What to ask a freelance developer before you sign

Choosing a freelance developer often comes down to a feeling: the conversation flows, the first exchange builds trust, you sign. That feeling matters, but it won’t protect you from a vague quote, a timeline that quietly doubles, or discovering — too late — that you don’t actually own the code behind your own site.

Here are the questions worth asking before you sign, and why each one matters.

The quote: what it needs to cover precisely

A good quote isn’t just a total price. It spells out what’s included, so extra costs don’t appear mid-project.

• The exact scope: how many pages, which features (contact form, blog, multilingual support), and what’s explicitly excluded.
• The number of revision rounds included: most projects define a set number of feedback rounds. Beyond that, it’s usually billed separately — better to know upfront.
• What stays on your side: domain name, hosting, copywriting, photos. A serious quote states this in black and white, rather than leaving you to find out mid-project.
• Payment terms: a deposit at kickoff, then a balance on delivery is the most common structure, and the healthiest one for both sides.

A quote that fits on one line — “showcase website, €800” — isn’t a quote, it’s an estimate. Ask for the breakdown if you haven’t received one.

Timeline: telling a commitment apart from a wish

A serious developer gives you a realistic timeline, not an optimistic one. The difference usually shows in how they talk about it.

• A timeline measured in weeks, not days, unless the project is genuinely minimal. A full showcase website rarely comes together in under three to four weeks, content included.
• A clause covering delays caused by you: if copy or photos arrive late on your end, the schedule shifts accordingly — that’s normal, and it should be stated upfront, something I cover in more detail in my article on preparing website content before a project.
• Intermediate milestones rather than a single final delivery date: an approved mockup by a given date, a first live preview by another. This lets you track progress instead of finding out about a problem right at the end.

If a freelancer promises a full website in 48 hours at a bargain rate, that’s rarely a good sign — not for quality, and not for how closely the project will be followed.

Code ownership: the question people forget to ask

This is the point most often overlooked, and yet the most important one over time: who actually owns the site once it’s delivered?

• The code should be transferred to you upon final delivery, once the balance is paid. That’s standard practice for a custom-built showcase website.
• Check the third-party components: if the site relies on a paid theme, a licensed plugin, or a platform (Shopify, WordPress), ownership of those pieces follows different rules than code written specifically for you.
• Ask for full access: hosting, domain name, code repository if there is one. A developer who keeps these accesses “to keep things simple” leaves you dependent on them even after delivery.
• Be wary of silence on this topic. A freelancer who never brings up ownership isn’t always doing so by accident.

A site you can’t manage technically is still legally yours — as long as it’s written down, not assumed.

Maintenance: what happens after launch

A showcase website isn’t a static object. It needs a minimum of ongoing attention, and that’s usually where misunderstandings start.

• What the initial warranty covers: most developers fix bugs for free during a defined period after delivery (often one to three months). Ask for the exact duration.
• Who handles technical updates: on WordPress in particular, security updates need to be tracked regularly. On a static site, that need is far less frequent, a point I cover in my comparison of static sites vs WordPress.
• What a one-off intervention costs after the warranty ends: changing a piece of text, adding a page, fixing a display issue.
• Whether a maintenance contract exists, and exactly what it includes — better to know before you need it urgently.

The checklist to bring to your meeting

Before signing, these five questions cover the essentials:

1. Does the quote precisely spell out the scope and what’s excluded?
2. Is the proposed timeline realistic, with intermediate milestones?
3. Will the code and all accesses (hosting, domain) be fully transferred to me?
4. What does the post-delivery warranty cover, and for how long?
5. What does a fix or change cost once the warranty ends?

A developer who answers these five questions clearly, without dodging, is generally one you’ll have a good experience working with. Vagueness on any of them is worth digging into before signing, not after.

Let’s talk about your project

Planning a website project and want a clear quote, with no gray areas on timeline or code ownership? Tell me about your project: I’ll answer these questions from our very first conversation, before we even talk numbers.