One quote says £400. Another says £4,000. Both are for “a five-page website”, both companies seem nice on the phone, and you have no way of telling which one will still answer your emails in November.
That’s the real problem with choosing a web design company: you’re buying something you can’t inspect, from someone you’ve just met, judged mostly on their own website. And when it goes wrong, it goes properly wrong. We regularly meet business owners whose old designer vanished with the domain, or who discovered on leaving that the “their” website was never theirs at all. It’s not paranoia to protect yourself. It’s the whole job of this stage.
The good news: four questions, asked before you sign, filter out almost every bad outcome. Here they are, then the red flags, then how we answer our own checklist.
The four questions that matter more than price
1. “Who owns the domain, the website and the content if we part ways?” This is the big one, and it deserves an answer in writing. Ownership splits into pieces (domain, hosting, content, design) and you need to know where each piece sits. We’ve written a whole post on who actually owns your website, because the answer surprises most people. There’s nothing wrong with an agency-owned model as such (ours is one, more below); there’s everything wrong with discovering it at the exit.
2. “What’s the minimum term, and what does leaving cost?” Contracts aren’t the enemy. Hidden contracts are. A company that states its term and exit terms plainly is telling you it expects to keep you by being good.
3. “Which of these portfolio sites did you actually build?” Ask for two or three, then look them up and, if you’re serious, ring one of the businesses. Portfolios padded with template demos and other people’s work are more common than anyone admits.
4. “What exactly does the included SEO cover?” “SEO included” can mean a proper set-up (page titles, descriptions, Google Search Console, indexable pages) or it can mean a plugin someone installed and never opened. Make them list it. Vagueness here predicts vagueness everywhere.
If you’re also weighing up marketing help beyond the website, the same interrogation style works there too; our guide to choosing a marketing agency without getting ripped off applies it to the wider field.
The red flags that cost you thousands
Some of these look small at quote stage. None of them are.
- Your domain registered in their name. The most common trap we see, and the most expensive to unwind. The registrant must be you or your business, full stop.
- “Guaranteed page one of Google.” Nobody can promise rankings; the Advertising Standards Authority treats unsubstantiated claims as misleading for good reason. A company that opens with a promise it can’t keep will close with one too.
- No prices anywhere. If every number needs a phone call, expect the number to depend on how you sound.
- Silence on ownership and exit. An honest model survives being written down. Evasion is the answer.
- A portfolio that can’t be verified. Real clients, real URLs, reachable businesses. Anything less is decoration.
- Pressure to sign today. Websites are not a flash sale. Urgency is a tactic, not a deadline.
One missing price isn’t always sinister, and one vague answer might be a bad day. Two or three of these together is a pattern. Walk.
How we answer our own checklist
Fair’s fair. If we’re handing you an interrogation kit, we should sit the interview.
MarketingDone4U builds websites as a managed monthly service from £99 a month, with the copy written for you, hosting, SSL and professional email included, and the site live in 7 working days once we have your completed form, content and access details. The terms, in the open: minimum 12-month term; MarketingDone4U owns the website unless you buy it out, and buyout is available; work beyond your plan is £50 an hour; support is by email or ticket, not phone. Our prices are published, our web design packages list exactly what’s inside each plan, and our guide to what you get at every website price point puts the whole market alongside them.
You might read those terms and decide the model isn’t for you. That’s a fine outcome. The point is you can decide before paying, which is precisely the courtesy this post is asking you to demand from everyone.
A fair way to compare quotes
Put every quote through the same grid and the fog lifts quickly:
| Check | Company A | Company B |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the domain? | ||
| Who owns the site and content on exit? | ||
| Minimum term and exit cost, in writing? | ||
| Copywriting included, or your job? | ||
| Hosting, SSL and email included? | ||
| What does “SEO included” actually list? | ||
| Verified portfolio examples? | ||
| Ongoing edits and support: what, and how? |
Fill it in from their answers, not their brochure. The cheapest quote often stops looking cheap around row four, and the £4,000 one sometimes earns its price. Either way, you’ll be choosing with your eyes open, which puts you ahead of almost everyone who’s ever been burned by a web designer.
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask a web design company before signing?
Four questions: who owns the domain, site and content if we part ways; what’s the minimum term and what does leaving cost; which sites in your portfolio did you actually build; and what specifically does any included SEO cover. Ask for the answers in writing. Good agencies answer without flinching.
How much should a web design company charge?
Anywhere from a few hundred pounds to five figures, which is why comparing headline prices tells you little. Compare what’s included: copywriting, hosting, email, edits, SEO scope and ownership. Our own websites run from £99 a month as a managed service, with those inclusions listed openly on the pricing page.
What are the biggest red flags with web designers?
Refusing to say who owns the site, registering your domain in their name, guaranteed Google rankings (no one can promise those), a portfolio they can’t prove is theirs, and pricing that only exists on a phone call. Any one of these is worth walking away from, however good the mock-up looks.
Is a cheap web designer a false economy?
Sometimes, but expensive isn’t automatically safe either. The question is what the price buys: a £5,000 site with no copywriting can convert worse than a £99-a-month managed one with decent words. Judge the inclusions, the ownership terms and the examples of their work, then judge the price.
How does MarketingDone4U answer its own checklist?
Openly. Websites are a managed monthly service from £99 a month on a minimum 12-month term; MarketingDone4U owns the site unless you buy it out, and buyout is available. Hosting and professional email are included, extra work is £50 an hour, and support is by email or ticket.
Got a specific situation you’d like a second opinion on? Contact us and ask; we’ll give you a straight answer either way.
Want this done for you? See our web design plans, or compare every service and price in one place.
