If you ask only five questionsAsk what outcome is in scope, what you must supply, what the full three-year cost is, which accounts will be in your business’s name, and exactly what you receive if the relationship ends. Get the answers in the proposal or contract.

The best questions are not tests with one correct answer. A custom build, a managed platform and a DIY builder have different trade-offs. You are looking for a clear explanation that matches your business—not a particular technology or a fluent sales pitch.

Before speaking to anyone, write one sentence: “This website should help [type of customer] do [specific action].” For example: “Help homeowners in Northern Tasmania decide whether we handle their electrical job and call us.” That sentence gives every provider the same starting point.

Questions about the job

1. What business outcome are you designing for?

A useful answer names a customer action: calls, bookings, qualified enquiries, purchases, directions or fewer repetitive questions. "A modern online presence" is not measurable enough to guide decisions. Ask what will be measured, and what the designer cannot reliably claim credit for.

2. What is included—and specifically excluded?

Ask for named pages, functions, forms, integrations, copywriting, photo work, search setup, analytics, redirects, training and launch tasks. Exclusions matter as much as inclusions. “SEO included” could mean descriptive page titles or six months of research and outreach; those are not the same service.

3. What do you need from me, and by when?

Most delayed websites are waiting on decisions, words, product data or photos. A good process identifies the owner of each input, a due date and what happens if it is late. If you are too busy to write, pay for writing or choose a process that interviews you and drafts from the conversation.

4. How many review rounds are included?

Ask when you will see work, who should consolidate feedback, and what turns a revision into a paid change. Unlimited revisions sound generous but remove the boundary that gets a project finished. Two purposeful review rounds are often more useful than ten rounds of unstructured preference changes.

5. What could move the price or launch date?

The honest answer should include missing content, extra features, third-party delays and changes after approval. Ask how a scope change is priced and approved before work proceeds. You should never discover the method on the final invoice. Under the Australian Consumer Law, services must be supplied with due care and skill and fit for their stated purpose—rights that no contract can take away.

Questions about control

6. Whose name will be on the domain registration?

Your business should be the registrant and retain access to the registrar account. For .au domains, auDA describes registration as a licence rather than ownership, but the practical risk is the same: a domain controlled through a former supplier's personal account is hard to transfer or renew. Confirm the business contact email, renewal method and recovery details.

7. Which other accounts will I control?

List hosting, website platform, Google Business Profile, Search Console, analytics, Tag Manager, email, payment provider, booking system, stock images, plugins and advertising. The business should hold the primary or owner-level account where practical and invite the provider. Google notes that a verified Search Console owner has the highest permission level and can affect how a site appears in Search.

8. What do I receive if we stop working together?

Ask about site files, database, written content, images, design files, credentials, DNS records, analytics history and a current backup. Some hosted builders cannot be moved in full; the honest answer may be “the content can be exported but the design must be rebuilt.” Acceptable—if you know before buying.

9. Who owns or licenses the words, photos, code and design?

Do not assume payment transfers every intellectual-property right. Ask the contract to identify your supplied material, newly commissioned work, reusable provider components, third-party themes and stock licences. Business.gov.au recommends identifying and protecting IP because it can be a valuable business asset. If ownership is critical or the contract is unclear, obtain Australian legal advice.

Questions about quality

10. How will you test the site before launch?

Listen for real tasks: form delivery, phone links, keyboard navigation, readable contrast, mobile screens, major browsers, slow connections, missing pages, redirects, metadata, backups and recovery. “It is responsive” only means the layout adapts; it does not prove the enquiry arrives.

11. What accessibility standard and checks are included?

Ask for a concrete answer, such as building toward WCAG 2.2 Level AA and testing with keyboard navigation, zoom and automated tools. W3C stresses that quick checks provide only an initial indication, not a complete evaluation. If accessibility is material to your service or procurement obligations, budget for specialist and user testing.

12. What does your SEO work actually include?

At minimum, important content should be present as text, pages should have descriptive titles, links should be crawlable, the sitemap should be available, and Search Console should be connected. Local businesses also need an accurate Business Profile. No designer can sell a guaranteed organic ranking; Google states that local ranking cannot be bought and is mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence.

13. How are security, backups and updates handled?

Ask who updates the platform and plugins, how often backups run, where they are stored, how a restore is tested, how forms protect customer data, and who responds to an incident. The ABS reported that 21% of Australian businesses experienced a cyber security incident in 2024–25, while 28% had no preventative measures in place. A backup that nobody has restored is a hope, not a recovery plan.

Questions about life after launch

14. What will this cost over three years?

Include the build, GST, domain, hosting, email, licences, apps, maintenance, support allowance, payment fees and a plausible annual change. Ask which prices are introductory and which third parties can raise prices. Also ask what stops working if you cancel the maintenance plan.

15. What happens in the first month—and if you become unavailable?

Clarify the defect or warranty period, support channel, response times and rates for changes. A warranty or defect period is an extra promise on top of the consumer guarantees that already apply to services under the Australian Consumer Law—it is not a substitute for them. Then ask about continuity. A solo designer can offer excellent service, but another competent person should be able to access current files and instructions. A large agency should explain account handover just as clearly.

Three checks you can do yourself

  1. Use the work. Open two portfolio sites on your phone. Find the phone number, navigate by keyboard on a computer, submit a form only with permission, and check whether important information is current.
  2. Call an older client. Ask what happened after launch, how changes were billed, and whether support remained responsive.
  3. Read the proposal backwards. Start with recurring fees, cancellation, ownership, exclusions and change charges. The attractive screenshots make more sense after the exit terms.

Red flags worth pausing for

A useful email to send every shortlisted provider:

“Please confirm the pages and functions included, what you need from us, the expected launch date, the full setup and recurring costs including GST, the accounts held in our name, the testing included, and what files/data/access we receive if we leave. Please also show one comparable project and provide a client we may contact.”

How to choose between good answers

Score each provider on clarity, relevant evidence, process, control and total cost. Do not score charisma. If two proposals solve the same job, prefer the one you can understand without a second meeting. If one is much more expensive, ask which risk or capability the difference buys.

Local knowledge is useful when regulations, service areas, seasonal demand or face-to-face contact matter. It is not a substitute for sound delivery. A Tasmanian provider should be able to explain how the site handles statewide travel distances, winter hours or tourism seasons where relevant—not merely place a map of Tasmania in the footer.

Related guides: Australian website costs, realistic website build timelines, and when a DIY builder may be enough.

Sources and method

Reviewed 7 September 2026. This is a buying checklist, not legal advice.

Commercial disclosure: Pithy is one of the web design businesses this checklist can be used to assess. We expect to answer the same questions in writing.