Article · · 4 min read
How to choose a website developer: a checklist before you pay
A website is cheap to order and expensive to redo. Most problems with contractors are visible before the start: a portfolio nobody can open, a price without a list of work, a domain registered to the studio. Here is a checklist of twelve questions to ask any studio or freelancer before you pay, and the answers that should make you stop.
Related service Website development — from $500SEO services — from $500/mo
In short
Before you choose a contractor, check four things: real work you can open and test, a clear list of what the price includes, who owns the domain, hosting and code after launch, and what happens after launch (support, edits, basic SEO). A good contractor answers these questions in writing before the start and does not promise top positions in a week. At Veilvex a landing page starts at $500, a multi-page site at $900 and an online store at $1,500, with the scope fixed before work begins.
In this article06
01Portfolio: check work you can open
- Open three sites from the portfolio on your phone. Are they live, fast and easy to use?
- Ask what exactly the team did on each project: design, development, texts, SEO, or only part of it.
- Look for similar tasks, not the same niche. A studio that built a good booking site for a clinic can build one for a salon.
02Price: what is included and what is not
- Ask for a list of work behind the price: pages, design, texts, forms, languages, integrations.
- Ask what is paid separately: domain, hosting, paid plugins, photos, translations, content.
- Ask how changes are counted: how many rounds of edits are included and what extra work costs.
| What to clarify | A good answer | A warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | A list of pages and features | "A site, turnkey" without details |
| Timeline | Stages with dates | "As soon as possible" |
| Edits | A clear number of rounds | "Unlimited" with no terms |
03Ownership: domain, hosting, code and access
- The domain must be registered to you, in your own account. This is the most common trap: if the studio owns the domain, it owns your address.
- You get all access after launch: hosting, admin panel, analytics, Search Console.
- You can move the site to another team without asking permission.
Ask about this before you pay, not after launch. A fair contractor says yes to all three without hesitation.
04After launch: support, speed and SEO basics
- Basic SEO is part of the build: titles, descriptions, clean addresses, a sitemap, fast loading and correct display on phones.
- There is a plan for support: who fixes bugs, how fast, and what it costs after the free support period.
- Leads are tracked: forms and messages go to your email, Telegram or CRM, and you can see where they came from.
Without these basics a new site is often invisible in search and AI answers. More on this in our article about the cost of SEO.
05Red flags: when to walk away
- Promises of first place in Google in a week or a month. Nobody controls search results.
- A price far below the market without explaining what is left out.
- No clear terms of scope, dates and payment before the start.
- The domain or hosting is registered to the contractor "for convenience".
- They cannot show a single live project or explain their part in it.
If you are choosing between a landing page and a full site, read landing page vs website. To get a scope and price for your project, write to us or see the website page.
06Frequently asked questions
Freelancer or web studio: who is better?
A freelancer is often cheaper and faster for a small site; a team covers design, development, texts and SEO at once and does not disappear on holiday. Check the same twelve points for both.
How much does a good website cost?
It depends on the scope. At Veilvex a landing page starts at $500, a multi-page site at $900 and an online store at $1,500. See our article on website cost.
Who should own the domain?
You. Register it in your own account or ask the contractor to do it in your name and pass you the access.
What should be fixed before the start?
The list of pages and features, the timeline by stages, the price, the payment terms, the number of edit rounds and who owns the result.
Want us to do this for you?
Tell us about the task: after a 15-minute brief we name the plan, timeline and price.