How to choose a web designer

Author: Milos Zekovic

Choosing a web designer is a business decision, not an aesthetic one. A bad choice can cost you time, money, and clients, while the right partner can significantly improve your brand and results. In this article, I explain what really matters when choosing a web designer and how to avoid the most common mistakes.

Why does choosing a web designer matter?

A website is often the first contact a potential client has with your business. If the site looks unprofessional, outdated, or confusing, trust disappears in seconds.

A good web designer:

thinks about users, not just colors,
understands business goals, not just design,
builds a site that works, not just looks good.

A bad designer creates an "online business card" that delivers no results.

Common mistakes when choosing a web designer

Choosing based on price alone.
The cheapest solution often turns out to be the most expensive.
Focusing only on design.
A beautiful site that doesn't convert means nothing.
No questions about goals.
If they don't ask about your business, audience, and offer, that's a red flag.
No support after delivery.
A website isn't finished when it goes live.
You don't control your domain and hosting.
If the designer holds the keys, you depend on them.
AI as a replacement for ideas.
Generated templates have no identity. AI should help, not think for you.

What to ask a web designer before working together?

Before making a decision, pay attention to the following:

How do they approach analyzing my business and target audience?
Do they think about UX and conversions, not just visual identity?
How is the site optimized for mobile devices and speed?
Do I get SEO basics or just design?
What happens after the site launches?
Who owns the domain and hosting account, me or you?
How do you use AI, to shape and accelerate ideas, or to replace thinking?

If the answers are vague or superficial, keep looking.

What does a good work process look like?

A good web designer has a clear process, for example:

Brief analysis of business and goals
Site structure and user flows
Design and UX solutions
Development and performance optimization
Testing and launch
Support and continuous improvement

Without a process, you get chaos.

How do you know you've found the right partner?

The right web designer:

asks the right questions,
explains things simply,
thinks long-term,
sees your website as a tool for growth, not just a portfolio project,
uses AI smartly, to speed up the process and test ideas, not to generate templates.

A good website doesn't need to impress designers, it needs to impress your clients.

Want a website that works for your business?

If you want a site that's fast, clear, user-friendly, and built with a clear purpose, contact me and we'll do a brief analysis of your existing site or idea, no strings attached, so you can see if and how your web presence can work better for your business.

See what working with me looks like