Hiring a web designer for a Tipperary business involves comparing more than page layouts. Use the interview to clarify the proposed work, content responsibilities, access, testing and handover before accepting a quote.
This scorecard gives you a consistent set of questions and a place to record evidence. It is a practical comparison aid, not a validated test or a prediction of rankings, enquiries or project delivery.
Use the same agreed brief when comparing freelancers and agencies. Record the answer, supporting example or proposal reference, and any question still awaiting clarification.
Interview each provider using the questions below and ask for evidence relevant to your project.
Score each question against its stated maximum: use the ten-point scale for a (0–10) question and the five-point scale for a (0–5) question.
Add the question scores. The five ten-point questions and ten five-point questions have a combined maximum of 100.
Review the evidence and unresolved requirements alongside the total. Use the score ranges below to guide follow-up questions.
Evidence level: unanswered or unsupported / vague / partly evidenced / specific and evidenced. Apply that sequence using the appropriate scale below.
Ten-point question: award 0 / 2 / 5 / 10 for those four evidence levels. Never award more than 10.
Five-point question: award 0 / 1 / 3 / 5 for the same four evidence levels. Never award more than 5.
Full marks: the “Score 10 if” or “Score 5 if” notes describe the answer to look for. Ask for a relevant example or written commitment; a list of terms alone is not evidence.
Not applicable: agree which questions apply to the project before comparing providers. Mark an excluded question N/A and award no points. Report earned points out of the applicable maximum. If you also need a percentage, calculate earned points ÷ applicable maximum × 100, label it “adjusted %”, and use the same exclusions for every provider. If no questions apply, do not calculate a percentage. Keep unanswered relevant questions in the maximum and flag them for follow-up.
Ask: “How would customers find the relevant information and contact us, book or buy?”
Score 10 if: They relate the page structure, content, project evidence and calls-to-action to your customers and identify how the agreed journey will be checked.
Red flags: A promised increase in enquiries without evidence, or no explanation of the proposed customer journey.
Ask: “Who do you think our main customer types are, and what do they need to see before contacting us?”
Score 10 if: They ask smart questions about your ideal jobs, margins, location, competition, and customer objections (price, trust, urgency).
Red flags: They jump straight into design preferences or templates.
Ask: “What are the project stages, milestones and dependencies?”
Score 10 if: They explain their proposed process, deliverables, approval points and what each party must provide before launch.
Red flags: No written milestones or responsibilities, or a schedule that ignores content and approval dependencies.
Ask: “What is included in your price, what isn’t, and how do you handle changes?”
Score 10 if: Their proposal has pages, features, revisions, content responsibilities, and a change-request process.
Red flags: Vague “up to X hours” pricing with no deliverables, or unlimited changes.
For website planning, build stages and handover considerations, see Web Design Tipperary.
Ask: “Do you write or structure content, or do we need to provide everything?”
Score 5 if: They guide content, provide templates, and actively improve clarity even if you supply text.
Red flags: “Just send whatever you have” with no editing or structure.
Ask: “How would you explain our services and the next step for a customer?”
Score 5 if: They describe relevant service details, genuine evidence, customer questions and clear contact instructions, with an approval process.
Red flags: Keyword repetition or invented claims taking priority over accurate business information.
Ask: “Which evidence would be useful for our customers?”
Score 5 if: They suggest relevant testimonials, case studies, project photographs and applicable accreditations, with permission, fact checking and accurate credits.
Red flags: Invented endorsements, unsupported claims or examples presented without explaining the provider’s role.
Ask: “Which mobile pages and actions will you check before handover?”
Score 10 if: They describe the pages, devices or viewport sizes, readable content, usable buttons, contact routes and forms to be checked, and how findings will be handled.
Red flags: No agreed mobile checks or a guarantee of conversions from responsive design alone.
Ask: “How do you decide what the homepage should include?”
Score 5 if: They refer to user intent, priority actions, and hierarchy.
Red flags: “We’ll make it look premium” without specifics.
Ask: “Which SEO tasks are included, and which are excluded?”
Score 5 if: They specify relevant page titles, descriptions, headings, internal links and indexability checks, with responsibilities and any separately quoted work.
Red flags: Guaranteed Google positions or an undefined promise to “do SEO”.
Ask: “How would you present our services and the Tipperary areas we actually serve?”
Score 5 if: They propose accurate business and service-area information, genuine local evidence and relevant internal links. Any location pages or Google Business Profile work should have a clear purpose and agreed scope.
Red flags: Invented locations, copied town pages or promised rankings.
For our published search visibility service scope, see SEO Tipperary.
Ask: “What do you do to make the site fast and secure?”
Score 5 if: They mention caching, image compression, Core Web Vitals basics, clean plugins, updates, backups, SSL, spam protection, and staging environments.
Red flags: No mention of performance or security.
Ask: “Who owns the domain, hosting, and website files? Can we move the site if needed?”
Score 5 if: You own the domain, admin access is provided, and migration is possible.
Red flags: They register your domain in their name or lock you into proprietary systems.
For platform, editing and handover considerations, see WordPress Websites Tipperary.
Ask: “What will be measured, who controls the accounts and how will setup be checked?”
Score 5 if: They specify the agreed accounts, events, access and reporting. They explain the limits of each measure, such as a phone-link click not confirming a completed call.
Red flags: Undefined reporting or presenting clicks as completed enquiries or sales.
Ask: “What support do you offer after launch, and what does it cost?”
Score 5 if: They offer a clear maintenance plan or support arrangement with updates, backups, and a response process.
Red flags: They disappear after launch or can’t explain ongoing responsibilities.
These ranges are editorial prompts for comparing the evidence you have recorded, not validated hiring thresholds. A total does not predict delivery, rankings or enquiries. When questions are N/A, compare providers on the same applicable questions and keep the earned score and available maximum visible; the ranges apply only to the full 100-point version.
85–100: Review the strongest evidence
Confirm important commitments in the written scope and check relevant references before choosing.
70–84: Good, but check gaps
Review weak areas (often content, SEO, or post-launch support).
55–69: Clarify missing evidence
Identify which required answers are incomplete and request clarification before comparing again.
Below 55: Revisit unresolved requirements
A low score may reflect missing information. Ask for the relevant evidence and decide whether the proposal meets your requirements.
They guarantee Google rankings.
They won’t give you admin access to your site.
They want the domain/hosting in their name.
They can’t describe a timeline or process.
Their proposal has no clear deliverables (pages/features/revisions).
They promise “unlimited changes” with no scope control.
How would customers find the relevant information and contact us, book or buy?
Who are our main customer types, and what do they need to see before contacting us?
What are the project stages, milestones and dependencies?
What’s included in your price, what isn’t, and how do you handle changes?
Will you help structure or write content? What do you need from us?
Which mobile pages and actions will you check before handover?
Which SEO tasks are included, and which are excluded?
How would you present our services and the Tipperary areas we actually serve?
What do you do to make the site fast and secure?
Who owns the domain, hosting, and website files—can we move the site later?
What will be measured, who controls the accounts and how will setup be checked?
What support do you offer after launch, and what does it cost?
For a checklist of written deliverables, see our Web Design Tipperary Cost Guide. Use the Website Budgeting Guide to record initial costs, renewals and optional work. If you want to discuss a project with Istech, contact us with your website address, required pages and features, and intended timeframe.
Do I need to hire the highest-scoring designer?
No. Review the written scope, relevant evidence, references, communication and your project requirements. The score helps organise the discussion; it does not establish which provider will deliver the best outcome.
Should I ask for references?
Ask for a relevant project example and, where available and agreed, a client reference. Confirm what the provider actually designed, built or maintained and how that relates to your brief.
Is a portfolio enough?
Use project examples to ask about the provider’s role, the delivered features and the process. Also clarify scope, access, responsibilities and handover. You can review our Tipperary web design portfolio for published examples and project details.
What if I’m comparing an agency with a freelancer?
Apply the same brief, scoring limits and evidence requirements to both. Ask who will carry out the work, who handles questions and how responsibilities and availability are documented. Avoid assuming capability from the business type alone.
What should I clarify before accepting a web design quote?
Resolve vague deliverables, unclear account access, missing responsibilities and promises of guaranteed rankings. Confirm changes, exclusions and handover in writing before agreeing the work.
