Before you pay any web designer in Kenya, get written answers to twelve questions: what exactly is included, how many pages, custom or template, who writes the content, who owns the domain and hosting, can you edit the site yourself, what SEO setup is included, what the total cost is, what the payment schedule is, how long it will take, what happens if it runs late, and what support you get after launch. A provider who answers all twelve in writing is usually worth hiring. One who avoids them is telling you something.
Choosing a web designer in Kenya is difficult for one reason: almost every provider says the same things. Professional, affordable, responsive, SEO-friendly. The words are free, so everyone uses them, and you are left comparing promises rather than substance.
The way through is to ask questions that are uncomfortable to answer vaguely. What follows is the list we would use ourselves, including the questions that are awkward for us. If you ask all twelve and compare the written answers, the right choice usually becomes obvious.
Before You Shortlist Anyone
1. Can I see three live websites you built, and may I contact those clients?
Screenshots prove nothing. Ask for live web addresses you can open on your own phone, and check whether they load quickly, work properly on mobile and still exist. Plenty of portfolios show sites that went offline years ago.
Asking to speak to a past client is the strongest test in this list. A provider with happy clients will connect you. One who hesitates is telling you something useful. You can see our own work on our portfolio page, where every project links to the live site.
2. Have you built for a business like mine?
A restaurant, a law firm and an online shop need very different things. Someone who has solved your specific problem before will ask sharper questions and make fewer expensive assumptions.
3. Who will actually do the work?
Ask whether the person selling to you is the person building. Work is often passed to a junior or subcontracted entirely, which is not automatically bad, but you should know before you sign rather than after.
Questions About the Work
4. Exactly how many pages are included, and what happens if we need more?
Page count is the most common source of disputes. Get the number in writing along with the cost per additional page. “A few pages” is not a scope.
5. Is the design custom or based on a template?
Both are legitimate. A template is faster and cheaper and perfectly adequate for many businesses. A custom design is drawn around your brand and services and costs more. What matters is knowing which you are paying for, because some providers charge custom prices for template work.
6. Who writes the content and who supplies the photographs?
This derails more projects than any technical issue. If you are expected to supply the words and images, the timeline depends entirely on you. If the provider writes them, that is skilled work and should be priced as such. Decide before starting, not halfway through.
7. What SEO and analytics setup is included?
At minimum you should get sensible page titles and descriptions, a crawlable structure, a sitemap, and analytics so you can see what visitors do. Ask whether conversion tracking is included, meaning you can tell how many enquiries the site produced rather than just how many people visited.
Be careful with anyone promising rankings. Nobody controls Google’s results, and Google says as much in its own Search Essentials guidance. Ongoing SEO work is normally a separate service from a website build.
Questions About Money
8. What is the total cost, and what is deliberately not included?
Ask for the second half of that question explicitly. The gap between quotes is almost always scope rather than greed, and the excluded items are where budgets get broken later.
We publish our packages openly, from KSh 25,000 for a landing page through to KSh 140,000 and above for larger custom builds, and our guide to what a website costs in Kenya explains what moves the figure up or down. Most providers here do not publish prices, so if a quote seems unusually low, ask what has been left out.
9. What is the payment schedule?
Staged payments tied to milestones protect both sides. A deposit to begin, a payment at design approval and a balance at launch is normal and reasonable. Full payment upfront with nothing agreed in writing is not.
10. What are the ongoing costs I should budget for?
The build fee is not the whole picture. Domain renewal, hosting and maintenance are annual or monthly costs. Ask what is covered in year one and what you will pay in year two, because a quote that ignores year two is incomplete.
Questions About Ownership
11. Who owns the domain, the hosting account and the website files?
This is the question most people forget, and the one that causes the worst problems.
Your domain should be registered in your business name with your own contact details. Kenyan .ke domains are administered through KENIC and accredited registrars, and the registrant details are what determine control. If a provider registers the domain under their own account, moving your website later can become difficult and occasionally expensive.
The same applies to hosting and to the website files themselves. Ask directly: if we part ways in two years, what do I walk away with? The answer should be everything.
Questions About Life After Launch
12. Can I edit the website myself, and what support is included?
You should be able to change text, swap images and add a page without paying someone each time. Ask whether training is included and whether you get a content management system you can actually use.
Then ask what support covers and for how long. Websites need software updates, backups and security patches. Forms stop delivering silently after updates, which means enquiries disappear without anyone noticing. Clarify whether that is your responsibility or theirs, and what ongoing maintenance costs.
Red Flags to Walk Away From
- Guaranteed number one on Google. Nobody can promise this. It is the clearest signal that someone is either inexperienced or willing to mislead you.
- No written scope. If deliverables are not documented, disagreements are close to inevitable.
- Domain or hosting in their name. Ask them to change it. If they refuse, walk away.
- No portfolio, or a portfolio of dead links. Check every link they give you.
- Pressure to pay immediately. Urgency is a sales technique, not a business reality.
- A price far below everyone else. Something has been excluded, and it is usually content, support or ownership.
- No physical address or company details. You want someone you can find if things go wrong.
What a Good Proposal Contains
Ask every shortlisted provider for a written proposal covering the same points, so you are comparing like with like:
- Page count and a list of what each page contains
- Whether the design is custom or template based
- Who supplies content and images
- Technical inclusions such as mobile responsiveness, speed work, SEO setup and analytics
- Any integrations you need, for example M-Pesa, WhatsApp, booking or delivery
- Total cost, payment schedule and anything excluded
- Timeline with milestones, and what happens if it slips
- Ownership of domain, hosting, files and content
- Support period and what it covers, plus maintenance costs afterwards
If you sell products online, add questions about payment integration and order management. Our guide to adding M-Pesa to a website covers what to ask, and our e-commerce development pages set out what a full store involves.
How to Compare Quotes Fairly
Send all providers the same written brief. Without it you are comparing different projects and the cheapest quote simply has the least in it.
Then judge on four things rather than price alone: does the scope match what you asked for, is the ownership position clean, is the support arrangement clear, and did they answer your questions directly? A provider who says “we do not do that” is more trustworthy than one who says yes to everything.
One last test. Look at the provider’s own website. Does it load quickly on your phone? Is it easy to contact them? Do they follow the advice they are giving you? A web designer whose own site is slow and confusing is telling you exactly what you will receive. If yours is already built and underperforming, our guide on why websites stop producing enquiries may help you diagnose it before you replace anything.
Ask Us These Questions
We publish our prices, we register domains in your name, and we quote against a written scope. If you want to put the twelve questions to us, tell us what your business needs and we will answer every one in writing before you commit to anything.
Request a free consultation or view our website design packages.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose a web design company in Kenya?
Ask for three live websites you can open and test, confirm exactly what is included in writing, establish who owns the domain and hosting, and get the total cost with the payment schedule. Compare providers on the same written brief rather than on price alone, since the cheapest quote usually contains the least.
What questions should I ask before hiring a web designer?
The essential ones cover scope, ownership and support: how many pages, custom or template design, who writes the content, who owns the domain and files, can you edit the site yourself, what SEO and analytics setup is included, the total cost and payment schedule, the timeline, and what support you receive after launch.
Who should own my domain name?
Your business should, registered in your name with your own contact details. Kenyan .ke domains are administered through KENIC and accredited registrars, and the registrant details determine control. If your provider registers it under their own account, moving your site elsewhere later can become difficult.
Is a cheap website worth it in Kenya?
Not automatically, and not automatically bad either. A low quote usually means something was excluded, most often content, SEO setup, support or ownership. Ask what is not included before judging the price. A well built landing page can serve a small business better than a large site nobody maintains.
Can a web designer guarantee I will rank first on Google?
No. No provider controls Google’s ranking systems, and Google itself advises caution about anyone promising specific positions. Good practice improves your chances of being found, but guarantees are a warning sign rather than a selling point.
Should I hire a freelancer or an agency in Kenya?
Both can work. Freelancers often cost less and communicate directly with you, while agencies usually offer more capacity and continuity if someone is unavailable. The questions in this guide matter more than the label. Ask them of either.
How long should a business website take to build?
It depends on scope and on how quickly content and approvals are supplied. Smaller sites move faster than large custom builds. The most common cause of delay is waiting for text, photographs and feedback from the business, so preparing those early helps considerably.
What should be in a web design contract?
Scope with page count, whether the design is custom or template based, who supplies content, total cost and payment milestones, timeline, ownership of domain, hosting and files, the revision policy, and the support period with what it covers. If any of those are missing, ask for them before paying a deposit.