Hiring the wrong web agency can cost you months of time, thousands of pounds, and a website that needs rebuilding anyway. Here are eight questions that separate the good agencies from the ones to avoid.
1. Can I See Your Portfolio?
Any legitimate agency should have a portfolio of real, live websites. Visit the sites — don't just look at screenshots. Check how they load on mobile, how fast they are, whether they look professionally coded or assembled from templates.
2. Will I Own the Code?
Some agencies retain ownership of your website's code. When you leave, you leave with nothing. Always confirm upfront that you'll receive full ownership of the source code, the database, and all design assets.
3. What Platform Will You Build On?
Ask specifically whether they'll use a page builder like Elementor or Divi. Page-builder sites are bloated, slow, and difficult to hand over to another developer later. A custom-coded site is faster, more flexible, and fully yours.
4. How Do You Handle SEO?
SEO should be built into the site structure — not treated as an optional add-on after launch. Ask what SEO work is included: meta tags, schema markup, XML sitemap, heading hierarchy, image alt text, canonical tags. If they can't explain these, they're not building your site properly.
5. What Does the Price Include — Exactly?
Get a line-item quote. Hosting? SSL? Domain setup? Redirects from old pages? Email configuration? Content upload? Ask what happens if revisions are needed. Vague "web design package" quotes hide nasty surprises.
6. Who Will Actually Build My Website?
Some agencies sell the project, then outsource it to overseas developers. Ask directly who will be writing your code and where they're based. This affects quality control, communication, and your ability to get support.
7. How Will We Communicate During the Project?
Find out how updates are delivered, how quickly they respond to messages, and what the revision process looks like. A developer who communicates clearly will produce a better website than one who disappears for weeks.
8. What Happens After Launch?
Ask about ongoing support, maintenance plans, and what you do if something breaks. A responsible developer will offer a maintenance plan and be clear about their post-launch availability.
Why Choose TAG Web Design
We give honest answers to all eight of these questions. You own the code. We communicate via WhatsApp, email, and video call. SEO is built in as standard. And our prices are fixed — agreed before a single line of code is written. Start with a free quote today.