Hiring a web designer is hard because the quality varies so wildly. A freelancer who charges $800 can produce the same-looking output as an agency that charges $18,000. The price tells you nothing. The portfolio tells you a little. The only things that actually predict quality are the answers to specific questions you ask before signing anything.

This post is twelve questions, in the order we'd ask them, with a short note on what each answer actually means. Copy them into your next proposal call.

Question 1: "What's the tech stack you build on?"

Why it matters: this tells you immediately whether you're getting custom code or a template.

Good answers: React, Next.js, Astro, SvelteKit, or any named framework. Bonus if they mention the CMS they use (Sanity, Payload, Contentful, Strapi, Directus).

Warning answers: "WordPress with a premium theme" (it's a theme reskin), "Webflow" (visual builder, not custom code), "We use a proven template starter" (it's a template), "We don't really focus on the tech" (they don't know).

Worst answer: "Don't worry about that, you don't need to know." Run.

Question 2: "Who will actually be writing the code?"

You want to know whether it's the person in the meeting, a junior on the team, or an offshore contractor you'll never meet. All three are legitimate — but they produce very different outcomes, and the price should reflect which it is.

Good answers: "I'm the developer", "Our senior developer who you'll meet in kickoff", or "We have a lead developer assigned to your project — here's their portfolio."

Warning answers: "Our team" (vague), "It depends on who's available" (you'll get the lowest-paid person free that week), "We have a global team" (offshore, which is fine if priced accordingly).

Question 3: "What's included in the price, line by line?"

Agencies bundle things differently. The same "custom website — $12,000" can mean wildly different things.

Things that should be itemised:

Design — how many mockups, how many rounds of revision
Development — pages, features, integrations
Content migration — from your existing site
CMS setup and training
SEO basics — metadata, schema, sitemap
Launch — DNS, migration, testing
Post-launch support — how many days, what's covered
Hosting — who pays, where is it hosted

If a $12,000 proposal is a one-line item with no breakdown, ask for one. Any agency that refuses to give you the breakdown is hiding something.

Question 4: "How many rounds of revisions does the scope include?"

Revisions are where budgets get eaten. Most quotes include 2 rounds of revision on design and 1 round on development. Anything past that is usually billed separately.

You want a specific number in the contract. Not "we'll work until you're happy" — that's a trap that leads to either the designer eating unpaid work or you hitting an unexpected invoice.

Good answers: "2 rounds of design revisions, 1 round of development revisions, anything beyond that is billed at $150/hour."

Warning answers: "Unlimited revisions" (only works if the scope is tiny), "We'll keep working until you love it" (you'll love it or they'll burn out).

Question 5: "Can I see a staging site during the build?"

The answer should be an immediate yes. Every professional web build has a live staging URL the client can visit every day during development. You watch the site come together. You catch issues early. You sign off on individual pages as they're built.

Good answers: "Yes, you'll get a staging link in week 1 and it updates daily."

Warning answers: "We show you mockups during build and reveal the final site on launch day." No staging site usually means the build is happening inside a visual builder and there's nothing code-based to preview.

Question 6: "What happens if the site goes down in week 2 after launch?"

Every site needs a post-launch support period. The good ones include 30 days of free iteration. The cheap ones include 7 days or nothing.

Good answers: "Free support for 30 days after launch, including bug fixes, content updates, and minor tweaks. After that, support is by the hour."

Warning answers: "We'll let you know if you contact us" (no committed SLA), "That'd be a separate job" (you're locked out after go-live).

Question 7: "Do I own the code when the project is done?"

For a custom-coded build, the answer should be unambiguously yes. You should be given a git repository, full access to the CMS, and the ability to host the site anywhere you want.

Good answers: "Yes, we hand over the git repo and transfer the CMS ownership to you."

Warning answers: "You own the content, we retain the code" (no, this is not a normal arrangement), "It's hosted on our platform" (you're locked in), "It's technically our code but you can use it" (you don't own it).

Question 8: "What's your ongoing monthly cost, broken down?"

Some agencies quote a low build cost and make it up on monthly fees. Hosting, "premium support", maintenance retainers, CMS licences. A $6,000 build with a $350/month retainer costs you $18,600 over three years. A $12,000 build with $20/month hosting costs you $12,720 over three years.

Good answers: "$20–$50/month for hosting, that's it. No retainer required."

Warning answers: "$350/month for ongoing maintenance and support" (often mostly margin), "Premium hosting is $200/month" (it's a $15/month server with a markup).

Question 9: "How long have you been building sites in this exact tech stack?"

This isn't about age — it's about specific experience. A designer who's been doing this for 10 years but only recently moved to React is effectively 2 years into React. That matters.

Good answers: A specific number of years and recent projects they can point to.

Warning answers: "We adapt to whatever the project needs" (they don't specialise), "We can do anything" (they can't do anything well).

Question 10: "What's your fastest completed project, and your slowest?"

This gives you a sense of how they actually work versus how they plan. A studio with a huge gap between planned and actual timelines is going to burn your deadline.

Most honest answer from us (Pryce Digital): fastest is 4 weeks for a 5-page service site with strong client decisions. Slowest is 11 weeks for a multi-service site where the client changed direction three times. Six weeks is the realistic average.

Warning answers: "We always ship in 4 weeks" (they're not accounting for revisions), "It varies widely, we can't say" (they don't track this).

Question 11: "Can you show me a site you built that's been live for 2+ years?"

Portfolio sites fresh off launch day all look good. What matters is whether a site from the same studio still looks good, still performs, and still works two years later. Studios that can't show aged work are usually hiding site decay.

Good answers: A link to a 2+ year old site with an explanation of what's been maintained and what hasn't.

Warning answers: "Our older work doesn't represent our current quality" (they're hiding something), "All our sites have been redesigned recently" (either they're new, or they're covering up problems).

Question 12: "What happens if I decide halfway through that it isn't working?"

Every project has a cancellation clause. You want to know what it is before you sign, not after.

Good answers: "Milestone-based billing — pay for what's completed, any unused budget is refunded. If we're 50% through and you cancel, you pay for that 50%."

Warning answers: "Full payment upfront, no refunds" (hard pass unless you have a relationship), "We don't really have a cancellation process" (they've never been asked).

The 12-question filter

Most studios will answer 8–10 of these confidently. The top-tier ones answer all 12. The ones that dodge three or more are almost always hiding something — usually that they're reselling a template as custom, or that the actual builder isn't the person in the meeting.

Walk into the next proposal call with these twelve questions. The conversation that follows tells you everything a portfolio can't.

If you want to run these questions on us, book a free audit — we'll answer all twelve in writing, send the audit, and you decide whether we're the right fit. No pitch, no pressure.