10 Questions to Ask a Brisbane Web Designer

By BudgetByte Team • Published on 04/10/2026

Hiring a web designer in Brisbane can feel like walking through a minefield. The barrier to entry in the web design industry is incredibly low; anyone can buy a $50 WordPress template, slap your logo on it, and charge you $5,000.

To protect your business and your budget, you need to interview your potential agency thoroughly. Here are the 10 critical questions you must ask your Brisbane web designer before you hand over a deposit.

1. "Do you build custom sites, or do you use pre-made templates?"

Many agencies use generic, bloated templates (like Divi or Avada on WordPress) that load slowly and break easily. While templates are okay for a $500 budget, if you are paying thousands of dollars, you deserve a highly optimized, custom-coded solution (like a Next.js framework).

2. "Who actually writes the code? Is it done in-house or offshored?"

A common agency trick is to act as a middleman, taking your $5,000 and paying a developer in another country $500 to do the work. If communication, quality, or security is important to you, insist on local Australian development.

3. "What happens if I want to leave? Do I own the website?"

This is the most important question. Many agencies lock you into proprietary platforms or hold your domain name hostage. Ensure your contract explicitly states that upon final payment, you own 100% of the code, content, and domain.

4. "How do you handle Mobile Responsiveness?"

In 2026, mobile design isn't an afterthought; it's the primary way people will view your site. Ask them about their "mobile-first" approach and how they optimize tap targets for mobile users.

5. "Do you include initial On-Page SEO?"

A pretty website is useless if Google can't read it. Ask if their package includes proper heading structure (H1/H2 tags), meta descriptions, image ALT tags, and basic Schema Markup (JSON-LD).

6. "What are your ongoing fees?"

Beware of the "cheap" website with a mandatory $200/month "maintenance" contract. Ask for a transparent breakdown of ongoing costs, including hosting, domain renewals, and any required security updates.

7. "How fast will my website load on a mobile connection?"

Google officially uses page speed as a ranking factor. Ask the agency to provide a Google PageSpeed Insights report for a site they recently built. If the score is below 80, walk away.

8. "Can you show me a case study of a similar local business?"

Ask for proof. If you are a plumber in Brisbane, ask to see a trades website they built, and then search for that client's keywords on Google to see if they actually rank.

9. "What is your revision process?"

Scope creep and endless revisions ruin relationships. Clarify exactly how many rounds of revisions are included in the price, and what the hourly rate is if you want changes after launch.

10. "How do we handle content and copywriting?"

Don't assume the agency will write your text! Clarify who is responsible for writing the service pages and sourcing the images. If you are expected to provide the content, ensure you have the time to do so.

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