Mumbai has thousands of web designers, from solo freelancers to 100-person agencies. Prices swing wildly, every portfolio looks polished, and it’s hard to tell who will build a website that actually brings in business. These nine questions help you tell the difference.
1. “What do you need to know about my business?”
A good designer asks about your customers, your best-selling services and what success looks like (enquiries, sales, bookings) before talking about design. If the first chat is all templates and colours, take note.
2. “Can I see live websites you’ve built?”
Mockups can hide slow, broken or hard-to-edit sites. Ask for live links, open them on your phone and try them on mobile data. Check that forms work, buttons are easy to tap and pages load quickly.
3. “How fast will my website load?”
Run a portfolio site through Google PageSpeed Insights. Speed affects rankings and conversions, especially in India where many visitors browse on 4G. A designer who cares about performance will happily walk you through their scores.
4. “Who designs it and who builds it?”
Many agencies sell with senior people and hand the work to juniors or outsource it. That isn’t always bad, but you should know. With a freelance designer-developer, the person you talk to is the person building your site.
5. “Which platform do you recommend, and why?”
WordPress suits service businesses and content-heavy sites. Shopify suits product brands. Custom code suits very specific needs. The right answer depends on your business, not the designer’s comfort zone. See WordPress vs Shopify for a small business for the full comparison.
6. “Is SEO included?”
At minimum, a new site should include clean page structure, meta titles and descriptions, schema markup, an XML sitemap, Search Console setup and 301 redirects from your old URLs. Skip the redirects and a redesign can wipe out years of rankings overnight.
7. “Will I be able to update it myself?”
Ask for a demo of the editor and a handover video. You shouldn’t need a developer to change a phone number.
8. “Who owns the website, domain and hosting?”
You should. Make sure the domain is in your name, you have admin access to the site and hosting, and you get every design file at the end.
9. “What happens after launch?”
Bugs appear, plugins need updates and you’ll want small changes. Ask what support is included, for how long and what a monthly care plan costs.
Comparing quotes fairly
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Number of pages and templates | The biggest driver of cost and timeline |
| Copywriting included? | Often missing from cheap quotes |
| Revisions included | Avoids surprise charges later |
| SEO and redirects | Protects your existing rankings |
| Post-launch support | Shows confidence in the work |
A higher quote that covers copy, SEO and support often costs less than a low quote that bills every extra separately.
FAQ
How much does a website designer in Mumbai cost?
It varies widely with scope, platform and experience. Compare quotes on what’s included (pages, copywriting, SEO, revisions, support) rather than the headline price.
Freelancer or agency: which is better?
A freelancer is usually faster, more affordable and more personal. An agency suits very large projects that need many specialists at once. For most small and mid-sized business sites, an experienced freelance designer-developer is the better value.
Looking for a website designer in Mumbai? I’ll answer all nine questions on a free 30-minute call. No pressure, no jargon.