Hiring someone to build your website is difficult precisely because you are buying something you cannot evaluate. These nine questions are the ones that reveal most, along with what a good answer sounds like.
1. Do I own the website when it is finished?
Listen for: an unhesitating yes, covering the domain, the content and the files.
Some arrangements leave you renting a site you paid to build. Ask specifically what happens if you leave.
2. What happens after launch?
Listen for: a clear description of maintenance, and what it costs.
"That is it, you are all set" means updates, backups and security become your problem the day it goes live.
3. Can I make changes myself?
Listen for: yes, with a demonstration.
If every price change is a billable request, prices will go out of date. That is human nature, not laziness.
4. Who writes the content?
Listen for: a direct answer either way.
Content is the most commonly underestimated part of a project and the usual reason builds run late. Establish who is responsible before you start.
5. What is your approach to SEO?
Listen for: structure, speed, content and local signals.
Walk away from: guaranteed rankings, "submitting to 500 directories", or anything involving buying links.
6. Will it be fast on a phone?
Listen for: a target, and how they will measure it.
Ask them to show you a PageSpeed score for a site they built. If the answer is vague, mobile performance was not a priority.
7. Who owns my ad accounts?
Listen for: you do.
If an agency runs ads from their own account, all your campaign history stays with them when you leave. This is common and it is worth refusing.
8. Can I see sites you built that are still live?
Listen for: working links, not screenshots.
Then visit them on your phone, submit a contact form, and see how they hold up. A portfolio image proves nothing about whether a site works.
9. What is not included?
Listen for: a straight list.
Every quote has boundaries. An agency that will not name them is leaving room for invoices you did not expect.
One more thing
Notice whether they ask you questions. Someone who quotes without understanding what your business does, who buys from you and what you are actually trying to fix is selling you a template. The good ones interrogate the brief before they price it.