8 things to know before you commission a website

1. First, define what you expect from the site

Should the site bring phone calls, online orders, appointments, or simply build trust? Your answer determines the number of pages, the design and the price.

Before you approach a developer, write down: who you are speaking to, what you want visitors to do once they land, who your competitors are and which sites you like. Even this note makes the quote far more accurate.

2. Ready-made theme or custom design?

Ready-made themes are quick and cheap, but hundreds of sites use the same theme; your brand can get lost inside a template. With custom design, the site is drawn from scratch around your business, your colours and your customer.

When deciding, ask yourself: is this site my brand's most important shop window? If so, custom design pays back the difference within a few months.

3. Whose name will the domain and hosting be registered in?

One of the most common problems: the site is built, the domain and hosting are registered to the developer's account, and when you part ways the site is held hostage.

The domain (for example yourcompany.com) must be registered in your name, and the management credentials must be handed over to you. Make sure you have access to the source code and accounts after delivery.

4. How does it look on a phone?

Most visitors open the site on a phone. A site that looks good on desktop but overflows with text and has tiny buttons on mobile loses customers.

At the quote stage, open the sample work they show you on your own phone and try it. Check the loading speed too; sites that take more than 3 seconds start losing visitors.

5. Being found on Google must be planned from the start

SEO is not an ornament added after the site is finished; headings, page structure, speed and copy must be built around it from the start.

The catch: the sentence "we do SEO too" often turns out to be empty. Ask for this: correct headings on the pages, a sitemap, Google Search Console setup and content written for the searches in your industry.

6. You should be able to update the site yourself

A price changed, a new product arrived, a phone number changed; you don't want to write to someone and wait every time.

Ask for an admin panel that needs no technical knowledge. You should be able to change text, photos, products and prices yourself and get support when you need it.

7. Contract, delivery date and invoice

Work that runs on verbal agreements often ends in trouble. These three things must be in writing:

• ✓What will be done: pages, features and how many rounds of revisions are included
• ✓When it will be delivered and at which stages payment will be made
• ✓That an official invoice will be issued

8. Who will be by your side after launch?

The job isn't over when the site goes live. A bug may appear, you may want to add a page, a security update may be needed.

Ask clearly in the quote how long post-launch support lasts and what it covers. Some developers become unreachable after delivery, which is why it matters to put the support terms in writing beforehand.