Why hire a remote web designer at all?
Costs are lower in some countries, so the same work can cost you less. That's the honest reason many businesses look abroad. Distance also matters less than it used to. A good remote designer can work as closely with you over email, WhatsApp and video calls as someone across town.
What really matters is how someone works and whether they're straight with you. Here's how I'd check.
Look at the work, and how it's labelled
Open their examples on your phone, not only on a big screen. Ask which are client projects and which are concepts. Concepts are a perfectly honest way to show an approach. I use them myself, labelled as sample designs for fictional businesses. A portfolio full of famous brands with no explanation is another matter.
Be suspicious of claims that sound too good
Guaranteed first-page rankings are a red flag. Nobody can promise that, because nobody controls Google. So are suspiciously perfect reviews, and claims about huge numbers of happy clients with nothing to back them up.
Sort out communication early
Ask how they like to talk, how quickly they normally reply and when they're around in your time zone. Pakistan, for example, is 1 hour ahead of the UAE, 4 to 5 hours ahead of the UK and 9 to 13 hours ahead of the US. A US morning often lines up with a Pakistani evening. It works well once everyone knows when to expect a reply.
Get the scope and price in writing
List the pages, the features, the rounds of changes, the timeline and what counts as extra. If a designer publishes their prices, like my $150 for the first page and $50 per extra page, this gets simpler, because you can see exactly what you're comparing.
Pay safely
Pay against proper invoices through an established payment service. Splitting payments by stage, such as 50% to start and 50% on approval, protects both sides. Never send card details by email or chat.
Keep the keys to your own site
Register your domain and hosting in your own name and give the designer access, not ownership. At the end, make sure you get the files and every login. If you part ways, you shouldn't need anyone's permission to change your own website.
Check they know the basics for your market
A good designer should know about privacy notices and cookie consent under GDPR and UK GDPR, the Impressum in Germany and data protection law in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Your legal texts are still your responsibility, but they should tell you what's needed.
Try before you commit
A small first job is the easiest way to see how someone works. So is a free homepage demo, which is what I offer. If you'd like to know more about me and how I work, it's on the about page.