How to choose a web agency: 10 questions to ask before you sign

A good website brings in requests for years. A bad one costs you twice: once when you pay for it, and again when it has to be rebuilt. The difference rarely shows in the first conversation, but it shows in the answers to a few simple questions. Here are ten worth asking any agency before you sign.

1. Can I see live websites you’ve built?

Not screenshots, but websites you can open right now, on your phone. Check whether they load fast, look good on a small screen, and make clear within seconds what the business does.

2. Who actually works on my project?

Ask who does the design, who builds the site and who you talk to along the way. It’s good to know from the start who is responsible for what.

3. What does the process look like, step by step?

A serious agency can tell you clearly which stages the project goes through and what happens in each. If the process is vague, the result risks being vague too.

4. Do I see the design before you build?

It’s much easier to change a structure or a design before the code than after. Ask whether you’ll see and approve the design before building starts.

5. Will the website be tested on phones?

Most visitors will land on your site from a phone. Ask whether every page is tested on phone, tablet and desktop before launch.

6. How fast will it be, and how will Google find it?

Speed and a structure that’s right for Google are built in from the start. Ask what is done in practice: fast pages, clear titles and descriptions, a good mobile version.

7. Where do form requests go?

A form that sends an email nobody reads is a lost request. Ask where requests go, how fast, and whether the client can get an automatic reply straight away.

8. What happens after launch?

Launch is a beginning, not an end. Ask whether the agency stays involved once the site is live, and how you’ll track the results together.

9. How do we communicate along the way?

Which channel, how often and who replies to you. Clear communication avoids surprises at the end.

10. What exactly do I get in the offer?

Pages, features, content, testing, what happens after launch. A good offer tells you clearly what you get, not just what it costs.

How we answer some of them

• Live websites: we’ve completed 35+ projects, and 25+ websites are live. You can open them in our portfolio.
• The process: four steps. Talk, plan and design, build, launch.
• The design: you see the structure and the design before a single line of code.
• Testing: every page is tested on phone, tablet and desktop.
• Requests: forms send every request straight to you and can trigger an automatic reply.
• After launch: we go live and track the results together.

In short

Don’t choose an agency by price or first impression, but by clear answers to concrete questions. If you’d like to ask us too, write to us. It takes two minutes, and we come back with a clear proposal.