Choosing a web design company is not like buying something off the shelf. You are trusting someone with one of the main ways customers will find and judge your business, and you will probably live with the result for years.
Most businesses only go through the process every few years, so it is hard to know what good looks like. Prices vary widely, every portfolio looks polished, and every proposal promises a site that is fast, modern and good for SEO. The questions below help you see past that and compare like with like.
1. Can I see websites you have built for businesses like mine?
A portfolio shows taste, but the more useful question is whether the company has solved problems like yours. A trade business that needs enquiries, a shop that needs online sales and a club that needs bookings all need very different things from a website.
Look at live sites, not just screenshots, and open them on your phone. Are they quick, easy to use and clear about what each business does? If you can, ask to speak to one or two of their clients. A company that is confident in its work will usually be happy to arrange it.
2. Who will actually design and build it?
Some agencies do everything in-house. Others sell the project and pass the design or development to freelancers or overseas teams. Neither is automatically wrong, but you should know who is working on your site, who you will speak to day to day, and who will fix things if something goes wrong after launch.
3. What exactly is included in the price?
Two quotes for "a website" can describe very different amounts of work. Ask for a written breakdown and check whether it covers:
- Design created for your business, or an adapted template
- Copywriting, or whether you need to supply all the words yourself
- A content management system, and training on how to use it
- Mobile layouts and testing
- SEO setup, page titles and redirects from your old site
- Hosting, security updates and backups
- Support after launch, and what it costs
Our guide to what a small business website costs in the UK explains why the numbers vary so much.
4. Will I be able to update the website myself?
Your website should change as your business does: new services, new projects, new staff, updated prices. Ask to see the content management system before you commit, and check that someone without technical knowledge could make everyday changes. If every small edit needs a support request, the site will soon fall out of date.
5. Who owns the domain, the website and the content?
This is one of the most overlooked questions, and one of the most important. Your domain name should be registered to your business, and you should be able to access the account. Ask what happens if you decide to move on in the future: can you take your content and images with you, and is there any cost or notice period involved?
There is nothing wrong with an agency managing your domain and hosting for you. Just make sure it is a convenience rather than something that ties you in.
6. How will you protect our existing Google rankings?
If you already have a website, it may be bringing in enquiries you do not even know about. A redesign that changes page addresses without redirects can lose much of that search visibility very quickly.
A good web design company will ask which pages matter to you, review what currently ranks, keep valuable content and redirect old addresses to the right new pages. If nobody mentions this while you are planning a redesign, ask.
7. What is your approach to SEO?
Be wary of anyone who guarantees a first-page position or a number one ranking. Nobody controls Google's results, and those promises tend to end in disappointment or in tactics that cause problems later.
A sensible answer covers the foundations: a clear structure with a page for each important service, useful content, descriptive titles and headings, fast loading, a good mobile experience and, for local businesses, making it obvious where you work. We cover the local side in our guide to local SEO for Staffordshire businesses.
8. Where will the site be hosted, and who looks after it?
Hosting affects speed, security and how quickly problems get fixed. Ask where the site will be hosted, how often it is backed up, how security updates are handled and who you contact if it goes down. Cheap hosting with no support can cost far more in lost enquiries than it saves.
9. What happens after launch?
A website is never really finished. Ask what support is included once it is live, how quickly the company usually responds, and how extra work is quoted. It is also worth asking how long they have worked with their longest-standing clients. Long relationships are usually a good sign.
10. What do you need from us, and how long will it take?
Many website projects are held up by content rather than design or development. Ask for a realistic timetable, what you need to provide and when, and how feedback and sign-off work. A clear plan at the start avoids frustration on both sides.
Does it matter if they are local?
Not necessarily. Plenty of businesses work well with agencies they never meet in person. But a local company has some advantages: you can meet face to face when it helps, they may already know your area and your customers, and they are easy to get hold of. If you are in Stafford, Stone, Rugeley or anywhere else in Staffordshire, it is worth including a few local companies on your shortlist alongside any others you are considering.
Warning signs to watch for
- Guaranteed rankings, or promises of page one within a set number of days
- A price that seems far too low, with no clear breakdown of what is included
- Your domain registered in the agency's name, with no clear way to transfer it
- No live, recent websites to look at
- Pressure to sign quickly
- No mention of what will happen to your existing site and its search rankings
The short version
The right web design company is the one that understands what your website needs to do, is clear about what you are paying for, and will still be there when you need help after launch. Ask the questions above, compare the answers rather than just the prices, and favour companies that are open about what they will and will not promise.
If you would like to put these questions to us, we are happy to answer them. You can read about how we design websites or see our work across Staffordshire.
