Who will own the domain name?
Your domain is your web address. If it is registered in the designer's name, you may have to ask permission, or pay, to move it later. Designers holding a client's domain has been a known problem for years.
The safer setup is simple: the domain is registered in an account you control, with your business as the registrant and your email as the contact. If the designer offers to handle it, that is fine, as long as it is registered to you or transferred to you in writing before the project starts.
Whose name is on the hosting account?
Hosting is where the website files live. Ask who is billed for it and who holds the main login. The same rule applies whether the site is on shared hosting, WordPress or a site builder such as Squarespace or Shopify.
If you pay for a care plan that includes hosting, that can be a good deal. Just ask what happens if you cancel: can you take the site with you, and how?
Will you own the finished site?
One source puts it plainly: you own the site in practice only if your business holds the domain account, the hosting account and the admin login, and the contract says in writing that you own the finished files.
Ask for the logins to be handed over in writing when the project ends. Ask whether the photos, text and any special fonts or tools are yours to keep, or only licensed for as long as you keep paying.
- Domain registered to your business
- Hosting billed to you, or clear terms if the designer bills it
- Admin login in your name
- Written statement that you own the finished files and content
What does the contract say?
A written contract gives both sides something to point to if the work goes sideways. Read it before you sign. Pay close attention to any line where the designer keeps ownership of your site, your domain or your content. If you see one, ask for it to be changed, or reconsider the designer.
Check four more things: what is included (how many pages, whether a booking or quote form is part of it), how many rounds of changes you get, what the total price is, and what happens after launch.
Can you see something real before you pay?
A portfolio shows what the designer did for other people. It does not show what they will make for you. Ask whether you can see a working draft of your own site before you commit money, or at least a clear sketch of the pages.
Seeing the real thing lets you judge the work itself, and it keeps the first conversation about your business instead of about promises.
Common mistakes
Choosing only on price is the usual one. The cheapest quote can come with a slow site, outdated methods or a layout that is hard to use on a phone, and those cost you customers later. A flashy portfolio is not proof either, so look at how the sites load and read on your own phone.
The opposite mistake is thinking a website is quick and easy. Every page, form and feature takes time. Finally, rushing without a plan leads to arguments about scope. Write down the pages you need, what each one should do, and who will supply the photos and text. Give clear feedback, then let the designer use their skill on the details.