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How to Choose a Web Designer in Aberdeen

29 September 2026 · by Maria Glowacka

Choosing a web designer is one of those decisions a small business owner usually makes without much to compare it against. You might get a few quotes, look at a few portfolios, and pick whoever feels the most reassuring on a call. That is not a bad instinct, but a little more structure helps you avoid the two outcomes nobody wants: overpaying for something generic, or ending up with a site that quietly holds your business back for years because nobody asked the right questions before work started. Here is what I would actually check, based on the questions I think matter most before you hand over a deposit.

Start with what you need, not what sounds impressive

Before you talk to anyone, get clear on what the site actually has to do. A one page site that builds trust and gets the phone to ring is a very different project from a multipage site with a shop, a booking system or a blog. A good web designer should ask about your goals before they talk about features, and be honest if something you have seen elsewhere is not what your business actually needs yet.

Ask to see real, working websites

Do not just look at screenshots. Click through to a handful of live sites the designer has built, ideally for businesses similar in size to yours, and check they load quickly and work properly on your phone. It is also worth asking whether a site is custom built or put together on a website builder or template, because that choice affects how the site performs in Google and how much it costs to change later. I have written about that difference in more detail in custom built vs a website builder if you want the full comparison.

Find out who owns the site afterwards

This is the question most business owners forget to ask, and the one that causes the most frustration later. Before you sign anything, find out whether you will own the domain, the hosting and the finished files, or whether you are locked into the designer's platform and have to go back to them (and pay them) for every small change. A designer who is confident in their work should be happy to hand over full ownership once the project is paid for.

Check the timeline and how you will actually work together

Ask how long the build will realistically take, how many rounds of changes are included, and how you will communicate along the way. A vague answer here is often a sign of a vague process. You want someone who gives you a real turnaround time and keeps you updated, rather than a site that goes quiet for weeks after the first call.

Get a clear, written quote before you commit

A proper quote should say what is included, what is not, and what anything extra would cost, so there are no surprises halfway through. If a price seems unusually low, ask what is missing compared to a fuller quote elsewhere, whether that is ongoing support, extra pages or a proper mobile build. It is far better to ask that question before you start than after. If you want a general sense of what different types of website actually cost in Aberdeen right now, I have covered typical ranges in how much a website costs in Aberdeen.

Ask how the site will actually perform once it is live

A website that looks good but loads slowly, or is awkward to use on a phone, will quietly cost you customers no matter how nice the design is. Ask your designer directly how they approach page speed, mobile friendliness and basic search engine fundamentals such as page titles, meta descriptions and image alt text. You do not need to understand the technical detail yourself, but a designer who has a clear, specific answer is a very different prospect from one who just says the site will be optimised without explaining what that means. This is often where the gap between a template based site and a properly built one shows up most, since a site built around your business rather than a generic layout is easier to keep fast and easy to search as it grows.

Notice how they treat you before you have signed anything

How a web designer handles the enquiry stage is usually a fair preview of what working with them will be like. Do they ask real questions about your business, or just quote a price off a short email? Do they explain their reasoning, or push you towards the most expensive option straight away? None of this replaces checking their work, but it is a useful, low effort signal alongside everything else on this list.

I have built more than 30 live websites for small businesses in Aberdeen and beyond, always custom built rather than template based, and I am always upfront about ownership, timelines and pricing before any work begins. If you are comparing web designers right now, feel free to send me what you are working on and I will give you an honest view, whether or not you end up working with me.