Questions to ask before you pay someone to build your website

Before you hand over your money

You have decided your business needs a proper website. Maybe your current one looks dated, or you never had one and customers keep asking for a link. Either way, you are about to spend real money, and the person on the other end of the email knows more about websites than you do. That is normal. You do not need to become a web expert to protect yourself. You just need to ask a handful of plain questions before you pay a deposit. The answers will tell you whether you are dealing with someone who will look after you or someone who will disappear the moment the invoice clears.

Who actually owns the website when it is finished?

This is the single most important question, and it is the one owners forget to ask. Some builders keep the domain name, the hosting account, and the content management system in their own name. That means if you ever fall out, or they close up shop, you cannot take your website with you. You are stuck.

Ask directly: will the domain be registered in my business name, with my email address as the contact? Will the hosting account be mine? If I leave, can I take the site files and move them somewhere else?

• The domain should be in your name, not theirs.
• You should have your own login to the hosting account.
• You should be able to export your content if you ever move.
• Get the answer in writing, even if it is just an email reply.

If they hesitate or say something like "it is easier if I keep it under my account," treat that as a warning sign. Convenience for them should not cost you control of your own business asset.

What happens after the site goes live?

A website is not a one-time purchase like a shop sign. It needs updates, security patches, backups, and small changes as your business evolves. Many owners pay for a build and then discover that every tiny edit costs extra, or that no one is watching for problems.

Ask what is included in the first month, the first three months, and the first year. Find out:

• Who updates the software and plugins, and how often.
• Whether backups happen automatically and where they are stored.
• What happens if the site goes down on a Saturday.
• Whether small text or photo changes are included or billed hourly.
• What the ongoing monthly cost is, if any.

Some builders charge a flat monthly care fee. Others charge by the hour. Neither is wrong, but you need to know the number before you commit. A website that nobody maintains becomes slow, gets hacked, or quietly breaks. That costs you customers.

Can you show me sites you built that still work well?

Anyone can show you a pretty homepage. Ask for two or three sites they built at least a year ago, then actually visit them on your phone. Load speed matters. If a site takes more than a few seconds to appear, customers leave. Check whether the pages look right on a small screen, because most local searches happen on phones.

Also ask whether those clients are still with them. A builder who keeps clients for years is usually doing something right. A builder whose portfolio is full of sites that no longer exist or no longer load is telling you something too.

How will people find the site?

A website that nobody can find is an expensive business card. You do not need to become an expert in search engines, but you should understand the basics of how customers will reach you.

Ask whether the build includes:

• Clear page titles and descriptions for each page.
• A Google Business Profile set up or connected.
• Fast loading on mobile phones.
• Basic structure that search engines and AI tools can read.

Being easy to find online is what turns all this effort into actual customers. That means a solid website, a claimed Google listing, and content that answers the questions people type into Google and into AI tools like ChatGPT. If your builder shrugs at this and says "we just build the site," you will need to handle visibility yourself or hire someone else. It is worth asking whether they coordinate with anyone who does that work, because a good website and good visibility belong together.

What are the total costs, including the ones you have not mentioned?

Website pricing is famous for surprises. The quote might cover design and build, but not the domain, hosting, premium plugins, stock photos, or email setup. Ask for a full list in writing.

• One-time build cost.
• Yearly domain fee.
• Monthly or yearly hosting fee.
• Any plugin or theme licence fees.
• Cost of future edits, stated as an hourly rate or monthly plan.
• What happens if you need more pages later.

If they cannot give you a clear number for ongoing costs, that is a problem. You should be able to budget for this the same way you budget for insurance or rent.

Who is my point of contact, and how fast do they reply?

Small businesses often hire a freelancer or a small studio. That can be great, but you need to know who you will actually talk to. If the person selling you the project is not the person doing the work, ask how communication will flow. Ask how quickly they normally reply to emails, and whether they prefer phone, email, or text.

Pay attention to how they answer your questions before you pay. If they are slow or vague now, while they are trying to win your business, imagine how it will feel six months from now when you need a change made before a busy weekend.

Do not be afraid to ask

You are not expected to know how websites are built. You are expected to know your own business, and that is enough to ask good questions. A trustworthy builder will welcome them and answer in plain language. If someone makes you feel stupid for asking who owns the domain, that is your answer right there.

Take your time, get the important answers in writing, and remember that the goal is not just a nice-looking site. The goal is a site that belongs to you, stays healthy, and helps customers find you on Google and in AI search. If that feels like a lot to manage on top of running your business, that is exactly the gap AI Worker Now fills for owners, setting up the website, the Google presence, and the AI search visibility so you can get back to the work you actually enjoy.