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These are the questions to ask a web developer before you pay anything. Stories of developers disappearing mid-project, or keeping the hosting login hostage, come up again and again in small business communities. Almost all of them could have been avoided with a few direct questions at the start.
Quick answer: ask about scope, ownership, payment milestones, speed, SEO, and what happens after launch. A good developer answers all of these clearly and in writing.
Questions to ask a web developer about the work
- Can I see three live sites you built, and talk to one of those clients? Screenshots are easy to copy. Live sites are not.
- Will you use a theme, a page builder or custom code? All three can work, but you should know which one you are paying for.
- Who writes the content and who uploads it? This is the most common source of delays.
- How many rounds of changes are included? Get the number in writing.
- What is the delivery date, and what happens if it slips?
Why these matter: a portfolio of live sites shows real speed and quality, the build method decides how easily you can edit the site later, and content and revision limits are where most timelines slip.
Questions to ask a web developer about cost
- Is this a fixed price or hourly? Fixed price with a written scope is easier to manage for most businesses.
- What are the payment milestones? Avoid paying 100% upfront.
- What will I pay every year after launch? Domain, hosting, plugins or apps, and maintenance. See our website development cost in India guide for typical ranges.
Why these matter: a written price and milestones protect both sides, and knowing the yearly costs upfront stops the budget from surprising you after launch.
Questions to ask a web developer about ownership
- Will the domain and hosting be in my name? The answer should be yes.
- Will I get the admin login and full access to the code?
- If we stop working together, how do I take the site elsewhere? A good developer has a clear answer.
Why these matter: if the domain or hosting is in someone else’s name, you do not really own your website. This is the most common problem small businesses describe when a project goes wrong.
Questions to ask a web developer about speed and SEO
- What mobile speed score do you aim for? You can check any of their past sites yourself on Google PageSpeed Insights.
- What SEO setup is included? Look for page titles, descriptions, a sitemap, schema and redirects from your old URLs.
- How are backups and security updates handled?
Why these matter: a slow site loses visitors on mobile, and a site launched without basic SEO setup can lose the rankings your old site had.
The one question to ask a web developer that most people forget
- What support do I get after launch, and for how long? Bugs show up in the first weeks. Know who fixes them and whether it costs extra.
A simple scorecard to compare developers
Ask every developer the same questions to ask a web developer from this list, then score each answer from 0 to 2: 0 for no answer, 1 for a vague answer, 2 for a clear answer in writing. The highest score is usually the safest choice, even if it is not the cheapest quote.
| Area | Developer A | Developer B |
|---|---|---|
| Past live work and references | 0 / 1 / 2 | 0 / 1 / 2 |
| Written scope and price | 0 / 1 / 2 | 0 / 1 / 2 |
| Ownership of domain, hosting and code | 0 / 1 / 2 | 0 / 1 / 2 |
| Speed and SEO setup | 0 / 1 / 2 | 0 / 1 / 2 |
| Support after launch | 0 / 1 / 2 | 0 / 1 / 2 |
Answers that should worry you
- “We will register the domain for you” with no mention of whose name it is in.
- “SEO is a separate service” when you only asked about basic setup.
- “We cannot share past client sites” with no reason.
- Prices that change every time you ask a follow-up question.
Freelancer or agency?
Use the same questions to ask a web developer for both. Freelancers are often cheaper for small sites, while agencies are easier to hold to a deadline on bigger builds. Read freelancer vs agency in India and how to choose a WordPress developer before you decide.
Send a brief before the first call
Developers give better answers when they know what you need. A one-page brief with your goal, pages, examples and budget makes these questions faster to answer. Use our web developer brief template.
Want to ask us these questions? We answer them in writing before any project starts. See how to hire a WordPress developer in India or hire a Shopify developer in India with CrestVox, or browse our website development services in India.
Frequently asked questions
What are the first questions to ask a web developer?
Start with past live work, fixed price or hourly, the delivery date, and whether the domain and hosting will be in your name.
How do I check if a web developer is good?
Open their live sites on your phone, run them through PageSpeed Insights, and speak to at least one past client.
Should I pay a web developer upfront?
An advance is normal, but split the rest into milestones such as design approval, staging review and launch.