How to Choose a Web Developer: 9 Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Most people choose a web developer on two things: the price, and whether the portfolio looks good. Both matter and neither is enough. The sites that arrive for repair a year or two later were almost always built by someone with a reasonable portfolio and a sensible price — the problem was in what nobody asked beforehand.

Here are nine questions worth asking anyone who offers to build you a site. Including me. The answers matter less than the willingness to answer them clearly.

1. Whose Name Will the Domain, Hosting and Code Be In?

The only acceptable answer: yours. The domain registered to you, the hosting account yours, and the code — including admin access — in your hands from day one. A developer who registers the domain in their own name "for convenience" has created a dependency that will cost money the day you want to part ways. I went deeper in the ownership guide.

2. What Exactly Is Included, and What Isn't?

"A website" is a broad word. Content — who writes it? Images — who supplies them? Design — how many rounds? Languages — one or two? WhatsApp integration, forms, analytics? A good proposal itemises. A proposal that says "complete brochure site" in one line leaves all of those questions for an argument later.

3. What Happens After Launch?

The question most people don't ask. Is there a warranty period for faults? What does a small change cost in six months? Is there a maintenance plan, and what does it cover? An unmaintained site breaks — I wrote about what happens when it blows up — and it's better to know in advance who's responsible.

4. Will the Site Be Accessible to IS 5568?

Not "accessibility can be added", but — is it part of the build. In Israel it's an obligation, not a feature. If the answer includes the words "plugin" or "widget", read this before continuing. A good answer talks about code, keyboard testing and an accessibility statement.

5. How Will You Make Sure the Site Is Fast?

A good answer contains a number or a tool: "we test in PageSpeed Insights before launch", "our target is green on mobile". A weak answer: "the site will be fast". Speed isn't a feeling, it's a measurable metric — and you can ask to see one of their earlier sites in the tool, right now, in the meeting.

6. Can I See a Site You Built Two Years Ago — as It Looks Today?

A portfolio shows launch day. The interesting question is what happened afterwards: is the site still up? Still fast? Still accessible? A good developer is happy to show an older site. If every example is from the last few months, it's worth asking why.

7. Who Do I Talk To During the Project?

The contact in the meeting isn't necessarily the builder. That's fine in a larger company, but know it up front: who answers a question on a Tuesday afternoon, and how quickly. "A direct line to the person building it" and "a project manager who passes things along" are two entirely different experiences, and both are legitimate — as long as you weren't promised one and given the other.

8. If You Disappear Tomorrow — What Do I Do?

An uncomfortable question, and an important one. The good answer: "you have every access, the code is documented, and any reasonable developer can pick it up." If the answer revolves around "we don't disappear" — that isn't an answer. Developers don't vanish on purpose; they change careers, move abroad, close businesses. Your site needs to survive that.

9. What Won't You Do?

A developer who can say "I don't do that, get someone who specialises" is worth more than one who says yes to everything. Nobody is an expert in code, design, copywriting, paid campaigns and photography all at once. An honest answer about limits is a very good sign — it says the other answers were honest too.

A good site isn't one that looks excellent on launch day. It's one that still works, is still yours and can still be fixed — three years from now.

How to Use the List

You don't need to interrogate anyone. Ask the questions in the intro call, pleasantly, and notice not just the answers but their pace. Someone who does this seriously answers all of them without effort, because they've already thought about it. Someone who stumbles on question 1 or 8 — think again.

And if you'd like to hear how I answer these nine — let's talk. I promise to answer the eighth one too.