How to choose a web design agency: five checks before you pay

Short answer: what decides the choice?

To choose a web design agency, check five things: results behind the portfolio, a described process, published prices, a contract that puts the site and domain in your name, and the people who do the work. Decide agency, freelancer or builder first, then compare two or three studios on these five.

Agency, freelancer or website builder: what do you decide first?

Decide what you are buying before you compare names. A website builder (a tool where you assemble the pages yourself) fits a small site when you have the evenings to spend on it. A freelancer is one person covering the work you describe. An agency is a studio where research, copy, design, and development sit with different people, so a sick week for one person doesn't stop the project.

Before you talk to anyone, write down:

who buys from you and why they pick you over someone else
what the site must do: bring in enquiries, sell, or present the company
the pages you think you need
the budget range you are ready to pay
who on your side approves texts and design
what you already own: domain, logo, photos, texts
the one number you will look at after launch, such as enquiries per month

A studio that gets this list from you in the first call can quote accurately. One that doesn't will quote a guess.

How to choose the right web design company: what to compare

Compare two or three studios on the same five points.

Portfolio and real results

Ask for sites like yours and for the numbers behind them: who the client was, how many enquiries came in before and after, and how long ago it was. Screenshots show taste. A result comes from a report, so ask which report.

Process

Ask what happens before design starts. A studio that opens with visuals draws before it knows who buys. Ask to see a brief (the list of exactly what will be built), how many rounds of edits the price includes and who approves each stage.

Public prices

A published price lets you compare before you spend an evening on calls. If prices are "on request", ask for a written quote that lists what is included and what is billed separately, such as domain, hosting, or a logo.

Contract and ownership

Read who owns the site, the texts, the design files, and the domain when the work ends. The domain and hosting should be registered to you, and you should receive the access details at hand-over. Ask for the payment terms in writing.

Who does the work

Ask who writes the copy, who designs and who builds, and whether they are employees, freelancers, or another company. You will want to know who to call with a question in month three.

Red flags, and what to do if your web designer disappeared

Walk away, or ask hard questions, when you see any of these:

no price or price range, even after you ask
a portfolio without client names or links you can open
promises of a set number of sales or a top search ranking
full payment before any work is done
no written scope of what you get
a domain registered to the agency instead of to you
one contact person who never gives you a phone number or an email address

To check an agency, open its portfolio sites yourself and load them on your phone. Then write to one past client and ask a single question: did the site bring enquiries?

My web designer disappeared: what now?

Gather what you hold: the contract, invoices, emails, and messages, and any login details you were given.
Check the domain. Log in to the registrar (the company where the domain was bought). If the domain is registered to the designer, write to them in every channel you have, with a date for a reply, and ask the registrar about its transfer rules.
Ask the hosting company for a copy of the files if the account is in your name.
Hand the result to a new studio and ask for a short audit of what exists and what is missing before you agree on new work.

How we answer the same checks

We map your audience, pain points, structure and copy before any design. Lead tracking comes in turnkey Premium, corporate Business and Premium and the VIP landing page, so you open a report and see the source of each lead. The Standard package covers a simplified prototype, a design template, the build and a CRM, and logo and brand identity are priced separately. You sign the contract and the brief before you pay, and you pay by invoice under the contract. Your domain and server are registered to you, and we hand over access.

The payment terms are in the contract, and the report shows the source of every lead. Who works on your site is on the About details page.

What do people ask next?

Web design agency vs freelancer: which should I pick?

Pick a freelancer for a small, clearly described site when you can check their earlier work yourself. Pick an agency when the project needs research, copy, design, and development from several people and you want someone to cover absences.

How do I choose the right web design company for a business?

Start from the list in the first section, then compare two or three studios on results, process, prices, contract, and who does the work. Choose the one that answers each in writing.

What should I ask before I pay?

Ask for the brief, the written price with what is billed separately, the payment terms, and the name on the domain and hosting. Pay only after you have the contract.

Talk it through with us

Leave your phone number with the Request a call button and we'll call you back, talk through your task and fill in the brief with you. You pay by invoice under the contract. Packages are described on our website development company page.

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