Define your goal first
Before talking to anyone, write down what the site should achieve: more calls, bookings, online sales, a credible presence. Gather examples of sites you like and dislike, and note what you need from the first version. This lets you compare proposals on equal terms.
A designer who proposes the same package no matter what you describe is selling a product, not solving your problem.
Decide who inside your business will approve work and supply content. Projects drag when feedback comes from five people who disagree, or when the owner is too busy to answer for weeks.
Review the work with a customer's eyes
Open several sites they built on a phone. Do they load quickly, read clearly and make the contact path obvious? Look for work in similar fields but do not insist on exact matches. Ask what the client wanted and what changed afterward.
Beautiful design that ignores speed, accessibility or search basics can look good in a portfolio and perform badly.
Ask about the process
How do they gather content? How many rounds of feedback are included? Who will you deal with and how fast do they reply? How is progress shown, and when do you pay? A good answer is specific. Vague assurances are a warning.
Ask who writes the words and who takes photos. Content is often the slowest part and the place budgets go wrong.
Ask for a sample timeline from a past project and what delayed it. Honest designers can tell you where time was lost and how they handled it.
Check references
Ask for two or three past clients you can contact, ideally one from a few years ago. Ask them whether the work was on time, how problems were handled, whether the site still works well and what it was like to make changes later.
Search the designer's name and business for reviews, and check that they are a real, registered business.
Cover the technical and ownership points
Ask which platform they build on and why, who owns the accounts, how you can edit text yourself, what ongoing care costs and what happens if you leave. Ask how they handle speed, mobile layout, accessibility and basic search settings such as titles and redirects.
Confirm that you will have administrator access at the end. See the contract terms guide for the points to put in writing.
Compare proposals fairly
Line up the quotes in a simple table: what is included, timeline, payment schedule, ongoing costs and support. The cheapest option can cost more if you pay later for things left out. The most expensive one is not automatically better.
Trust your sense of communication. If answers feel evasive or pressured before you sign, expect more of the same afterward.
A small test project, such as a landing page, can show how a designer works before you commit to a full site.
Common questions
Should I hire a freelancer or an agency?
Freelancers suit smaller projects and cost less, while agencies offer more roles and backup. What matters is the specific people and their process.
Can I build the site myself instead?
Yes, with a modern site builder, if you have time and are comfortable learning. Consider help for anything involving search, speed or custom features.
This guide is general information. Search engines change how they work and their guidelines; check Google's current documentation for your situation. Nobody can guarantee a ranking.