You have talked to three different web designers. All three said "we have plenty of references," and all three sent nice pictures from their portfolio. They all look professional. You have to decide, and you don't know what to base the decision on. One friend says "the busiest one is the best," another says "pick the cheapest."
References are the most concrete basis for this decision. But most of us look at them from the wrong angle: we look at the visuals, not at how the work actually functions. Web designer references should show you not pretty pictures, but how the job really went. In this article I walk through the checks you can do without being an expert.
Open the sites themselves, not the screenshots
The screenshots a designer sends are carefully chosen frames. Until you open the real site, you don't know what you are looking at. For every site on the list, do this:
- Open it on your phone. Most of your customers will reach you by phone. Does the site look right there? Is the text readable? Can you tap the buttons comfortably?
- Notice the speed. Open it on mobile data and get a feel for how long the page takes to appear. If you got bored waiting, your customer will too.
- Browse a few pages. Not only the home page, but a services page, the contact page and an inner page. Any broken links, missing pictures or half-finished text?
- Find the contact details. How quickly did you find the phone number or booking button?
These four steps take ten minutes and tell you what portfolio pictures never will.
Did this person really do the work?
This question can feel rude, but it should be asked. Some portfolios show the work of a team or a template provider as if it were their own. Or someone else built the site and the designer only worked on one part.
Ask directly:
- Did you build this site from start to finish, or did you work on part of it?
- Which part was yours: design, text, programming, photography?
- If you worked with others, with whom and on what?
An honest designer explains this easily. "I did the design, the client had the photos taken, and a developer friend built one section" is no flaw. An evasive answer is the real warning sign.
Have they worked in a similar field?
A dentist's website and a boutique hotel's website do not share the same concerns. A dentist needs trust and appointments; a hotel needs bookings and visual impact. If you are a lawyer, someone who has built lawyers' sites understands both what your clients look for and the limits that professional rules set.
This does not mean "only someone with experience in my exact field." Similar experience is a plus but not the only measure. The real question is: will this person be able to understand who my customer is?
Call a past client
This is the most valuable check you can make, and the one fewest people make. Ask the designer for the contact details of two or three past clients and talk to them briefly. Ask:
- How did the process go? Was it delivered when promised?
- Was communication easy? Did they answer messages?
- How did they behave when a problem came up?
- Could you get support after the site was delivered?
- Do you hold the logins, the domain name and the site management yourself?
- Would you work with them again?
The last two questions matter especially. Who holds control after delivery can cause trouble years later.
If the designer won't let you reach any client, ask why. There may be a reasonable explanation such as confidentiality, but having no references at all is also information.
Does it show up on Google?
A reference site looking good does not mean it can be found. Try this: type a referenced business's name and city into Google. Does its site appear? When you search for its service and city, the phrase a customer would type, does it appear anywhere?
The point is not to blame the designer for every site. Some sites may be new, and some may never have had any work done on visibility. But you can ask: "What do you do so that the sites you build appear in search engines?" The answer may be "a separate specialist handles that," which is acceptable as long as it is said openly.
Looking good versus bringing in business
You may see very stylish sites in a portfolio. Keep this distinction in mind:
| A site that looks good | A site that brings in business |
|---|---|
| Photos and animations are impressive | What you do is clear at first glance |
| The home page is eye-catching | Phone and booking buttons are found immediately |
| Built around the designer's taste | Written in the words customers type |
| Great on a desktop screen | Fast and comfortable on a phone |
| Delivered once | Can be updated and followed up afterwards |
Look at the reference sites again with this table. A site might win a design award, but if it loads slowly, hides its contact details and nobody finds it, it is not doing much for the business. A plain-looking but clear, fast and findable site may do far better work.
Also stay away from anyone who promises a guaranteed result. Nobody can promise in advance how many customers a site will bring. An honest professional tells you what they will do, what they will measure and what is outside their control.
Frequently asked questions
A newer designer will have few references. Should I rule them out?
No. Few references do not mean bad work. But then safeguards like a small job, a clear scope and staged approvals matter more. What you look for is honesty as much as experience.
Is an agency safer than someone working alone?
Either can be good or bad. What matters is knowing who will do the work, who will answer you, and how the work continues if a person or team leaves.
What if a past client doesn't want to talk?
One person declining is not a problem by itself. But if you can't speak to any of them, ask for other evidence: live sites, written testimonials, before-and-after examples of the work.
Conclusion
Choosing a web designer is a matter of trust, and trust comes from things you can verify, not from visuals. Open the sites on your phone, be clear about who did the work, talk to a past client and check how the sites show up on Google. If you would like to plan your site together and talk through how I would approach it, you can reach me through my website design page.