What you ask can save you thousands and a whole lot of regret.
Hiring a web designer isn’t like ordering lunch. It’s more like choosing a tattoo artist: you’ll be living with the outcome for years, and fixing mistakes is costly.
In Sydney’s crowded design scene, where freelancers, boutique studios, and large agencies all compete for your budget, it’s not hard to get dazzled by smooth portfolios and big promises. But if you don’t ask the right questions upfront, you might end up with a beautiful site that loads slower than a 1998 dial-up connection. Or worse, one that doesn’t convert at all. Whether you’re a startup or an established business, navigating the web design Sydney landscape requires sharp instincts and more thoughtful questions.
Here’s what to ask before you sign anything.
1. Can I see a recent site you’ve built… and did it actually perform?
Don’t just scroll through their portfolio. Click through a few live sites. One slick homepage means nothing if it’s from 2019 and the business it was built for shut down last year. Ask about bounce rates, speed scores, mobile responsiveness, or even better, what kind of business results the site helped deliver.
If a designer can’t tell you whether their work increased conversions or time on site, that’s a red flag. You’re hiring for impact, not just aesthetics.
2. Who will actually be working on my site?
Agencies often show off their best work and most talented staff during the pitch, but then outsource the actual project to a junior or a subcontractor in another time zone. There’s nothing inherently wrong with remote work or delegation, but you deserve to know who’s touching your code and whether you’ll have direct access to them.
Ask: “If I have a question mid-project, who do I talk to and how fast can I expect a reply?”
3. What’s your approach to SEO, realistically?
Some web designers treat SEO like an optional garnish. Others throw in vague promises like “SEO-ready design,” which often means little more than stuffing keywords into page titles and calling it a day. A good designer will know where SEO begins, such as site structure, page speed, and clean code, and where their role ends by handing it over to a specialist if a deeper strategy is needed.
If they’re promising to get you “on the first page of Google” in a few weeks, get up and leave. That’s not design. That’s either naivety or a scam.
4. What happens if I want to make changes later?
Will you get a CMS you can actually use, or will you need to email them and wait three business days every time you want to update a phone number? WordPress? Webflow? Something custom?
Ask if they provide a handover guide or training and whether there are ongoing maintenance fees. Too many business owners end up held hostage by a system only one person on earth understands—and that person just moved to Bali.
5. How do you price projects, and what’s not included?
Designers love transparency when it comes to money. Get it all in writing. Is it fixed-price or hourly? Are stock images included? What happens if you go over the revision limit?
In Sydney, you’ll find everything from $800 templates to $80,000 custom builds. Neither is automatically bad. It depends on your needs, but if you’re unsure whether the quote is reasonable, ask for a line-item breakdown. A legit designer won’t flinch.
6. Can I talk to one of your previous clients?
Forget testimonials on the website. If a designer can’t give you one real client willing to talk about their experience, they either burned bridges or never built them to begin with.
When you speak to the client, don’t just ask if they liked the site. Ask how the designer handled hiccups, communication gaps, and timelines. That’s where the real story is.
7. What happens if we disagree on the creative direction?
You love minimalism. They keep adding gradients and icons with drop shadows from 2006. Now what?
Before you hire, figure out how the designer navigates disagreements. Do they offer wireframes and prototypes early? Are rounds of feedback built into the process? Can they explain design decisions without getting defensive?
If you hear, “We’ll figure it out as we go,” take that as a warning.
8. Do you have experience in my industry or something close?
A web designer doesn’t have to be an expert in your niche, but if you run a local law firm and all they’ve built are e-commerce fashion sites, expect some mismatched instincts. Good designers do their homework, ask intelligent questions, and aren’t afraid to say, “I’ll need to research that.”
The wrap
You don’t need to be a developer to hire a web designer, but you do need to be a sharp question-asker. The right questions can reveal how someone thinks, communicates, and handles the messiness of real projects. Don’t fall for polished portfolios alone. Dig deeper, ask specifically, and listen to how they respond when things get uncomfortable.
Because in web design, as in life, it’s not just about how pretty things look. It’s about how well they work when no one’s watching.