7 Questions to Ask Before You Hire Someone to Build Your Website or App

Hiring someone to build a website or app can feel risky when you are not technical. The good news is that you do not need to be. A handful of plain questions will tell you most of what you need to know about who you are dealing with.

These are the seven I would ask anyone, including me.

You should own your domain name, your content, your accounts, and the finished work. Ask where the code and hosting live, whose name is on each account, and whether you can take everything with you if you ever switch builders.

Most delays come from missing photos, copy, and decisions, not from the building. Ask exactly what the builder needs from you and when. Ask whether writing and photography are included or whether you are expected to supply them. A site is only as good as the content that goes into it.

A beautiful site that nobody finds does not help. Ask how the builder handles page titles and descriptions, mobile layout, load speed, a sitemap, and structured data. You are not asking for a ranking promise. You are asking whether the basics are built in from the start.

You will want to update hours, add a photo, or fix a typo without calling someone. Ask what editing looks like day to day, what you can change yourself, and what needs the builder.

If the project has forms, logins, payments, or customer data, ask how those parts are tested and how information is protected. Ask where form submissions go, so you know a message from a customer actually reaches you. A good builder answers this plainly without jargon.

Launch day is the start, not the finish. Ask who handles hosting, updates, backups, and fixes, how problems are reported, and what the support arrangement looks like. Get the answer before the project starts.

Ask to see real projects that resemble yours. If the builder has clients willing to talk, even better. Listen for how the work went, not just how it looked.

I build websites, apps, and automations with AI-assisted tools such as Claude, Claude Code, and Lovable. That makes it faster to get a working version in front of you. It does not change the questions above. Whoever builds your project, human-only or AI-assisted, should still be able to answer all seven clearly.

If you are weighing options, bring these questions to any conversation. If you would like to talk through your project with me, start with AI and app development or a consulting conversation.