How to Choose a Web Designer on the Costa del Sol

Updated: 12 October, 2026

Knowing how to choose a web designer can save you months of frustration and a lot of money. On the Costa del Sol there's plenty of choice, from freelancers and agencies in every town to developers abroad who'll quote over email. Some are excellent; others leave businesses with sites they can't edit, domains they don't own and invoices they didn't expect. This guide sets out what to look for, the questions to ask and the warning signs that should make you walk away.

Start with what you need

Before you contact anyone, write down:

• what the website must achieve (enquiries, bookings, sales);

• the pages and languages you need;

• who will write the text and provide photos;

• any systems it must connect to, such as a booking platform or CRM;

• your budget and your deadline.

Designers can only quote accurately against a clear brief, and it makes their answers easier to compare.

Look at their work, properly

Don't stop at screenshots. Open the live sites they've built on your phone. Do they load quickly? Is it obvious how to get in touch? Are they still online and up to date? If possible, ask one or two past clients how the project went and how the designer handled problems.

Ten questions to ask

1. Does the price include IVA? Many quotes in Spain are before IVA, which adds 21% at the general rate.

2. What's included, and what costs extra? Content writing, photos, extra languages, legal pages and training are common extras.

3. Who owns the website, the domain and the accounts? They should be in your name.

4. What will I pay every month or year? Hosting, maintenance, email and licences.

5. Can I update the site myself? If so, how, and is training included?

6. Will it be in Spanish and English? Who writes each language?

7. How do you handle the legal pages? In Spain, an aviso legal, a privacy policy and a cookie banner that lets visitors refuse cookies.

8. What happens after launch? Who fixes problems, how quickly, and at what cost?

9. How will you make sure Google can find the site? Look for practical answers: speed, structure, Search Console, your Google Business Profile.

10. What's the timeline, and what do you need from me? A clear plan shows a designer who has done this before.

Red flags

• Guaranteed first place on Google. Nobody can promise that. Walk away from anyone who does.

• Very low prices with vague details. The cost usually comes later, in extras or in a rebuild.

• The designer owns your domain. If they register it in their own name, leaving can mean losing your web address.

• No written quote. You should know exactly what you're getting before paying a deposit.

• Locked-in platforms with no way out. Ask what happens if you want to move the site later.

• Slow replies before you've signed. It rarely improves afterwards.

Local, remote or abroad?

You don't need a designer in your town, but you do need one who understands your customers. On the Costa del Sol that usually means someone comfortable with Spanish and English, Spanish legal requirements and businesses that depend on both residents and visitors. Video calls make distance easy; a face-to-face meeting now and then still helps, especially for photos.

Comparing quotes

Put the quotes side by side and check:

• whether each includes IVA;

• the same list of pages, languages and features;

• first-year cost and yearly running costs, not just the build price;

• who owns what at the end.

The cheapest build is rarely the cheapest site over three years.

How we work

We publish our prices, and they include IVA. Every site comes with hosting, updates, backups and email. We write in Spanish and English, build the legal pages in, and will happily answer all ten questions above before you commit. See web design on the Costa del Sol, read how much a website costs in Spain, or request a quote.

Frequently asked questions

Should I choose a freelancer or an agency?

Either can work. A freelancer may be cheaper but depends on one person; an agency usually covers design, development and support together. Judge them on their work and their answers, not their size.

How much should a website cost on the Costa del Sol?

It depends on what it needs to do. As a guide, our prices start at €1,750 including IVA for a brochure site and €4,700 for an online shop.

Do I need a designer who speaks Spanish?

If any of your customers are Spanish-speaking, yes: someone who writes natural Spanish, not a machine translation.

Should I pay everything upfront?

Usually not. A deposit followed by payment at agreed stages, or on launch, is normal and protects both sides.

What if I'm unhappy with my current designer?

Make sure you have access to your domain, hosting and site files first. Then a new designer can take over or rebuild without losing your web address or your Google traffic.