How do I choose a web designer in Calgary?

Judge the work on real phones

A portfolio of mockups tells you someone can make a nice picture. Open three of their live client sites on your own phone instead. Do they load quickly? Is the text easy to read without zooming? Can you find the phone number in a few seconds? Run one through PageSpeed Insights while you’re at it.

Also look for range. If every site in the portfolio looks the same, you’re probably buying a template with a new logo. That can be fine, but you should know it going in.

Find out who does the work

Calgary has every shape of studio: solo designers, small teams, agencies with account managers, and resellers who pass the build to someone overseas. None of these is wrong. What matters is that you know which one you’re hiring, who you’ll talk to each week, and who writes the code.

Ask directly. A good answer is specific: “I design it, I build it, and you’ll have my number.” A vague answer about “our team” deserves a follow-up question.

Check ownership and the exit

Before you compare looks, compare what you walk away with. Will the domain be registered in your name? Will you get the code or the platform login? Can you move the site to another host if the relationship ends? Code ownership and access sound dull in a first meeting. They’re the part people regret skipping.

Does it need to be someone local?

Not strictly. Plenty of good work happens over video calls. A Calgary designer does help in small ways: they know the local search landscape, they can meet you at your shop in Inglewood or your clinic in Mahogany, and they understand which neighbourhoods and towns your customers actually search from. If that matters to you, it’s a fair tiebreaker. The local designer question has its own page.

I’d shortlist three people, then book a short call with each. Pay attention to what they ask you. Someone who asks how customers find you, what a good enquiry looks like and who’ll update the site is thinking about results. Someone who jumps straight to colours and fonts is thinking about the portfolio.

Then ask each for a written scope and a fixed price. Put them side by side. The right choice is usually obvious once the vague parts are visible. I’m one of the options in Calgary, and I’d still tell you to talk to two others.