Choosing who builds your website is a bigger decision than it looks. The website will represent your business for years, and the company you choose decides whether you can update it, who owns it and how quickly problems get fixed.
This checklist is based on what we see when Bhutanese businesses come to us after a website went wrong. Use it to compare any web designer, including us.
1. Make sure you will own everything
Before you pay anything, ask three questions and get the answers in writing:
- Whose name is the domain registered in? It should be your business, not the designer.
- Will you get the administrator login? You should have full access to your own website.
- Who holds the hosting account? If the designer hosts it, ask what happens if you move later.
A website you cannot log in to, on a domain you do not own, is not really yours.
2. Compare what is actually included
Two quotes with very different prices often include very different things. Ask each company to list:
- The number of pages and revision rounds
- Whether the design is custom or based on a ready-made layout
- Hosting, SSL certificate and business email, and for how long
- Basic SEO setup: page titles, descriptions, sitemap, Google Search Console
- Features such as WhatsApp buttons, booking or enquiry forms and online payments
- Training, so your team can update the site
Our own website packages list every inclusion and exclusion, so you can use them as a reference when comparing quotes.
3. Ask who will look after the site after launch
Websites need updates, backups and small changes. Ask who does this, how fast they respond and what it costs per year. Many businesses in Bhutan that had their sites built by freelancers abroad found that every small change became slow and expensive. A local team you can reach on WhatsApp during your working day makes a real difference. Compare the ongoing cost as well as the build price: website care at 1Solution is Nu. 9,500 per year.
4. Look at real, live work
- Ask for links to websites they built that are live today, not only screenshots.
- Open them on your phone. Are they fast? Is it easy to contact the business?
- Check whether the businesses look similar to yours: a tour operator needs different things from a shop.
- If you can, ask one of those clients how the project went.
You can see our live projects on our work page.
5. Agree the process and payment terms
Before starting, agree in writing what you need to provide (text, photos, logo), the timeline, how many revision rounds are included, when payments are due and what happens if the project stops. Clear terms protect both sides.
Warning signs
- A price that seems too low and no list of what it includes
- No live examples, or only templates
- Promises of first-page Google rankings or guaranteed results
- The domain or hosting will be registered in the designer’s name
- No clear answer about who maintains the site after launch
A quick checklist
- Domain, hosting and logins will be in my business’s name
- I have a written list of what is included
- I know the yearly cost of hosting and care after launch
- I have seen live websites they built
- The timeline, revisions and payment terms are agreed in writing
If you would like a second opinion on a quote you have received, book a free consultation or tell us about your project.