How to Choose a Web Development Agency (and What to Ask Them)

Seven questions worth asking

• Can I see live work like this? Click through the sites, not only screenshots.
• Who will actually do the work, and will I speak to them directly?
• How do you handle scope, changes and fixed pricing?
• What happens after launch? Is support included, and for how long?
• Will I own the code, content and accounts?
• How do you handle SEO, speed and mobile from the start?
• How will we communicate, and how often will I see progress?

Green flags

• A written scope and timeline before work begins.
• Honest advice, including telling you what not to spend money on.
• Clients you can verify and sites you can open.

Red flags

• Vague pricing or pressure to decide quickly.
• No live examples, or work that cannot be verified.
• Promises of guaranteed rankings.
• You would not own your own site.

How to read a portfolio

Look past the screenshots. Visit the live sites and use them on your phone. Check how fast they load and whether they feel easy to use. Ask which part of each project the agency actually did, and what changed for the client afterwards. A good portfolio explains the problem and the result, not just the visuals.

Questions about process

• Who will I speak to day to day, and how often will we meet?
• How do you handle feedback and changes to the scope?
• What do you need from me, and by when?
• How will I be able to edit the site myself once it is live?

Ownership and handover

Before work starts, confirm in writing that you will own the domain, the content and the finished code or design files. Ask what documentation you receive and whether your team will be shown how to manage the site. A good agency is comfortable with this; a reluctant answer is worth noticing.

Compare proposals fairly

Put proposals side by side and compare scope, timeline, what is excluded and what support follows launch. The lowest price often leaves out something important. Choose the team that understood your goal best and explained it clearly, not simply the one that promised the most.

Start with a small step

A discovery call costs little and tells you a lot. Notice whether they ask about your goals before they talk about technology.