Website design in Jacksonville, FL: hiring guide

Write a brief designers can quote against

Start with the action you want a visitor to complete. A service business might need a quote form with photo uploads; a shop might need product selection and checkout. Describe the action from arrival to confirmation, including who receives the request and how your staff responds. Ask designers to explain their proposed approach using that example.

List the pages, required features and content you will provide. Identify who writes service descriptions, supplies photographs and approves changes. For a redesign, list the existing pages and functions you want to keep. Ask the designer to price content migration and any changes to existing page addresses as separate scope items.

Give each candidate the same brief and ask for a written list of inclusions, exclusions and assumptions. Request milestones for design approval, content delivery, testing and launch. Name your own decision-maker so the designer knows whose approval to seek.

Use local consulting before choosing features

The Florida SBDC at UNF serves prospective and existing small-business owners in North Florida, including Duval County, and offers in-person and virtual consulting by appointment. Its Beyond Business Hours program includes marketing and research, business planning, and SEO and online presence. Use a consultation to discuss the business purpose of your site before asking designers for proposals. [1] [2]

Bring your draft brief, current site problems and examples of customer questions. Ask which information customers need before contacting you and which requests your staff can handle. Keep design deliverables in your designer's contract; the consulting pages describe business assistance rather than a website-build package. [1] [2]

Compare the full proposal and ownership terms

Ask for separate prices for design and build, content work, migration, integrations and ongoing support. Request the renewal costs for hosting, domain registration and any paid software. Have the designer identify which accounts you will pay for and what happens if you end the support agreement.

Request business-controlled accounts for the domain and hosting, with named access for the designer. Put ownership of copy, images and design files in writing, including any third-party license restrictions. Ask how another provider could take over the site and which files, credentials and instructions you would receive.

Ask candidates to walk through a relevant example and explain their role in building it. For your project, request a demonstration of the form, booking process or checkout you plan to commission. Agree on a process for approving extra work, including its price and effect on the launch date.

Make accessibility part of acceptance

The Department of Justice states that the ADA's requirements apply to goods and services that businesses open to the public offer online. Its business guidance identifies barriers including poor color contrast, missing image descriptions, mouse-only navigation and inaccessible forms. Include these areas in your designer's testing scope. [3]

Ask the designer to show how a visitor completes your main customer task using a keyboard. Request checks for form labels, clear error messages, text enlargement and image alternatives. Specify who fixes issues found during testing and how customers can report accessibility problems after launch. [3]

DOJ cautions that a clean automated report does not establish that everything is accessible and recommends pairing automated tools with manual checks. Request a written account of both methods. For a private-business project, use the business guidance here; this page carries a notice that it does not reflect the newer requirements for state and local governments. [3]

Assign checkout responsibilities before launch

Florida's Department of Revenue tells businesses to determine whether their activities or products are subject to sales and use tax before starting. It also explains that county surtax applies to many taxable transactions. If your site will accept orders, ask your accountant to identify the treatment of your products and delivery arrangements, then give the designer written configuration requirements. [4]

Separate the accountant's tax advice from the designer's implementation work. Name who approves tax settings, shipping rules, refunds and accounting exports. Ask for test orders covering the situations your business expects, and review the resulting receipts before accepting checkout.

Before launch, test the customer journey on a phone and computer, confirm that inquiries reach the correct person, and practice updating a page. Request a backup and recovery handover, support contact details and a written list of unresolved issues. Tie final acceptance to the agreed deliverables.

UNF extended-hours consulting: length of each published window

Choose the scope around the customer task

Your hiring checklist

1. Write down the main customer action and the steps staff take after receiving it.
2. Prepare a page list, content inventory and required integrations.
3. Discuss uncertain business goals with the SBDC before requesting design proposals.
4. Send the same brief to candidates and request itemized prices and exclusions.
5. Record account control, ownership, renewal costs and handover requirements.
6. Agree on manual and automated accessibility testing.
7. Assign tax approval and checkout testing if you will sell online.
8. Test inquiries, editing access and recovery instructions before final acceptance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should I budget for a website?

Request quotes against a defined scope. Compare the initial build, content work and integrations, then list recurring charges for hosting, domain registration, paid software and support. Ask each designer to identify exclusions and explain how they will price changes before you approve a budget.

Can I get help planning the site outside business hours?

Yes. Florida SBDC at UNF offers no-cost virtual consulting in early morning, evening and weekend windows. Its listed topics include SEO and online presence. Arrange an appointment and bring your draft brief and business questions. [1]

Does an automated accessibility check finish the testing?

DOJ recommends pairing automated checks with manual review and cautions that a clean automated report does not mean everything is accessible. Ask the designer to demonstrate keyboard use, form completion and other agreed checks on your finished site. [3]

Should my designer decide which sales taxes to collect?

Have your accountant approve the tax treatment and ask the designer to implement it. Florida's guidance says businesses must determine whether their activity or products are taxable before starting. Document who approves checkout settings and reviews test receipts. [4]