Web design is an industry with very low barriers to entry. The quality range — from "looks nice but never converts" to "generates calls every week" — is enormous. Here's how to tell the difference before you pay.
Ask to see their work on mobile
Not the desktop version. Pull out your phone and navigate to the websites they've built. Do they load in under 3 seconds? Is the phone number tappable at the top? Does the layout look designed for a phone screen, or squeezed down from a desktop version? The answer tells you everything about their approach.
Ask how they handle form submissions
A web designer who can't explain simply how your contact form submissions will reach you — in real time, to your email — doesn't have a complete solution. The backend of your lead capture system matters as much as the frontend.
Red flags to avoid
Monthly fees with no clear deliverable. Timelines over 6 weeks for a simple service site. Work that all looks identical (you want someone who builds around your conversion goal, not a template). Deliverables described in design terms ("beautiful," "modern") rather than business terms ("converts visitors to calls," "loads under 2 seconds").
The right question to ask
"Can you show me a site you built that generates regular inbound leads for a business like mine?" If they can show you a live example with real results, that's the only portfolio credential that matters for your goal.