What Portfolio Should I Look for When Hiring a Designer?
How to evaluate a web designer's portfolio — what to look for, what to ignore, and the red flags that reveal weak work.
Anyone can polish a Figma file. Ask for live URLs and click around
Look at live sites, not mockups
Anyone can polish a Figma file. Ask for live URLs and click around. Speed, mobile behaviour, and real content reveal more than any case study. Our portfolio links straight to live client sites for exactly this reason.
Range and relevance
You want a designer who's shipped sites in your industry or close to it. Look for variety in layout and tone — not ten clones of the same template.
Results, not just visuals
Great portfolios talk about outcomes: leads, bookings, search rankings. For a deeper look at vetting, see How Do I Know If a Web Designer Is Qualified?.
Ready to compare?
Browse our portfolio, review our packages, or contact us for a free design review.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a professional small business website cost in Canada?
Most small business websites in Canada cost between $1,500 and $8,000 for a one-time build, or $23–$95 per month on a managed plan. See our current packages for exact pricing.
How long does it take to build a new website?
A typical small business website takes 2–4 weeks from kickoff to launch. Larger custom builds with e-commerce or booking systems usually take 4–8 weeks.
Do you handle hosting and ongoing maintenance?
Yes. Every Cloud Peak Solutions plan includes hosting, SSL, backups, security updates, and monthly content edits so your site stays fast and secure.
About the Author
This article was written by the team at Cloud Peak Solutions, a Vancouver-based web design and digital marketing agency helping small businesses across Canada and the US get more customers online through professional web design, local SEO, and Google Business Profile management. Learn more at cloudpeak.solutions.
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