10 questions to ask when commissioning a website and what makes a good answer

Onur Ertem
October 31, 2026

Commissioning a websiteinvolves questions in five areas: the scope of work, ownership of the domain and accounts, technical infrastructure, responsibility for content, and costs and support after launch. A business receiving clear, written, verifiable answers in these five areas prevents most disputes over additional charges, lost passwords, or “that was not included in this proposal” before they arise midway through the process. The list below presents ten questions to put on the table in the first meeting with a designer or company, why each matters, and what a good answer should sound like.

This list was prepared to help read different proposals against the same standard, rather than to eliminate a company. Each question first explains the risk it addresses and then the details a strong answer should contain. At the end of the article are a comparison table for placing answers side by side, answer patterns requiring attention, and points to examine when documenting the discussion.

What the business should clarify before the meeting

Before asking a company questions, the business needs to prepare its own answers; otherwise, proposals are built on different assumptions and cannot be compared. If the answer is unclear when the designer asks “how many pages,” one proposal may price a five-page structure while another prices fifteen pages. Bringing the following information to the first meeting makes the conversation concrete:

The website’s main purpose: Collecting telephone and WhatsApp inquiries, receiving quotation forms, selling products, or presenting the company.
Draft page list: The homepage, about us, services, contact, and separate pages for individual services if needed.
Existing materials: Logo file, corporate colors, product or project photos, and prepared text.
Existing accounts: Whether there is an existing domain, hosting account, or business email.
Expected timing: Any fixed date such as a trade fair, opening, or campaign.

An exact budget figure is not essential; however, sharing an approximate range helps the company propose a realistic scope. Once this preparation is complete, questions about commissioning a website can be answered far more efficiently.

Questions about scope and process

Scope questions reveal exactly what the quoted figure covers. A significant portion of disagreements in website projects arises from the two parties attaching different meanings to the same word, rather than from the price.

1. Which pages, features, and tasks are included in the proposal?

Why it matters: “Corporate website” may mean five pages at one company and a comprehensive structure including a blog, multilingual setup, and quotation form at another. Unless the scope is documented page by page, every request added later becomes a matter of additional payment.

What a good answer looks like: A strong answer provides the page list, functions such as forms and maps, mobile compatibility, SSL setup, and basic SEO settings as separate lines in an attachment to the proposal. It also clearly documents excluded work; for example, if copywriting, photography, or a second language version is priced separately, this is visible in the proposal.

2. What steps will the project follow, and what will be expected from the business at each stage?

Why it matters: Delivery dates often depend more on how quickly the business sends content and approvals than on the designer’s speed. If expectations at each stage are unknown, responsibility for delays also remains unclear.

What a good answer looks like: The company divides the process into steps such as discovery, design draft, content placement, testing, and launch; it explains which materials or approvals are expected from the business at each step. When giving a timeframe, it also states its conditions: a prerequisite such as “when content is ready” is a sign of an honest schedule.

3. How many revisions are included, and what does a revision cover?

Why it matters: The concept of revision can cover anything from a color change to rebuilding the page structure from scratch. If boundaries are not discussed, the business either cannot obtain the correction it wants or the project enters an endless cycle.

What a good answer looks like: The stages and extent of revisions are described. It is explicitly stated that changes of direction before design approval and new pages requested after launch are handled differently.

Questions about ownership and access

Ownership questions ensure that the business can access its own digital assets independently even years after the website is completed. When this subject is neglected, who controls the domain or hosting account can become a dispute when the relationship with the company ends.

4. In whose name will the domain and hosting be registered?

Why it matters: The domain is the address of the website and business email; if registered to someone else, renewals, transfers, and DNS changes remain dependent on that person’s permission. ICANN’s page explaining domain holders’ rights and responsibilitieslists providing current contact information and responding to the registrar’s requests as responsibilities of the registrant; the registration must actually belong to the business for it to meet these obligations.

What a good answer looks like: Both registrations use the business’s legal name and email address, and the designer receives access only for the duration of the work. The company states this in writing in the proposal and informs the business of renewal dates.

5. Will the administration panel and all access credentials be handed over?

Why it matters: If panel, hosting, and email passwords remain solely with the company, even a small text change becomes dependent on someone else. Missing access can delay the work for weeks when changing providers.

What a good answer looks like: The handover list includes at least the following:

An administrator account with full permissions in the website administration panel
The hosting control panel and domain registrar account
Administration details for business email accounts
Business-owned owner permissions in Search Console and the analytics property, where applicable
Registration of purchased theme or plugin licenses in the business’s name

A good company hands over this list in writing and recommends that the business change passwords after delivery.

Questions about technical infrastructure

Technical infrastructure questions determine who will be able to develop the website tomorrow and how easily, more than how it looks today. Their answers directly affect the business’s freedom to work with another team in the future.

6. What platform will the website use, and can someone else take it over?

Why it matters: A closed system known only to the company that built it creates permanent dependence on that company for maintenance and development. A widely used, documented platform allows another developer to take over the work.

What a good answer looks like: The company names the platform, explains its selection through the project’s needs, and demonstrates that content can be exported. For example, in WordPress, the Tools > Export screen exports posts, pages, and categories into a single file; the existence of this kind of exit route is the technical expression of ownership. For further detail on differences between platform options, the comparison of WordPress and ready-made website builders provides a detailed framework.

7. How will mobile compatibility, speed, and basic SEO settings be checked?

Why it matters: “Mobile-friendly” and “SEO-friendly” appear in almost every proposal, but they cannot be measured unless the checks are documented. If page titles, descriptions, a sitemap, and settings allowing search engine access are missing on launch day, the website may remain invisible for months.

What a good answer looks like: The company lists the tests it will perform before launch: display on different phone sizes, form submission, page speed measurement, title and description fields, and sitemap submission to Search Console. It does not promise rankings; Google’s guide to choosing an SEO specialist also emphasizes that nobody can guarantee first place on Google. All aspects of the technical side are discussed separately in the SEO-friendly website checklist article.

Questions about content and legal texts

Content questions address the risk of the website remaining unpublished for weeks while waiting for text and images even though its framework is ready. This area also covers the legal texts required by forms collecting personal data.

8. Who will prepare the text, images, and legal texts?

Why it matters: Many projects are delayed by content rather than design. Also, when a contact or quotation form collects personal data, a privacy notice is required under KVKK (Turkey’s Personal Data Protection Law), and the business is responsible for its contents as the data controller.

What a good answer looks like: The company explicitly states which texts it will write, which are expected from the business, and where photos will come from. If stock images will be used, it specifies their licensing status. For legal texts, it prepares the page structure and form consent checkboxes and recommends that the business consult its own advisor on the legal content; this distinction is safer than a vague answer such as “we will handle the legal text.”

Questions about costs and what happens after delivery

Questions about costs and the period after delivery make the items following the first invoice visible. A proposal with an apparently low setup fee can become a very different picture once annual renewals and paid support are included.

9. What recurring costs will arise after launch?

Why it matters: Domain and hosting renewals, paid theme or plugin licenses, business email, and optional maintenance recur annually or monthly. Unless these items appear in the proposal, the budget plan goes off course after the first year.

What a good answer looks like: The company shows the setup fee and annual items separately and explains in whose name each item will be invoiced. This distinction matters because scope must be equalized when comparing prices; the factors determining pricing are also explained in the article on factors determining corporate website prices .

10. How will support and maintenance work?

Why it matters: Updates, backups, and small adjustments continue after launch. Unless it is clear which requests are free, which are charged, and how quickly responses will be provided, uncertainty arises at the first problem.

What a good answer looks like: The company describes the support period after delivery, the scope of maintenance services (updates, backups, security checks, content changes), and the communication channel. It also explains that maintenance is optional rather than mandatory and that the business can choose to manage the panel itself; a brief training session on panel use is a natural part of this answer.

Let us answer these ten questions together

Let us clarify the scope, ownership arrangements, and recurring items together in a free preliminary assessment, discussing the questions one by one in relation to the project. When requirements are sent through WhatsApp, the written proposal is also ready the same day, and there is no need to rush the decision.

WhatsApp 0532 690 9924

Answer comparison table

When speaking with several companies, answers must be read against the same standard; otherwise, the most memorable presentation may look like the best proposal. The table below places strong answers and answers requiring attention side by side for questions about commissioning a website:

Question area	Strong answer	Answer requiring attention
Scope	Page and function list documented in the proposal attachment	“We will build a corporate website; we will discuss the rest later”
Process and timeframe	Steps and prerequisites clear, reasons for delays defined	An unconditional and very short deadline
Domain and hosting	In the business’s name, using the business’s email	“It stays in our account; there will be no problem”
Access credentials	Written handover list, administrator permissions with the business	Panel access with editor permissions only
Platform	Named, documented, and exportable	An unnamed system known only to the company
SEO and speed	A checklist before launch, without ranking promises	A promise of “we get you onto the first page”
Content	Responsibility for preparation and image licensing are clear	Content responsibility is never discussed
Recurring costs	Annual items on separate lines	Only the setup fee is mentioned
Support	Scope, channel, and expected response are described	“Call whenever you need anything”

The “requiring attention” column alone is not sufficient to eliminate a company; however, if several of these answers appear together at the same company, the likelihood of surprises later in the process increases.

Answers that may count as warning signs

Some answers deserve careful attention independently of the question itself. The following patterns do not indicate bad faith on their own, but they are points that should be clarified before proceeding:

A promise of the first page or first position on Google within a specific period
Insistence on registering the domain in the company’s name
Avoiding documentation of the scope or proposing only a verbal agreement
Not naming the platform, or saying “custom software” while evading the question of exporting
Being unable to show any live examples of previous work
Saying the website will be shut down if maintenance fees are not paid

When one of these signs appears, asking an additional question and requesting the answer in writing often clarifies the situation. To assess the company’s overall competence, the website development company selection guide provides complementary criteria for portfolios and communication.

Documenting answers: what to examine in proposals and contracts

No matter how well questions about commissioning a website are answered, the answers received during a meeting have no binding value unless they enter the proposal or contract text. The written text is the only record showing that both parties understood the same thing, and it becomes the first document to consult if a dispute arises later.

When reading the text, first check the scope attachment: do the page list, functions, and excluded work match the meeting discussion? Then examine the payment plan and which payment is due at which stage. Finally, check whether the text specifies whose name the domain, hosting, and licenses will be under and which access credentials will be provided at delivery.

WhatsApp or email correspondence may also form part of this record. Summarizing the discussion in a short message after the meeting and requesting the other party’s approval is a practical safeguard even in small projects without a formal contract.

Common mistakes in the questioning process

The most common mistake is focusing questions solely on price; the lowest proposal received without asking about scope and ownership can become the most expensive option through items added later. The second common mistake is being impressed by a good presentation and failing to request written answers.

The third mistake is asking different questions of different companies; this prevents placing proposals side by side. When questions about commissioning a website are put to every company in the same order and answers are entered in the table above, the comparison becomes fair. The fourth mistake is leaving content preparation entirely to the designer without adding the business’s own expertise to the text; the business itself knows the service details best.

If the working model is still undecided, the comparison of a freelance designer and an agency provides a separate resource on working with an individual designer or a team; this decision also determines to whom the questions above will be addressed.

Let us adapt the question list to your project

At Onur Freelance, domain and hosting registration is completed directly in the business’s name, the administration panel is delivered with training, and the scope is documented line by line in the proposal. When the page list, existing accounts, and target date are sent through WhatsApp, let us clarify the answers to these ten questions together for your specific project.

WhatsApp 0532 690 9924

Frequently asked questions

What is the first question to ask when commissioning a website?

The first question is which pages, functions, and tasks are included in the proposal. Price and timeframe comparisons cannot be made reliably until the scope is clarified in writing.

What happens if the domain is registered in the designer’s name?

Renewals, transfers, and DNS changes remain dependent on the permission of the person holding the registration. Registering the domain in the business’s name using its email address from the outset removes this dependence.

Can you request a ranking guarantee from a web design company?

You can ask, but a guarantee given should not be considered reliable; Google states in its own guide that nobody can promise first place. Instead, request a list of the technical checks to be performed before launch.

What should you examine when comparing proposals?

First equalize the scope, then compare setup fees and annual items separately. Ownership, access handover, and support terms are as decisive as price.

Is commissioning a website without a contract risky?

When scope and ownership are not documented, there is no record to consult in a dispute. Even in small projects without a formal contract, summarizing the discussion by message and obtaining approval is a practical safeguard.

Which access credentials should be requested at delivery?

Request a full-permission administration panel account, hosting and domain accounts, business email administration, and ownership of Search Console and analytics where applicable. Paid theme and plugin licenses must also be registered in the business’s name.

Who should write the website text?

This must be clarified in the proposal; some companies include copywriting in the scope, while others expect it from the business. Whichever option is chosen, contributions from the business, which knows the service details best, strengthen the result.

How many companies is it enough to speak with?

There is no fixed number; what matters is putting the same question list to every company in the same order. Answers can then be compared in the same table, and the decision is based on substance rather than presentation.