What to look for when hiring a web designer in the UK

Hiring a web designer feels harder than it should be. The market ranges from a teenager with a Wix account to a 50-person agency quoting five figures. Everyone's portfolio looks decent. Everyone claims to "build SEO-friendly, mobile-responsive websites." The claims are identical; the quality is not.

Here's how to tell the difference, from someone who does this for a living.

The portfolio test

Look at three sites in their portfolio. Then do two things:

1. Open each on your phone. Not in a responsive preview tool -on your actual phone. Scroll through the whole site. Is it fast? Is it easy to read? Can you find what you need in 10 seconds? If any of the three feel clunky, slow, or hard to navigate on mobile, that's what your site will feel like too.

2. Run each through PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev). Look at the mobile Performance score. If their portfolio sites score below 70 on mobile, they're not building fast sites -regardless of what they claim. This is a non-negotiable test.

A designer who can't show you three live sites that load fast on mobile in 2026 is not someone you want building your site.

The tech stack question

Ask: "What technology do you build on?"

The answer tells you a lot:

• WordPress with a page builder (Elementor, Divi): The most common answer. These sites can work, but they're structurally slow and increasingly hard to maintain. Plugin conflicts, security updates, and theme bloat are your problem forever. Acceptable if budget is very tight; not ideal.
• Squarespace / Wix / Webflow: Template-based. See the Squarespace comparison post for details. Fine for simple sites, limiting for anything with SEO ambitions or integration needs.
• Custom code (Next.js, Astro, SvelteKit, etc.): Modern frameworks that produce fast, flexible sites. This is where the best small-studio work lives. Higher skill floor, but better outcomes.

There's no universally "right" answer, but there are red flags: a designer who can't name their stack, or who says "it depends" without elaborating, probably doesn't have strong technical foundations.

The SEO conversation

Ask: "What SEO foundations do you include in a standard build?"

A good answer includes specifics: structured data (JSON-LD schema), XML sitemap generation, canonical URLs, proper heading hierarchy, image alt text, Core Web Vitals optimisation, meta tags per page, and Google Search Console setup.

A bad answer is: "We build all our sites SEO-friendly" without being able to name what that means. This is the single most common empty claim in web design. Everyone says it; most don't do it.

If they can't explain what LocalBusiness schema is, or why canonical URLs matter, or what Core Web Vitals are -they're not building SEO-ready sites. They're building sites and hoping for the best.

The pricing transparency test

Before you get on a call, you should know roughly what a site costs. Any designer who refuses to publish pricing ranges (even approximate ones) is optimising for extracting maximum budget, not for transparency.

Reasonable UK pricing for a small business website in 2026:

• Freelancer (WordPress/template): £500–£2,000
• Small studio (custom build): £2,000–£5,000
• Agency (full service): £5,000–£25,000+

If someone wants a call before they'll even hint at pricing, that's a yellow flag. If they quote without understanding your requirements, that's a red flag.

Questions most people forget to ask

These five questions will tell you more than any portfolio review:

1. "What happens after launch?" The best designers offer ongoing support and maintenance. The worst hand you a finished site and disappear. Clarify what's included: hosting, updates, security patches, small changes, performance monitoring.

2. "Can I see the Google PageSpeed score for a site you built recently?" If they hesitate, the score is bad. If they proudly share it, you know they care about performance.

3. "Who owns the code if we stop working together?" On a custom build, you should own the codebase. On a subscription, clarify the buyout terms. On a platform like Squarespace, you own nothing beyond the content.

4. "How do you handle the migration from my current site?" A good answer involves URL mapping, 301 redirects, content migration, and Search Console monitoring post-launch. A bad answer is "we'll build the new one and you can point the domain over."

5. "What happens if I need a change at 9pm on a Friday?" This tells you about their support model. Some designers have rigid processes. Some are responsive and human. Neither is wrong, but you should know which you're getting.

Red flags

Walk away if you encounter any of these:

• They can't show you three live sites that load fast on mobile
• They quote without understanding your business
• They promise "page one of Google" (nobody can guarantee this)
• They charge extra for "SEO" as an add-on (this should be standard)
• They use stock photography in their own portfolio
• They can't name their tech stack
• They don't mention ongoing support until you ask

Green flags

These signal someone who takes the craft seriously:

• They ask about your business before they talk about design
• They show real performance data for their portfolio sites
• They publish their pricing (at least ranges)
• They explain trade-offs honestly ("you could do X but Y might be better because...")
• They have a clear, documented process
• They mention specific technologies and why they chose them
• They talk about what happens after launch, not just before

The TillerLabs approach

We publish our pricing. We show our Lighthouse scores. We build on Next.js and host on Vercel. We include proper SEO foundations in every build. We offer ongoing support on every plan. And we'll tell you honestly if your current site is fine and doesn't need replacing.

If you want to see whether we're a good fit, request a free website health check -we'll audit your current site and give you a straight answer.

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