Hiring a WordPress Designer? Avoid These 7 Costly Mistakes
Randall Carter
Hiring a WordPress Designer? Avoid These 7 Costly Mistakes
Mistake #1: Writing a Vague Project Brief or Job Description
Mistake #2: Hiring Based on the Lowest Price
Mistake #3: Not Thoroughly Vetting Their Portfolio
Mistake #4: Skipping the Interview and Reference Checks
Mistake #5: Misunderstanding the Role (Hiring a Designer for a Developer's Job)
Mistake #6: Forgetting to Discuss a Maintenance Plan
Mistake #7: Poor Communication and Onboarding
Conclusion
References
Hiring a WordPress Designer? Avoid These 7 Costly Mistakes
You've done your research, you've prepared your interview questions, and you're ready to hire a WordPress designer. However, even with the best intentions, it's easy to fall into common traps that can lead to a frustrating experience and a subpar website. Being aware of these potential pitfalls is the final step to ensuring a successful collaboration, from the initial brief to the final launch.
This guide outlines the seven most common and costly mistakes businesses make in the hiring process. By avoiding them, you'll set your project up for a smooth and successful collaboration, from the initial brief to the final launch.
Mistake #1: Writing a Vague Project Brief or Job Description
If you don't know what you want, you can't expect a designer to read your mind. Yet this remains one of the biggest reasons WordPress projects fail before they even begin.
Think about it this way. Would you walk into a restaurant and tell the chef to "make something good"? Of course not. You'd specify what you're hungry for, mention any allergies, and share your preferences. The same principle applies when hiring a WordPress designer.
A vague brief like "I need a modern website that converts visitors" tells the designer almost nothing. What does "modern" mean to you? What specific conversions are you tracking? Who are these visitors?
Here's what happens when you skip the details. Designers start guessing. They make assumptions based on their past projects, which might be completely wrong for your business. You end up with endless revisions because the initial concept missed the mark entirely.
A solid project brief should include:
Your business goals and target audience. Don't just say "small business owners." Get specific. Are they tech-savvy entrepreneurs or traditional brick-and-mortar shop owners?
Functionality requirements spelled out clearly. Need an online booking system? Want integration with your email marketing platform? Put it in writing.
Design preferences with concrete examples. Instead of saying "clean and professional," share links to three websites you admire and explain what you like about each one.
Your content strategy and who's responsible for what. Will you provide all the copy, or do you need the designer to source stock photos?
Timeline expectations and key milestones. Be realistic but clear about your launch date and any important deadlines along the way.
Budget range for the project. Yes, talking about money upfront feels awkward. But it saves everyone time and prevents sticker shock later.
Taking an extra hour to write a comprehensive brief saves weeks of back-and-forth communication. It also helps designers give you accurate quotes and realistic timelines. Most importantly, it sets clear expectations that both parties can reference throughout the project.
Mistake #2: Hiring Based on the Lowest Price
Budget matters. Nobody's denying that. But choosing the cheapest WordPress designer often becomes the most expensive decision you'll make.
Here's a scenario that plays out daily. Business owner gets three quotes: $500, $2,000, and $5,000. The $500 option seems like a no-brainer, right? Fast forward three months. The site looks outdated, runs slowly, and the designer has disappeared. Now you're hiring someone else to fix the mess, essentially paying twice for one website.
Low rates often signal red flags you can't afford to ignore. That bargain designer might be using pirated themes or plugins, putting your site at risk for malware. They might lack the experience to optimize for speed, costing you customers who won't wait for slow pages to load.
Communication tends to suffer with ultra-cheap providers too. When someone charges rock-bottom rates, they need high volume to survive. That means you're competing for attention with dozens of other clients. Your emails go unanswered for days. Simple changes take weeks.
Quality WordPress designers charge fair rates because they deliver:
Custom solutions tailored to your specific needs, not cookie-cutter templates
Proper security measures to protect your site from hackers
Mobile-responsive designs that work flawlessly on all devices
SEO optimization built in from the ground up
Ongoing support when you need help after launch
Clean, well-documented code that other developers can work with
Consider the real cost of a cheap website. Lost sales from poor user experience. Hours spent trying to fix issues yourself. The damage to your brand from an unprofessional online presence. Suddenly that higher quote doesn't seem so expensive.
This doesn't mean you need the most expensive option either. Look for designers who can clearly explain their pricing and what value they provide. Ask about their process, their experience with similar projects, and what happens if something goes wrong.
Remember, your website is often the first impression customers have of your business. Investing in quality design pays dividends through increased conversions, better search rankings, and fewer headaches down the road.
Mistake #3: Not Thoroughly Vetting Their Portfolio
A designer's portfolio page loads. Beautiful screenshots fill your screen. The sites look professional, modern, exactly what you want. You're sold, right? Not so fast.
Screenshots lie. They show a perfect moment frozen in time, usually on a large desktop screen. But your customers will visit on phones, tablets, and laptops of all sizes. That gorgeous design might turn into a jumbled mess on mobile devices.
Here's what smart clients do instead. They click through to the live sites. They resize their browser window to see how the design adapts. They test the navigation on their phone. They check how fast pages load.
Sometimes you'll discover the beautiful portfolio piece is nowhere to be found. The client might have hired another designer to fix problems. Or worse, the site might be offline entirely because it was so poorly built.
When reviewing portfolios, dig deeper:
Visit at least five live sites from their portfolio. Click around like a real visitor would. Does everything work smoothly? Can you find information easily?
Look for variety in their work. A designer who only shows one style might struggle to adapt to your brand's unique needs.
Read the case studies, not just the pretty pictures. Good designers explain their process, the challenges they faced, and how they solved specific problems.
Check the dates on their work. Web design trends change quickly. If their newest piece is three years old, they might be out of touch with current best practices.
Pay attention to the types of businesses they've worked with. A designer who specializes in restaurants might not understand the needs of a law firm or online store.
Ask to see the backend of a WordPress site they've built. A clean, organized dashboard shows they care about making your life easier after launch.
Don't hesitate to contact their past clients directly. Ask about the working relationship, not just the final product. Was the designer responsive? Did they meet deadlines? How did they handle feedback?
Some designers showcase beautiful work they didn't actually create. They might have been part of a team or only handled one small aspect. Ask specifically what role they played in each project.
Testing their portfolio sites on different devices reveals the truth. A truly skilled WordPress designer creates sites that look great and function perfectly everywhere. If their own portfolio examples fail this test, imagine what yours might look like.
Mistake #4: Skipping the Interview and Reference Checks
You've found a designer with an impressive portfolio and reasonable rates. The temptation to skip ahead and start the project runs high. After all, their work speaks for itself, doesn't it?
Not quite. A portfolio shows technical skills, but working with a freelance designer involves so much more. You need someone who communicates clearly, meets deadlines, and handles feedback professionally.
Think about your worst coworker experience. Maybe they did decent work but made every interaction painful. They missed meetings, ignored emails, or got defensive about revisions. Now imagine that person controlling your website project.
An interview reveals crucial information portfolios can't show:
Communication style becomes clear within minutes. Do they listen to your needs or talk over you? Can they explain technical concepts in plain English? These skills matter when you're collaborating for weeks or months.
Their process and workflow should align with your expectations. Some designers disappear for weeks then deliver everything at once. Others prefer daily check-ins. Neither approach is wrong, but one might drive you crazy.
Personality fit matters more than you think. You'll exchange dozens of emails, have multiple calls, and work through challenges together. If something feels off during a 30-minute interview, it won't improve during a stressful project phase.
Ask about their worst project experience. How they describe challenges and conflicts tells you everything about their professionalism and problem-solving approach.
Reference checks take this insight even deeper:
Contact at least two recent clients. Recent matters because people change, and their current work style might differ from two years ago.
Ask specific questions about deadlines, communication, and how they handled problems. "Would you hire them again?" is good, but "Tell me about a time something went wrong" is better.
Listen for red flags in what references don't say. Lukewarm responses or hesitation to recommend often signal hidden issues.
Check if the designer maintained the relationship after project completion. Good designers often become long-term partners, not just one-time contractors.
Some designers provide carefully curated references who only say positive things. Push for recent clients or those with similar projects to yours. If they resist, consider why they might be hiding something.
Video calls beat phone interviews every time. Seeing someone's workspace, their reaction to questions, and their overall professionalism adds valuable context. Plus, putting a face to the name makes the working relationship more personal from the start.
Yes, interviews and reference checks take time. But compare that to the months you might waste with the wrong designer. An hour of due diligence now prevents countless headaches later.
Mistake #5: Misunderstanding the Role (Hiring a Designer for a Developer's Job)
Here's where things get messy. You hire a talented WordPress designer expecting them to build complex custom features. Three weeks later, you're both frustrated. They can't deliver what you need, and you can't understand why.
The confusion is understandable. WordPress blurs the lines between design and development. But these are fundamentally different skill sets, like expecting your interior decorator to rewire your house.
WordPress designers typically excel at:
Creating beautiful, user-friendly layouts that guide visitors naturally through your site
Selecting and customizing themes to match your brand perfectly
Working with page builders like Elementor or Divi to create stunning designs
Basic CSS adjustments to fine-tune colors, fonts, and spacing
Setting up standard WordPress plugins and configuring them properly
Creating graphics, selecting images, and ensuring visual consistency
Understanding user experience principles to improve conversions
WordPress developers focus on different skills:
Writing custom PHP code to create unique functionality
Building plugins from scratch for specific business needs
Integrating complex third-party APIs and services
Optimizing database queries for lightning-fast performance
Creating custom post types and taxonomies
Debugging complex technical issues
Ensuring rock-solid security through code
Some professionals wear both hats, calling themselves designer-developers. But true expertise in both areas is rare. Most people naturally lean toward either the creative or technical side.
Here's how to match your needs with the right professional:
Need a beautiful blog or brochure site? A designer can handle this perfectly.
Want custom e-commerce features beyond what WooCommerce offers? You need a developer.
Looking for a membership site with standard features? A designer familiar with membership plugins works fine.
Need to integrate your WordPress site with your CRM through custom code? Developer territory.
The price difference often reveals the distinction too. Developers typically charge more because coding requires specialized knowledge that takes years to master. Designers might charge less per hour but spend more time on visual refinements.
Don't make the mistake of hiring a designer and then asking them to code custom functions. You'll end up with hacky solutions that break during updates. Similarly, don't hire a developer if you mainly need design work. You'll get a functional but ugly site.
When in doubt, ask directly about their capabilities. Share your specific requirements and let them tell you honestly if they can deliver. The best professionals know their limits and will recommend partners for tasks outside their expertise.
Mistake #6: Forgetting to Discuss a Maintenance Plan
Launch day arrives. Your beautiful new WordPress site goes live. Everyone celebrates. Then reality hits. Who updates plugins? Who handles security? Who fixes things when they inevitably break?
Too many business owners discover these questions after problems arise. By then, their designer has moved on to other projects. Emergency fixes cost triple the normal rate, if you can even reach anyone.
WordPress isn't a "set it and forget it" platform. It requires regular attention to stay secure, fast, and functional. Plugins need updates. PHP versions change. Security vulnerabilities emerge. Content needs refreshing.
A maintenance discussion should cover:
Plugin and theme updates happen constantly. Some are minor, but others can break your site if not handled carefully. Who tests updates before applying them? What's the process if something goes wrong?
Security monitoring can't be optional. WordPress powers over 40% of the web, making it a prime target for hackers. You need someone watching for threats and applying security patches immediately.
Regular backups save businesses daily. But backups are only useful if someone tests them and knows how to restore your site quickly. Where are backups stored? How often do they run? Who can access them in emergencies?
Performance optimization keeps visitors happy. Sites slow down over time as databases grow and plugins accumulate. Monthly tune-ups prevent the gradual slide into sluggishness.
Content updates might seem simple, but they're often neglected. Who adds new blog posts? Updates product information? Refreshes outdated content? Even if you handle this internally, you need training.
Three maintenance approaches to consider:
DIY maintenance works for tech-savvy owners with time to spare. Your designer should provide documentation and basic training. But remember, you're responsible when things break at 2 AM.
Retainer agreements with your designer ensure consistent care. They know your site intimately and can spot problems early. Monthly retainers typically cost less than emergency fixes.
Maintenance services from specialized companies offer another option. They might not know your specific site as well, but they provide reliable, professional care at predictable prices.
Budget for maintenance from day one. It's not an optional extra or something to figure out later. Sites without proper maintenance become slow, insecure, and eventually unusable.
Ask potential designers about their post-launch support before signing contracts. Some include a month of maintenance in their initial quote. Others offer discounted rates for ongoing clients. Some prefer clean breaks after launch.
The worst time to find a maintenance solution is during a crisis. When your site gets hacked or crashes during a big sale, you need someone who can jump in immediately. Planning ahead prevents panic and protects your investment.
Mistake #7: Poor Communication and Onboarding
You've hired the perfect WordPress designer. Contract signed, deposit paid, everyone's excited. Then everything stalls. The designer waits for assets you forgot to mention. You wait for updates they forgot to send. Frustration builds on both sides.
Poor onboarding kills more projects than any technical challenge. When designers don't have what they need from day one, timelines slip immediately. When communication channels aren't clear, small issues become major problems.
Start with a proper kickoff meeting:
Schedule a video call within 48 hours of signing the contract. Waiting longer loses momentum and allows confusion to creep in.
Create a shared document with all login credentials. Your domain registrar, hosting account, WordPress admin, and any third-party services the designer might need. Use a password manager for security.
Gather all brand assets in one place. Logos in multiple formats, brand guidelines, color codes, font files, and any existing marketing materials. Designers waste hours hunting for these basics.
Provide real content whenever possible. Lorem ipsum placeholder text hides design problems. Real headlines, actual product descriptions, and authentic about pages lead to better designs.
Establish clear communication protocols:
Choose one primary communication channel. Email, Slack, project management software - pick one and stick to it. Scattered messages across multiple platforms guarantee lost information.
Set response time expectations for both parties. Maybe you check email twice daily while they respond within 24 hours. Whatever works, but agree upfront.
Schedule regular check-ins. Weekly 15-minute calls prevent small concerns from festering into major issues. They also keep the project moving when life gets busy.
Define what constitutes an emergency. Your definition might differ from theirs. Is a broken contact form urgent? What about a spacing issue on mobile? Clear definitions prevent weekend panic calls.
Provide comprehensive background information:
Share your competitors' websites and what you like or dislike about each. This context helps designers understand your market position.
Explain your customer journey in detail. How do people find you? What convinces them to buy? What concerns hold them back? Designers need this insight to create effective layouts.
Discuss your future plans. Planning to add e-commerce next year? Expecting rapid growth? Considering a podcast? Sharing your roadmap helps designers build flexibility into their work.
Be honest about your technical comfort level. If you've never used WordPress, say so. Good designers adjust their handoff process based on your experience.
Remember, designers aren't mind readers. They can't guess your preferences, understand your industry nuances, or know your internal processes without help. The more context you provide upfront, the better results you'll see.
Treat onboarding as an investment, not a chore. Those extra hours spent organizing assets and clarifying expectations pay off through smoother projects, fewer revisions, and better final results. Plus, designers appreciate clients who have their act together and often go the extra mile in return.
Conclusion
Hiring a WordPress designer doesn't have to be a minefield of mistakes and miscommunication. By avoiding these seven common pitfalls, you set yourself up for a smooth, successful project that delivers real results.
Remember, the key themes running through every mistake are preparation, communication, and realistic expectations. Take time to write that detailed brief. Invest in quality over the cheapest option. Thoroughly vet portfolios and check references. Understand what you're hiring for. Plan for ongoing maintenance. Start the relationship right with proper onboarding.
Your website represents your business 24/7. It deserves the same careful attention you'd give to hiring a key employee or choosing a business partner. The extra effort you put into avoiding these mistakes pays dividends through a professional site that attracts customers and grows with your business.
Start your designer search with these lessons in mind. Your future self will thank you when you're enjoying a beautiful, functional website instead of dealing with endless revisions and technical disasters.
References
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Posted Jun 15, 2025
Save time, money, and headaches. Learn about the 7 most common mistakes businesses make when hiring a WordPress designer and how you can avoid them.
