Questions to Ask Any Web Company Before You Hire Them

Most of the trouble business owners run into with their websites is not technical. It is questions that never got asked at the start.

Here are ten short ones you can paste straight into a WhatsApp message. The answers tell you a great deal.

1. Whose name will the domain be in?

The right answer: yours, or your company's.

Warning sign: "we take care of that" with no detail. Some companies register the domain in their own name, and if you later want to move elsewhere you are hostage to them.

2. Who owns the website itself?

The right answer: you do, and you can take a full copy of it whenever you want.

Warning sign: a closed platform you cannot leave without starting from scratch.

3. Exactly what do I pay after the first year?

This is the most important question on the list.

The right answer: a clear written number covering hosting, domain and email.

Warning sign: "depends on usage" or "we'll sort it out later".

4. What exactly is in the price?

Ask for a written list. It should cover the pages, the domain, hosting, email, copywriting, and registering the site with Google.

Warning sign: a one-line quote.

5. When is it finished?

The right answer: a specific date, such as "within 7 working days of receiving your materials".

Warning sign: "soon".

6. How many edits are included after delivery?

The right answer: a clear number, such as "free monthly edits" or "5 edits in the first 3 months".

Warning sign: "unlimited edits" with no conditions at all. That promise rarely survives contact with reality.

7. Can I see it before it goes live?

The right answer: yes, you see the whole site on a temporary link and approve before launch.

Warning sign: "we'll publish it and adjust afterwards".

8. Who writes the copy?

The right answer: either they do, or you do with that stated clearly upfront.

Warning sign: vagueness. This is the single biggest cause of stalled projects, because each side assumes the other is writing.

9. What happens if I need a page or service added a year from now?

The right answer: a clear price per additional page.

Warning sign: dodging the question.

10. Can I speak to a previous client?

The right answer: yes, or at minimum links to sites they actually built.

Warning sign: a portfolio with no real links, or design mockups that are not working websites.

General warning signs

• A price far below the market with no explanation. See what a small business website really costs.
• Promises of the number one spot in Google. Nobody can guarantee that. See how customers find you on Google.
• Pressure to pay in full upfront before any work.
• Jargon-heavy answers to simple questions. A company that understands its work can explain it simply.
• No contract and no tax invoice. You have a commercial registration, and you should receive a proper invoice.

One last piece of advice

Get the answers in writing, even if that writing is a WhatsApp message. Verbal agreements are forgotten. Messages stay.

---

BestHost sets Saudi business owners up online: the company website, the domain, and official email in your name, delivered in about 5 days at a price you know from the first call. Send us these ten questions on WhatsApp and we'll answer them one by one.