Someone offers to build your website and sends a price, and you realize you don’t know what to ask. These ten questions will cover you.
Write them down, send them in an email, and keep the answers in writing.
The ten questions
- Who owns the domain when the project is done? It should be you, in an account you control.
- Who owns the hosting account? Same answer. You want the login.
- Can I log in and make small changes myself? If not, every typo becomes a bill.
- What happens if I want to switch providers later? Ask how you’d get a full copy of your site.
- Are security and backups included, or extra? Get the answer with a price.
- What’s the total cost, including ongoing fees? Ask for monthly and yearly numbers.
- How long will it really take? Ask what could slow it down.
- Who do I call if something breaks after launch? Get a name or a number, not “just email us.”
- Will it work well on a phone? Ask to see it on one.
- What is it built on? A common platform like WordPress means you can find help later.
Watch for these
A vague answer, a rush to sign, or “don’t worry about the domain, we’ll handle it.” Those are reasons to slow down, not speed up.
One thing you can do today
Register your own domain before you talk to anyone. Then you own the most important piece from day one, and any designer works with what you already have.
Stuck? Call 763-CGRAPES (763-247-2737) any hour. Real people, 24/7 sales and support.
Register your own domain first
Chris, Cyber Grapes