How to Choose a Web Designer in South Africa (7 Questions That Expose the Cowboys)
The web design industry has no licensing board. Anyone with a laptop can call themselves an agency — and in South Africa, plenty do. These seven questions separate professionals from cowboys in one conversation.
1. "Can I see live websites you've built?"
Not mockups. Not screenshots. Live links you can browse on your phone. No live portfolio, no deal. (Ours is right here — browse away, every link is live.)
2. "Do I own the website and domain outright?"
The single most important question. Some operators register your domain in their name and hold it hostage when you leave. The right answer: you own the domain, the site and the content, full stop.
3. "What's the total cost — including year two?"
Get the once-off price AND the recurring reality: hosting, domain renewal, changes. "R499/month forever" quietly becomes R18,000 over three years — for a site you may not even own.
4. "When do I pay?"
Full payment upfront before seeing anything is a risk you don't need to take. We flipped it entirely: we build the site first, you pay when you love it. Any designer confident in their work can carry some of the risk.
5. "Will it work perfectly on mobile?"
70%+ of SA traffic is mobile. Test their own portfolio sites on your phone — if their work is clumsy on mobile, yours will be too.
6. "Is basic SEO included?"
Titles, descriptions, Google schema, sensible page structure — this should be built in, not a R5,000 add-on. Without it your beautiful site is invisible.
7. "How long, exactly?"
Simple business sites take days to a couple of weeks industry-wide — we deliver in about 24 hours. "Three to six months" for a 3-pager means you're in a queue behind bigger clients. Get the timeline in writing.
Score any designer out of 7 — including us. We're happy to answer all seven in writing before you spend a rand.
Recent work
Every one of these was designed in full before the business paid anything.
Want a website that actually wins clients?
We build it first — you only pay when you love it. Every quote is tailored to your project.
⚡ Get My Instant QuoteBuilding something bigger — a mobile app, a CRM or custom software? Those are scoped and quoted per project.
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask a web designer before hiring them?
Ask: Do I own the website outright? Can I see live sites you've built? What's included in the price — and what costs extra later? How long will it take? Is SEO included? Who owns the domain? What happens if I want to leave?
What are red flags when hiring a web designer?
No portfolio of live sites, monthly 'rental' pricing without ownership, registering the domain in their own name, vague timelines, and full payment demanded upfront before you've seen anything.