Choosing a Web Designer in Malaysia? Check These Before Paying a Deposit

The deposit is the point of no return. Before you pay it, you can still walk away for free. After you pay it, changing your mind costs money and time.

So this is a checklist for the days before the deposit. It's not about choosing me. It's about not getting stuck with the wrong person, whoever you hire.

1. Check the portfolio properly, not just the pictures

Screenshots can look amazing and still hide problems. Ask for links to live websites, then spend five minutes on each one:

• Open it on your own phone, on mobile data, not office wifi.
• Can you tell what the business does within a few seconds?
• Tap the WhatsApp or call button. Does it actually work?
• Scroll to the bottom. Does it still look cared for, or only the first screen?
• Do the websites look different from each other, or all from the same template?

Also ask what they did on each project. Design only? Design and build? Did they write the content? A portfolio is more useful when you know what part they did.

2. Find out who actually designs your website

The person who meets you is not always the person who designs. That's normal in bigger companies. But you should know. Ask: “Who will design my website, and can I talk to that person when I have questions?”

A clear answer is a good sign, whatever the answer is.

3. Make sure you will own the important things

This is the one people regret most when they skip it. Before paying, confirm in writing:

• The domain name is registered under your company, not the designer.
• You get login access to the website's admin or CMS.
• You know where it is hosted and how to get access.
• The content and photos you supply remain yours.

Ownership is a big topic, so I wrote a full article about it: you paid for the website, but do you actually own it?

4. Ask how hosting works

Some designers include hosting. Some ask you to buy your own. Both are fine. What you need to know is how much it costs every year, what's included (backups, SSL, email), and what happens if you want to move to another provider later.

5. Can you edit it yourself?

Ask the designer to show you, live, how to change a phone number or add a photo. If the answer is “you can't, just WhatsApp me”, that may be fine for some owners. But you should choose that knowingly, and know the charges for each change.

6. Test their SEO knowledge with one simple question

You don't need to be technical. Just ask: “What will you do so Google understands my website?”

A good answer mentions things like page titles, proper headings, clean page addresses, a sitemap, Google Search Console and fast loading. A worrying answer is “SEO is a separate package” with nothing included at all, or a promise of page one by next month. Nobody can honestly promise rankings.

7. Look at how they think about mobile

Many people in Malaysia will only ever see your website on a phone. In the car park, in the mamak, between meetings. Ask whether they design the phone version properly or just let the desktop version shrink. Then check their past work on your phone to see if it matches what they said.

8. Understand the revision process

Changes during design are normal. Unlimited changes are not realistic. Ask:

• How many rounds of changes are included?
• What counts as a change, and what counts as a new request?
• How long does each round take?

Agreeing on this early prevents most arguments later.

9. Ask about every cost after launch

The quotation is usually only the first year. Ask for a list of everything you will pay from year two: domain, hosting, paid plugins or licences, email, maintenance. If you're already paying for an existing website and not sure what's fair, this may help: what you should be paying for in website maintenance.

10. Notice the questions they ask you

This is my favourite test. A designer who only asks about colours, logo and “how many pages” is planning a nice-looking website. A designer who asks who your customers are, what they worry about, who your competitors are and how enquiries come in now is planning a website that works for the business.

11. Get the scope and payment terms in writing

Pages, features, timeline, what you need to provide, payment schedule and what happens after launch. One page is enough. It protects both of you.

Before you pay

If a designer passes most of these checks, you're probably in good hands. If several feel unclear, ask again. A good designer won't be annoyed by careful questions. Some actually appreciate them.

Still comparing types of providers? Read freelancer or web design agency. And if you'd like questions to ask face to face, here are 12 questions before hiring a freelance web designer.