How to Choose a Web Designer in Cochrane: 15 Checks
By Parker Gawryletz · Local Cochrane Web Design · Last updated: · 8 min read
To choose a web designer in Cochrane, define the business outcome first, then run every shortlisted provider through the same 15 checks: live work, ownership, written scope, SEO and speed requirements, revisions, timeline, and post-launch support. Score each provider on one worksheet and hire the one that passes in writing.
A website is a five-figure decision for many local businesses, yet most owners compare providers on looks and totals. Knowing how to choose a web designer in Cochrane comes down to process: the same questions, the same checks, and the same worksheet applied to everyone.
This guide gives you that process — 15 checks across eight areas, from outcomes to ownership to post-launch support. If you have not built a shortlist yet, start with the Cochrane web design companies compared guide, then return here to score whoever made your list.
The short answer
- Define the outcome — calls, quotes or bookings — before comparing designers.
- Judge live websites on your own phone, never gallery screenshots.
- Ownership of the domain, content, accounts and code must be in writing.
- Compare written scope line by line; totals alone hide the differences.
- Score every provider on the same 15-check worksheet before signing.
Define the business outcome before comparing designers
Before contacting anyone, write down the one action the website must produce — phone calls, quote requests, or bookings — and a realistic budget range. A designer cannot be judged fairly until you know what success looks like, because the right provider for an online store is the wrong one for a service business.
One sentence is enough: "This website exists to get Cochrane customers to request a quote." That sentence becomes the measuring stick for every portfolio, proposal, and meeting. Providers who ask about your customers before quoting are building a business tool; providers who jump straight to templates are decorating.
Check live work, not screenshots alone
Ask every provider for the addresses of three live websites they built, then open each one on your own phone. Screenshots and gallery images show design taste; live sites show speed, mobile behaviour, and whether the work still stands up months after launch.
On each live site, check three things: does it load quickly, does it read clearly on a phone, and is the next action obvious? Then ask which clients you may contact — a proud provider says yes without hesitating.
Confirm who owns the domain, accounts, content and code
You should own the domain, the website, the content, and every account — hosting, analytics, search tools — from day one. Ask each designer to confirm this in writing before signing. If the domain is registered in the provider's name, walking away later becomes expensive.
Owners discover during a dispute, or when a provider disappears, that the domain belongs to someone else or the site cannot leave its platform. One written sentence prevents all of it: "Client owns the domain, website, content, and all accounts at handover."
Compare written scope line by line
Never compare totals; compare what each total buys. Put every proposal against the same scope lines — named pages, content responsibility, SEO setup, revisions, support — and mark each item included, excluded, or not stated. The cheapest quote is usually the one with the most blanks.
Two quotes for "a five-page website" can describe completely different projects — one includes copywriting, launch SEO, and support; the other assumes you supply everything. Ask each provider to fill in their "not stated" lines in writing, then read the results against what a professional website costs in Cochrane. A total far below every published range is describing a different project.
Verify SEO, speed and mobile requirements
Every professional build should include launch SEO — page titles, descriptions, clean URLs, redirects, a sitemap, and analytics — plus stated speed and mobile targets. Google publishes the thresholds: LCP under 2.5 seconds, INP under 200 milliseconds, CLS under 0.1. Ask which targets the build will meet.
In plain terms: LCP measures how fast the page loads, INP measures how quickly it responds to taps, and CLS measures how much the layout jumps around. Be cautious with anyone promising guaranteed rankings — no honest company can promise a position in Google, and that promise is one of the 17 red flags to watch for.
Understand revisions, timeline and dependencies
Ask how many revision rounds are included at each stage, how extra changes are priced, and what the timeline depends on from your side — usually content and feedback. A provider who lists your responsibilities beside their own has shipped real projects before yours.
Two or three structured revision rounds per stage is a healthy standard. "Unlimited revisions" sounds generous but usually means the price has padding in it. For the exact wording to use in the first meeting, bring our 12 questions to ask a web designer.
Check post-launch support and portability
Confirm three things before signing: a defined free-fix window after launch, a stated monthly cost for ongoing care if you want it, and confirmation the site can move to another host or provider without being rebuilt. A 30-day post-launch fix window at no cost is a reasonable baseline to request.
Websites are software; small issues surface in the first weeks. The question is whether fixing them costs you extra. Portability matters just as much — a locked-in site quietly removes your leverage. This is how we structure custom web design for Cochrane businesses: documented ownership, a 30-day fix window, and a build you can take anywhere.
Score each provider using the same worksheet
Run every shortlisted provider through the same 15 checks below and count the passes. A check passes only when the answer is specific and in writing. Hire the provider with the most passes on identical scope — not the lowest total or the prettiest portfolio.
- Outcome defined — passes when you can name the one action the site must produce.
- Budget range set — passes when you have a written range before requesting proposals.
- Live sites reviewed — passes when you have opened three live builds on your own phone.
- Relevant experience — passes when at least one live site serves a business like yours.
- Domain in your name — passes when the domain is, or will be, registered to you.
- Ownership in writing — passes when content, code and accounts transfer to you at handover.
- Named page list — passes when the scope names every page, not just a page count.
- Exclusions stated — passes when the proposal says what is not included.
- Launch SEO itemised — passes when titles, redirects, sitemap and analytics appear as line items.
- Speed targets stated — passes when the proposal names measurable speed and mobile targets.
- Revisions counted — passes when rounds are numbered and extra changes have a written price.
- Dependencies listed — passes when the timeline names what the designer needs from you.
- Fix window in writing — passes when post-launch fixes are free for a stated period.
- Portability confirmed — passes when the site can move hosts or providers without a rebuild.
- Same worksheet applied — passes when every provider is scored on these identical checks.
Frequently asked questions
What should I look for in a web designer?
Look for live websites you can test yourself, written ownership of your domain and content, an itemised scope with named pages, launch SEO included as line items, stated speed and mobile targets, counted revision rounds, and a defined post-launch fix window. Every answer should be specific and in writing.
How do I know if a web designer is good?
Good designers show live work that loads fast on a phone, explain decisions in plain language, list your responsibilities beside their own, and put scope, ownership, and support in writing. Weak designers show screenshots, promise rankings, and answer detailed questions with vague replies and nothing written down.
Should I choose a local web designer?
A local designer is a genuine advantage when everything else is equal: in-person meetings, knowledge of the market you sell to, and accountability you can visit. In Cochrane and Rocky View County that matters. But proximity never outweighs the checks — a strong remote provider beats a weak local one.
How many proposals should I compare?
Three proposals is a healthy standard. Fewer gives you no baseline for judging price or scope, and more than four usually adds noise rather than clarity. Ask all three providers for the same named scope so the totals describe the same project, then score them on identical checks.
What should I check in a portfolio?
Check that portfolio pieces link to live websites, open them on your own phone, and notice how fast they load. Look for a clear message, an obvious next action, and designs that differ from client to client. Confirm the designer actually built each site, and ask what it achieved.
What red flags should I avoid?
Avoid providers who cannot show live websites, register the domain in their own name, quote one lump sum with no line items, promise guaranteed rankings, offer unlimited revisions with no process, or go quiet when you ask about ownership. Each of these predicts an expensive problem after signing.
Sources
See our custom web design service — an itemised scope, documented ownership, and a 30-day post-launch fix window come standard on every build — so the 15 checks pass by default.