Web design Johannesburg: 10 questions to ask before you hire

Search for web design Johannesburg and you'll find hundreds of freelancers and agencies, from one-person studios in Roodepoort to larger teams in Sandton. Prices and promises vary wildly. The questions below help you compare them on the things that actually matter once the site is live.

We build websites for businesses across Randburg, Fourways and Midrand, and these are the questions we'd want any client to ask us. If a designer can't answer them clearly, keep looking.

What should you ask a web designer before hiring?

Use this table as your checklist on every call. A good answer is specific and written down. A red flag is vague, verbal or "we'll sort it out later".

Web design Johannesburg prices: what should a quote include?

1. What exactly is included in the price?

Two quotes of R8,000 can be for very different websites. Ask for the number of pages, who writes the content, how many rounds of changes you get, and whether photos, a contact form and a blog are included.

As a guide, our website cost guide for South Africa puts a small business website at R3,000 to R10,000 and an online store at R15,000 to R50,000 or more. For most small businesses, R5,000 to R15,000 is a realistic budget.

2. What will I pay every year after launch?

The build is a once-off cost. The running costs are not. A .co.za domain is typically R100 to R300 a year, hosting R500 to R2,000 or more, and maintenance R1,000 to R5,000 or more. Ask for these in rand, in writing, before you sign.

Who owns the website, the domain and the content?

3. Who owns the domain name?

Your domain is your address online. It should be registered in your business name with an email address you control. If the designer registers it in their own name and you fall out, you can lose your address and your Google rankings with it.

4. Will I get the logins and files?

Ask for admin access to the website, the hosting account and any plugins or themes you paid for. You should be able to move to another designer or host without asking permission.

Will the website be fast and work on mobile?

5. How fast will it load on a phone?

Most of your visitors will arrive on a phone. ICASA's State of the ICT Sector 2026 report found that over 75% of South Africans accessed the internet via mobile data in 2024, as reported by Engineering News. DataReportal counts 51.7 million internet users in South Africa at the end of 2025 (Digital 2026: South Africa).

Ask how the designer tests speed. Google's Core Web Vitals say the main content should load within 2.5 seconds. A heavy theme full of sliders and animations rarely gets there on a mobile connection.

6. Can I update it myself?

You should be able to change your prices, trading hours or a staff photo without paying for it. WordPress and Shopify both allow this. Ask whether training is included and whether you'll get a short guide or video to refer back to.

If you sell online, ask which payment gateways they have set up before. In South Africa that usually means PayFast, Yoco or Ozow, linked to WooCommerce or Shopify.

How will the site help you get found and get enquiries?

7. How is SEO set up?

A new website should launch with the basics in place: a clear title and meta description on every page, headings that match what people search, schema markup, an XML sitemap and Google Search Console. These are part of a proper build, not an optional extra. Our guide to SEO services in South Africa explains what comes after that.

If you are redesigning an old site, ask how they will keep your existing rankings. The answer should include redirects from old page addresses to new ones.

8. How will the site bring me enquiries?

A website that looks good but doesn't produce calls is a brochure. Ask about a WhatsApp button, click-to-call on mobile, short forms and tracking so you can see which pages bring leads. If you plan to run ads, ask whether they can build landing pages that match your Google Ads budget.

Is the website POPIA compliant?

9. Does it cover POPIA?

If your site collects names, phone numbers or emails through a form, the Protection of Personal Information Act applies. Section 18 of POPIA says people must be made aware of what you collect, who you are, why you collect it and their right to complain to the Information Regulator.

In practice, that means a privacy policy page, a short notice near each form and a secure (SSL) site. A designer doesn't need to be a lawyer, but they should know this is needed.

What happens after the website goes live?

10. What support, timeline and proof can you give me?

Ask for a written timeline. Most business websites take two to four weeks once the content is ready; online stores take longer. Then ask what happens if something breaks: who fixes it, how fast and at what cost. Check who does backups and how often.

Finally, ask to see live websites they have built and read their Google reviews. Elly Kabuika, whose online store we built, wrote that "every idea and detail I envisioned for my website was executed with care and precision." Lys Ilunga said Jonathan "went the extra mile to make sure all our emails were working" during their site revamp. Reviews like these tell you how a designer behaves after the deposit is paid.

Should you hire a freelancer or an agency in Johannesburg?

Both can work. A freelancer is often cheaper, typically R1,500 to R15,000 or more, but you rely on one person for support. An agency usually costs more and can also handle your Google Business Profile, ads and social media, so your website and marketing work together.

What we see with clients is that the cheapest quote often becomes the most expensive website, because it needs rebuilding within two years. Ask the ten questions above to both and compare the written answers, not just the price.

Key takeaways

• Get every quote in writing, with pages, features and revisions listed.
• Ask for yearly running costs (domain, hosting, maintenance) in rand before you sign.
• Make sure the domain, hosting and logins are in your business name.
• Insist on a mobile-first site that loads its main content within 2.5 seconds.
• SEO basics, WhatsApp and enquiry tracking should be part of the build.
• Forms need a privacy policy and notice to meet POPIA.
• Check live examples and Google reviews before paying a deposit.

Want answers to all ten questions for your own project? See our web design Johannesburg service, book a free strategy call or WhatsApp us on 075 319 2198.

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