva.
Ask what's included, who does the work, and what you'll have at the end. A logo file, a color palette, and a font recommendation are a good start — but if the brand work is being done by the same person building the WordPress site, manage your expectations accordingly. Designers who can code and developers who can design exist — we're living proof — but people who do both at a professional level in the same breath are rare enough to be worth a follow-up question. A true professional will take a few questions in stride.
5. "What happens after launch?"
A website isn't finished at launch — it needs updates, backups, and security attention indefinitely. Ask whether they offer ongoing support, what it costs, and what your options are if you want to move elsewhere. "We hand it off and you're on your own" is a perfectly valid answer, as long as you know going in that's the arrangement, and you have a plan for upkeep.
6. "Can I talk to a past client?"
Portfolios show the pretty launch-day version. A quick conversation with a real client tells you what it's like to work with someone after the project is over — when the invoices are paid and the only thing left is whether the relationship was actually worth it.
The short version
- I own my domain and content, and I know exactly how hosting is handled and what leaving looks like
- I know exactly what SEO and security work actually involves
- I understand whether I'm working with a developer or a site builder
- Any branding work is clearly scoped and done by someone qualified
- I know what post-launch support looks like and what it costs
- I've talked to someone who's actually worked with them
If you can check those boxes, you're ahead of most people who've already signed a contract.
Happy to answer all six
Spoiler: We don't offer complete branding packages. We prefer to leave that to the really stylish designers.
Start a Conversation