How to choose a web designer in Malta

Start with what they’ve actually built

Anyone can show you a mock-up. What matters is live websites you can open on your phone, click around, and judge for yourself. Ask for a handful, and check that each one is really online and still working. If a designer can only show you screenshots, ask why.

It also helps if the sites look different from each other. If every project has the same layout with new colours, you’re probably buying a template with your name on it.

Ask who owns what

This one catches people out years later. Find out whose name the domain is registered in. It should be yours, or your company’s, and whoever looks after it should tell you clearly what’s registered and when it renews. The same goes for your email addresses and the website itself. If you ever want to move on, you shouldn’t need permission.

Ask what’s included, and what isn’t

Two quotes for the “same” website can be miles apart because one includes hosting, the domain and email, and the other doesn’t. Ask what the price covers in a list, not a sentence. We’ve put the usual answers in a guide on what is included in a business website, and it’s a good checklist to hold any quote against.

A fixed price, in writing

“It depends on how long it takes” is how a small project turns into a big invoice. You want a price agreed in writing before the work starts, and a clear answer on what happens if you want something added later. Anything extra should be quoted and agreed first, not discovered on the invoice. Our guide on website costs in Malta has real starting prices to compare against.

Who’s there after launch?

A website isn’t finished on launch day. Text changes, prices change, opening hours change. Ask who you’d call, how quickly they reply, and whether small updates cost extra. With Business Starter, for example, two small changes a month are included, such as new text, prices, opening hours or photos. Whatever the arrangement, get it in writing.

The basics people forget to ask

• Does it work properly on a phone? Most visitors will be on one.
• Will people be able to find it on Google? Basic search setup should be part of the job, not an upsell.
• Will the forms actually reach you? Ask them to send a test enquiry in front of you.
• What do you need to provide, and by when? Most delays come from text and photos arriving late. Our guide on briefing a web designer covers it.

Warning signs

A price that changes every time you speak. No live examples. Hosting or the domain quietly sitting in the designer’s own account. Pressure to sign this week. And anyone who promises a place on the first page of Google, because nobody can honestly do that.

How we do it

We start with a short online call about your business and what the website needs to do. With Business Starter, we prepare a free preview of what the site could look like before you pay anything. We design and build it, host it, set up your domain and email, and look after it afterwards, so you’re dealing with the same people throughout. Have a look at our portfolio, where every site is live.