How to choose a web design agency: 8 criteria
How to choose a web design agency: 8 criteria, the questions to ask before you sign, red flags, and how to compare several proposals side by side.
In short
Choose an agency not by the lowest price or the prettiest portfolio, but by whether it gives clear answers to the essential questions: what exactly it built in past projects, how the work runs, what the price includes in writing, who will own the domain, accounts and code, how speed is checked and what happens after launch. Ask for 2–3 proposals and compare them by scope, not by the total.
Key takeaways
- A portfolio shows taste, not how an agency works – ask what exactly it built in each project.
- A good written proposal states the scope, task list, price, timeline and payment terms before work starts.
- The domain and accounts should be registered in your name; the contract should make clear which rights to the code are transferred.
- You can check speed yourself: only 48% of mobile websites had good Core Web Vitals in 2025.
- Ask what happens after launch: a warranty, maintenance and a response time are not the same as a fix.
Start with what you need
An agency is easiest to judge when you know what you want from it. A few sentences are enough: what the website must achieve, roughly how many pages you need, which systems it must exchange data with and who will prepare the content. Then every proposal answers the same question, and you can compare them.
- Project scope
- The list of what the price includes: pages, features, integrations, languages, content work, testing and launch. Anything not written into the scope usually costs extra.
If you don't yet know how big a website you need, start with how much a website costs to build and what drives the price. If you already have a site and aren't sure whether to replace it, read when to rebuild your website.
8 criteria
For each criterion: what to ask and what kind of answer to expect. If you don't get the answer in writing, assume there isn't one.
1. Past work – and what exactly they did
A portfolio shows taste, not how an agency works. A beautiful screenshot can be a design concept or a site another developer built. Ask what the agency did in each project: strategy, design, development, maintenance? Is the site still live, and can you open it?
Open a few of their sites on your phone and run them through PageSpeed Insights. It takes a few minutes and tells you more than any presentation.
48%
Share of mobile websites with good Core Web Vitals in July 2025 (56% on desktop). The speed of an agency's work is one of the few things you can check yourself.
Source: HTTP Archive, 20261
What to change
- Ask for the addresses of 2–3 live websites, not just screenshots
- Ask which parts of each project the agency did itself
- Tell client work apart from concepts and in-house projects – they're fine, but should be labelled clearly
2. A clear way of working
Ask what the stages are, what you'll see at the end of each one and when you sign off. The key moment is approving the design before development starts: that's when changes cost least. Also ask how many design revisions are included and what counts as a change of scope.
3. A written proposal – with scope, not just a figure
A proposal should answer four questions: what will be done, for how much, by when and how payment works. A single figure without a task list tells you nothing – you don't know whether it includes content, integrations, translations or training.
What to change
- Ask for a task list, not just a total
- Check what isn't included and how extra work is priced
- Get the timeline and payment terms in writing before work starts
4. Who will own the domain, accounts and code
The domain, analytics, Search Console, hosting and other business accounts should be registered in your name, with the agency given access. The contract should make clear which rights to the content and code are transferred once you've paid, what stays with the agency (its reusable libraries, for example) and which third-party parts are covered by their own licences.
5. Will you be able to edit the site yourself
Ask which content management system (CMS) will be used, what you'll be able to change yourself and whether training is included. Also agree clearly who prepares the content: copy, photos, translations. Content that isn't ready is the most common reason a website launches late.
6. Speed, search and accessibility
Ask how speed will be checked, and whether basic SEO (headings, meta descriptions, a sitemap, redirects) and analytics are included. If the answer is “it'll be fast”, ask for specific metrics.
2.5 s · 200 ms · 0.1
The “good” Core Web Vitals thresholds: largest content element (LCP) within 2.5 s, response to an interaction (INP) up to 200 ms, layout shift (CLS) up to 0.1, measured at the 75th percentile of page loads.
Source: web.dev (Google), 20262
28 June 2025
From this date, the European Accessibility Act applies to services provided to consumers, including e-commerce. Microenterprises providing services are exempt.
Source: EUR-Lex, 20263
Even if the accessibility requirements don't apply to you, ask whether the site will work with a keyboard alone and whether images will have alt text. These simple questions quickly show how much an agency thinks about every visitor.
7. Data protection
Website forms collect personal data, and the agency that builds or maintains the site often has access to it. Article 28 of the GDPR requires processing by a processor to be governed by a contract setting out the subject matter, duration, nature and purpose of the processing and the obligations of both parties.
What to change
- Ask where the site will be hosted and where form data will be stored
- Check whether the agency signs a data processing agreement
- Ask how cookie consent and analytics will be handled
8. What happens after launch
The website will need updates, backups and monitoring. Ask whether there's a warranty and how long it lasts, whether the agency offers maintenance, what it costs and what the response time is. Remember: response time is how soon work starts, not how soon the problem is fixed.
Also ask whether maintenance is mandatory. A good agency lets you choose: a plan with monthly hours, or work ordered when you need it. More in how much website maintenance costs.
What the first conversation tells you
The first conversation tells you more than any pitch deck. Notice whether the agency asks about your business, customers and goals, or jumps straight to design and technology. Does it tell you what you don't need? Is it clear who your contact will be and how quickly questions get answered?
- Questions about your goals, customers and existing systems – a good sign
- An honest “you don't need this” or “an off-the-shelf tool will do” – even better
- One clear contact for every question, not a different person each time
- An agreed response time, so you don't wait days for a reply
If it's unclear after the first call who will answer you and when, it rarely improves once the project is under way.
Red flags
Red flag
- A price with no task list; work starts without a written proposal
- The domain and accounts are registered in the agency's name
- Examples of work are screenshots only, with no addresses
- You first see the design once it's already built
- “Maintenance is mandatory” with no clear scope
- To “how will you check speed?” – “it'll be fast”
Good sign
- Scope, price, timeline and payments in writing before work starts
- Domain and accounts in your name; the agency gets access
- Live websites, and it's clear what the agency did on them
- You approve the design before development
- Maintenance is a choice with clear hours and response times
- Specific metrics and checks before launch
How to compare several proposals
Ask for 2–3 proposals based on the same brief. Then put them into one table – the differences show up faster than when you read each one separately.
| Criterion | What to note | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Pages, integrations, languages, content work | Whether all proposals cover the same things |
| Price and payments | Total, deposit, payment stages | Whether the price is final and what's excluded |
| Timeline | Weeks to launch | Whether it depends on you delivering content |
| Process | Stages and sign-off points | Whether design is approved before development |
| Ownership | Domain, accounts, code, licences | Whether the domain and accounts are in your name |
| Technology and CMS | System, training | Whether you can edit content yourself |
| After launch | Warranty, maintenance price, response time | Whether maintenance is optional and clear |
12 questions to ask before you sign
Ask the agency
- Which parts of your past projects did you do yourselves?
- What are the stages, and what will I see at the end of each?
- Do I approve the design before development, and how many revisions are included?
- What exactly is included in the price, and what isn't?
- What is the timeline, and what does it depend on?
- How does payment work?
- Whose name will the domain, hosting and accounts be in?
- Which rights to the content and code are transferred once I've paid?
- Which CMS will you use, and is training included?
- How will you check speed, SEO basics and analytics?
- Do you sign a data processing agreement?
- What happens after launch: warranty, maintenance, response time?
How we answer these questions
For example, for the Esportas.net platform we did the design, front-end and back-end. Read more about our website development and how we work. If you'd like a proposal to compare, describe your project – we reply within 1 business day.
Methodology
- Date
- Criteria
- The criteria reflect what should be clear before signing a contract: scope, price, timeline, ownership, quality, data and maintenance
- Technical facts – from web.dev and HTTP Archive; legal facts – from the texts of the GDPR and Directive (EU) 2019/882 on EUR-Lex
- We did not rate or name any other agencies
- Limitations
- This article is not legal advice. Contract terms, data processing and whether accessibility requirements apply to you are worth discussing with a lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
An agency or a freelancer?
Either can work. Compare the answers to the same questions rather than the title: who is responsible for design, development and maintenance, what happens if the person falls ill or leaves, and whose name the domain and accounts will be in.
How many proposals should I ask for?
2–3 is usually enough. More rarely helps: they're harder to compare and the scope differs in each anyway. What matters more is that everyone receives the same project brief.
Do I need a technical specification?
No. A few sentences in your own words are enough: what the site must achieve, how many pages you need, which systems it must work with and who will prepare the content. A good agency will help you work out the rest in the first conversation.
Is the cheapest proposal always a bad one?
Not necessarily, but it usually has a smaller scope. Compare the task lists: do they include content, integrations, training, a speed check and a warranty? When the scope is the same, the price gap often shrinks.
What if we stop working with the agency?
If the domain and accounts are in your name and the contract states clearly which rights to the code are transferred, you can move to another developer. It's worth agreeing this before you start, not when the relationship ends.
Sources and methodology
- HTTP ArchivePerformance – The 2025 Web Almanacaccessed
- web.dev (Google)Web Vitalsaccessed
- EUR-LexDirective (EU) 2019/882 on the accessibility requirements for products and servicesaccessed
- EUR-LexRegulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation)accessed