How to choose a web designer in Jersey: 10 questions to ask

Search for web design in Jersey and you will find agencies that have been in St Helier for twenty years, freelancers working from home, and remote studios like us. Quotes for what sounds like the same website can differ tenfold. The questions below sort that out. Ask every one of them of every designer you talk to, us included.

Want to see who builds websites on the island first? Our list of web designers in Jersey sets out what each studio offers and which publish prices.

1. Whose name will the domain be registered in?

The answer should be your business, in a registrar account you can log into. The domain controls your website and your email, and a designer who holds it holds your business online. If you have been caught by this before, our guide to getting a website and .je domain back explains the way out.

2. What will it cost over three years, not just to build?

Ask for the build price, the monthly or yearly hosting, and what changes cost, then add them up over three years. A cheap build with expensive hosting can cost more than the other way round. Our guide to what a website costs in Jersey has the full comparison, and our cost table shows our own prices added up the same way.

Already have a website? Before you collect quotes, check whether it needs replacing at all: our guide to when to redesign, fix or keep a website has a simple checklist.

3. What does hosting include, and does the price change after year one?

Hosting should mean more than a server: security, updates, backups and someone to contact. Check whether an introductory price rises at renewal, and whether an SSL certificate, backups or email are charged on top.

4. How are changes handled, and are they charged?

Every site needs small changes: new prices, opening hours, a photo. Find out whether you make them yourself, send them in, or pay per change, and how quickly they are usually done.

5. How long is the contract, and what happens if I leave?

Ask for the minimum term and the notice period, and what you take with you when you go: your content, your images, the domain, and ideally the site itself or an export of it. “Nothing, because we own the design” is an answer worth knowing before you sign.

6. Can I see sites you have built, on my phone?

Open two or three of their live sites on your own phone, on 4G, not on their laptop in a meeting. Do they load quickly? Can you find the phone number in five seconds? You can also paste any address into Google’s free PageSpeed Insights (opens in a new tab) to see how fast it loads.

7. Who will I actually deal with, and how?

Some firms put a salesperson in front of a team you never meet; some are one person. A designer based on the island can meet you in person and may already know your market. A remote studio works by phone, WhatsApp and email and can often cost less. Neither is better by default. What matters is who answers when something breaks, and how fast. We are a UK studio working remotely, and we say so up front.

8. How will people find the site?

A good answer mentions page titles written for what customers search, a Google Business Profile, fast loading on phones and a way to measure results. Our local SEO guide covers the basics. A bad answer is a promise.

9. Does it cover the legal basics?

A privacy notice, cookie consent that works before analytics load, your business details and, if you sell online, the distance selling information. Jersey businesses also need to register with the JOIC. Our guide to what a Jersey business website must show lists it all.

10. Can I talk to a client?

Named testimonials and Google reviews help, but a five-minute call with someone they built a site for tells you more. A designer with happy clients will not mind you asking.

Red flags

• The domain is registered in the designer’s name.
• No price in writing before work starts.
• A long contract with no clear way out, or hosting that jumps in price after the first year.
• “Guaranteed first place on Google.” Nobody can honestly promise that.
• No live sites you can look at, or examples that are all mock-ups.

Our own answers

Since we are asking you to put these questions to everyone: your domain is registered in your name; builds start from £100 and we confirm the price before you commit; hosting is from £20 a month with no long contract, and it includes updates, so you send changes by email or WhatsApp; you own your content and domain; we are a UK studio working remotely with Jersey businesses; and you can see sites we have built, with client testimonials.