What Should You Actually Look For When Hiring a Web Designer?
If you've typed some version of this question into Google, or lately into ChatGPT, you've probably landed on the same checklist a dozen times. Check the portfolio. Ask about their process. Confirm who owns the site after launch. Get everything in writing.
All true. None of it is specific enough to actually protect you.
Because if you're a naturopath, nutritionist, or allied health practitioner, hiring a web designer isn't the same decision as hiring one for a café or a tradie business.
You're not just choosing someone who can build a nice-looking site. You're choosing someone who understands what happens when a hesitant, symptomatic person lands on your homepage at 11pm and has to decide whether to trust you with their health. That's a different brief entirely, and most generic hiring advice doesn't touch it.
Here's what I'd actually tell a practitioner to look for, having sat on both sides of this decision.
Ask to see work built for practices like yours, not just a nice portfolio
A strong portfolio is table stakes. What matters more is whether any of it was built for a health or wellness practice specifically. A designer who's only worked with cafés and tradies doesn't know why a testimonial about symptom relief needs to be worded carefully, or why your booking flow needs to reduce anxiety rather than just look sleek. Ask directly: have you built for practitioners before, and what did you have to think about differently because of it?Confirm they start with strategy, not a template
Most designers open a design tool first. That's how you end up with a website that looks polished and still doesn't convert, because nobody worked out who it needed to speak to or what it needed to say before the visuals got decided. The right question here is simple: what does your process look like before any design work starts? If the answer is vague, that's your answer.
Check they actually understand your regulatory environment
This is the one most checklists miss entirely, and it's the one that matters most in this industry. Does this person understand AHPRA advertising guidelines? Do they know why you can't make outcome claims, and how to write compelling copy that still respects that boundary? Do they understand clinical booking integrations, or will you be the one explaining what a intake form actually needs to capture? A designer who has to be taught your industry from scratch will cost you time you don't have, and the gaps usually show up after launch, not before.
Get clarity on process and communication before you sign anything
Timelines, milestones, how often you'll hear from them, what tools they use to communicate. This industry has a well-earned reputation for designers who go quiet mid-project, and practitioners are often too busy running a practice to chase someone for updates. Ask what happens if you fall behind on your part. A grounded process has an answer for that already.
Understand what you're left with after handover
Some designers hand you a finished site and disappear, which means every small update becomes a support ticket and a bill. Others build dependency into the model on purpose. What you want is capability: training, a support window, and a site built on a platform you can actually manage yourself once the relationship formally ends. Ask what happens in the weeks after launch, not just on launch day.
Get a proposal that breaks down what you're actually paying for
Design, copy, integrations, ongoing costs, all itemised. A vague quote that bundles everything into one number is where scope creep and unexpected invoices come from later. You don't need the cheapest option. You need to know exactly what's included before you agree to anything.
Watch for the quiet red flags
No live sites they can point you to.
Vague answers about who owns your site and content after launch.
Reluctance to put timelines or deliverables in writing.
None of these are dealbreakers on their own, but together they usually mean the chaotic process you're trying to avoid.
I built Elle Harrison Design Studio because I watched this exact hiring decision go wrong for practitioners over and over, usually because they were choosing between designers who all sounded the same on paper. My naturopathy background means I'm not learning your industry as I go. I already know what AHPRA compliance looks like in practice, what a booking system needs to do, and what makes a hesitant first-time visitor trust you enough to book.
If you want the fuller picture, including exact package pricing, what's included at each level, and the questions I'd want you to ask before you commit to anyone, my Services & Pricing Guide covers all of it in one place.
