What exactly is included?
Ask for scope in writing: how many pages, which features, how many rounds of changes and what is not included. A number without scope is not a budget.
Guide — Web design
How to choose a web designer in Nicaragua ✦
A written scope, copy that explains the offer and a site you control. These are the questions that separate a serious proposal from a cheap one.
/ Before you decide
What to ask first
Four questions answer most of the doubt. If the answers are vague before you pay, they will be vague after.
Who writes the copy?
If you supply the content the project is smaller. If the designer researches and writes it, the site reads better and takes longer. Both are valid; the proposal should say which one you are buying.
Who owns the domain and hosting?
The domain and the hosting account should be in your name. Ask for the access, not just a promise of access, before the final payment.
What happens after launch?
Ask what is covered after the site goes live, for how long, and what a change costs later. Technical SEO, analytics and the contact channels should be part of the build, not extras.
/ Signals
Signals of a serious proposal
It answers your questions in writing. Scope, timeline and price on paper, including what is left out. Verbally agreed details are the first thing to disappear.
It shows work you can open. Real sites, from real clients, that load on a phone. Ask which part of each project the designer actually built.
It asks about your business before showing design. Who buys, what they ask before paying and how they contact you today: that is what the structure of the site has to answer.
It explains what is measured. If nothing is measured after launch, the next decision is a guess. Analytics and conversion tracking belong in the plan from day one.
/ Warning signs
Red flags worth walking away from
None of these is about price. They are about control over your own site once it is published.
A price with no scope
Nobody can quote a site before knowing what it must do. A number offered in the first message, without questions, will change later or cut corners.
The domain in someone else's name
If the domain is registered by the agency, moving later costs time and money. It should always be yours.
Templates presented as custom work
Using a base is legitimate; hiding it is not. Ask what was designed for you and what came out of a box.
No access to the tools
You should end up with the hosting panel, the CMS, the analytics and the domain. Locked access is a business risk, not a support plan.
/ Keep reading
Read next
Straight answers on cost, timing and what a website should do for a business.
Guide
What moves the cost of a website
The eight things that change the scope and the number, before anyone opens a design file.
CaseClínica Beauté
A treatment map ordered by medical area, built so a patient can find the right service.
GuideHow long a website takes
Realistic timeframes by project type, and what usually delays a launch.
It depends on the scope: how many pages, who writes the copy, whether there are extra languages or integrations. That is why a scope is agreed in writing before any figure is given.
Yes. Most projects run remotely: calls, a shared folder for content and a staging link you can review from any device.
Sometimes. If the structure and the technology allow it, improving part of an existing site is cheaper than starting over. If the platform limits the work, rebuilding is more honest than patching.
Who you sell to, what makes you different in your own words, your logo and photos if you have them, and the domain and hosting access. Everything else can be researched or produced during the project.
Next step
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your project
Tell us what isn't working. We'll answer with what we'd do, what it costs and how long it takes.