Website designer near me": ten questions to ask before you pay anyone

"Website designer near me" is one of the most searched phrases in the country, and the results are a mix of agencies, freelancers, directories and adverts that all say roughly the same thing. This is how to tell them apart in one phone call. Ask these ten questions and listen for the answers I have put underneath each one.

1. Can I see the prices before we talk?

The single most telling question. If the answer is "every project is different, fill in the form", you are about to be quoted based on what they think you can afford. Prices vary, but a designer who does this every week knows what a five-page site costs. Mine are on the pricing page: £395, £795, £1,495.

2. Who owns the website?

You should. That means the Wix or Shopify account, the domain and the booking system are all registered in your name, and you can log in to all of them. Some agencies build on their own account and charge you monthly to keep it there, which is fine until you want to leave. Ask directly: "If I stop paying you, do I keep the site?"

3. Who writes the words?

This is where most cheap sites fall down. A template site arrives with "We are passionate about delivering exceptional service" on every page, and it ranks for nothing because it says nothing. The words should be written for you, about your prices, your area and what happens at an appointment, from a conversation with you. Ask to see a site they built and read a paragraph out loud. If it could be any business, it is not written.

4. Is the booking system included?

For a service business the booking system is the point of the site. Ask whether it is set up as part of the build, which system they use, whether it connects to your calendar, and whether reminders and deposits are switched on. "You can add one later" means it is not included and probably will not happen.

5. Will Google understand it?

Ask about structured data, sometimes called schema. It is the code behind the page that tells Google and the AI assistants what the business is, when it is open, what it charges and where it works. It is invisible to visitors and it is what puts your hours and reviews in the search results. Most template sites have none. A designer who does not know what you are asking is not doing it.

6. Do you set up the Google Business Profile?

The free Google listing is the biggest source of local enquiries for most service businesses, and it needs to match the site exactly: same name, address, phone and hours. A good designer sets it up or tidies it as part of the build. Ask.

7. What does it look like on a phone?

Not "is it mobile friendly", which everyone says yes to. Ask them to send you a link to a site they built and open it on your own phone, on mobile data, in the car park. Does it load in under three seconds? Is the book button visible without scrolling? Can you read the prices? That is what your clients will do.

8. What happens after launch?

Ask how many days of changes are included, what a change costs after that, and whether there is a monthly plan. The right answer is a set period of changes included, then either an hourly rate or an optional plan you can cancel. The wrong answer is a compulsory monthly fee that is not on the website.

9. Can you show me a before and after?

Anyone can show you a pretty site. Ask whether they have measured what a rebuild changed: pages indexed, words on the site, structured data, enquiries or bookings. If they have never counted, they do not know whether their work works. Mine is on the HairBiba case study, old site and new site counted the same way.

10. Will you tell me if I do not need this?

Some businesses do not need a new site. They need their Google listing fixed, or reminders switched on in the booking system they already have, or their prices put on the page they already own. A designer who will say so on the first call is the one to use for the bigger job later.

What "near me" should actually mean

Local matters less than it used to. A designer in your town can meet you in person, see the business and understand the area, which helps with the writing. But the build itself happens on a laptop, and a good freelancer forty minutes away is better than an average agency next door. I work in person across St Neots, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Bedford and Peterborough, and over a video call everywhere else.

A short checklist to keep

Prices published. You own everything. Words written for you. Booking system set up and connected. Structured data done. Google listing done. Fast on a phone. Changes included, plan optional. Results measured. Honest about whether you need it.

If you want to put those questions to me, ring 07940 022854. You will get straight answers, and if the honest answer is "you do not need me yet", you will get that too.