How to choose a web design studio: 9 questions to ask first

To choose a web design studio, ask who exactly will do the work, how they make decisions, and what happens when something goes wrong. A portfolio shows you what they can do on a good day. These nine questions show you what you'll get on an ordinary one.

I run a studio, so I know an uncomfortable truth about my own industry. Many "agencies" are one person and a freelancer they found last week. That's not always bad. It's bad when you don't know it.

The 9 questions

1. Who exactly will design my site? Ask for a name and their work. Then watch how long the pause is.

2. Who else looks at the design before I see it? In a good studio, more than one person. In mine, every design is checked by 3 to 5 people, including people with no design background. Fresh eyes catch what the designer stopped seeing.

3. What do you need from me before you start? A good studio asks for references or offers options to choose from. If they start without knowing what you like, you'll pay for it in revisions.

4. How fast will I see the first concept? Weeks of silence after the deposit is a red flag. In my studio the first concept is ready the next day.

5. How many rounds of changes are included? You want a number, said at the start. We include two.

6. Who writes the texts? If nobody does, you will, the night before launch. Words decide more than colors.

7. Can you show a project with a problem like mine? Not the same niche. The same problem: no enquiries, people leaving at booking, a brand that looks cheaper than it is.

8. What happens after launch? Who fixes a broken form on a Sunday? Is it in the price, or extra?

9. What would you not do on my project? My favorite question. A studio that says "we'd skip the video on the homepage, it slows down your phone version" is thinking about your business. A studio that agrees to everything is thinking about the invoice.

Red flags

• The price comes before any questions about your business.
• The portfolio has no projects from the last year.
• Everything is "possible", nothing is "not worth it".
• Nobody asks who your clients are.
• They promise you'll "go viral" or "double conversion" before seeing your numbers.

A two-minute test

Send the same short brief to three studios. Don't compare prices first. Compare the questions they send back. The studio with the best questions usually builds the best site.