19 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Website Design Agency

Choosing a website design agency should be exciting. In reality, it can feel a little more like speed dating with invoices.

Everyone looks polished in the first meeting. The portfolio is shiny, the coffee is good and someone will almost certainly use the words “strategy”, “results” and “user experience” before you have had time to sit down properly.

Then comes the proposal.

One agency tells you the website will cost $4,000. Another says $14,000. A third refuses to give you a number until you complete a discovery workshop, a questionnaire and what appears to be a mild psychological assessment.

So how do you make a fair comparison?

After more than 25 years working in websites, hosting, security, SEO and custom development, I have seen projects that genuinely transformed businesses and others that became very expensive lessons. The difference is rarely just the design. It usually comes down to whether the right questions were asked before the agreement was signed.

This article is not about finding the “best” agency. There is no single agency that is right for every business. It is about helping you become a more informed buyer so you can understand what you are paying for, what you will own and what happens after the website goes live.

Your website should be an asset. Without proper planning, it can also become a long-term liability with a nice homepage.

1. How much will the website really cost?

This is usually the first question, and it is also one of the hardest to answer properly.

Asking “How much is a website?” is a little like asking “How much is a house?” It depends whether you want a one-bedroom unit, a family home or something with six bathrooms and a cinema room nobody will ever use.

For a professionally planned business website, I would generally expect pricing to fall somewhere between $5,000 and $20,000, depending on the size, content, functionality, photography, integrations and level of strategy involved.

A good agency should ask more questions before giving you a final figure. Be wary of anyone who produces an instant price without understanding what the website actually needs to achieve.

2. What business outcome is the website meant to achieve?

You probably do not care what page builder is being used. You care whether the website generates enquiries, improves trust, reduces administration, supports sales or helps people understand what you do.

The agency should be able to connect design decisions to measurable business outcomes.

If the entire discussion is about colours, fonts and whether the homepage “pops”, the project may already be drifting in the wrong direction.

3. Who is responsible for the website content?

This question catches many business owners by surprise.

Some agencies expect you to supply every word. Others include copywriting. Some provide a rough draft and ask you to rewrite most of it, which is technically copywriting in the same way that handing someone flour is technically baking a cake.

Ask whether the agency uses a content planner, interviews you, develops messaging or simply transfers your existing brochure onto the website.

The content should reflect your customers, their problems, the outcomes they want and the reasons they should trust your business.

4. Is copywriting included in the quoted price?

Do not assume it is.

Ask how many pages are included, how many revisions you receive and whether SEO research, page structure and calls to action are part of the process.

Good website copy is not filler between the photos. It is often the part of the website that does the actual selling.

5. Do you include professional photography or videography?

Where possible, use real professional photography.

Stock images have their place, but they should not make your team look like a collection of unusually attractive Americans pretending to hold a meeting in a glass office.

The web designer should brief the photographer on the types of images needed, where they will appear and how they support the website strategy.

Photography should be planned as part of the project, not added at the last minute because someone noticed the homepage still contains a smiling person in a hard hat who does not work for you.

6. Who owns and controls my domain name?

Your domain should be registered in your name or your business name, using an email address you control.

This matters because your domain is one of your most important digital assets. If the agency controls the registrant details, transferring it later may become unnecessarily difficult.

There are valid reasons for an agency to manage a domain on your behalf, but ownership and access should always be clear.

7. Who owns the completed website?

You should know whether the website belongs to you after the final payment is made.

Ask whether you can move it to another provider, export it, access the files and retain your content if the relationship ends.

A website should not become a digital hostage situation simply because you decide to change providers three years later.

8. What platform will the website use?

Understand whether the site is built on an open platform such as WordPress, a proprietary content management system or a hosted website builder.

I strongly prefer WordPress because it is open source, widely supported and can be moved between providers.

That does not mean every WordPress website is good. It simply means you are less likely to be locked into one agency, one hosting provider or one unusual system that only a former employee named Darren understands.

9. Can another developer take over the website later?

This is worth asking directly.

Some agencies build websites in a way that makes future maintenance straightforward. Others create highly customised systems that are difficult for anyone else to support.

A good agency should be confident enough in its service that it does not need to trap you technically.

10. What is the expected project timeframe?

For a well-planned business website, three to six months is not unusual.

That timeframe may include strategy, content, design, photography, development, feedback, testing and launch preparation.

Agencies are usually managing several projects at once, and delays often come from waiting on content, approvals or photography rather than the website build itself.

Very fast is not always bad, especially with modern tools and strong internal systems. But “We can launch next Friday” deserves a few follow-up questions.

11. What do you need from me to keep the project moving?

Ask what information, feedback, approvals and resources you will need to provide.

A website project is collaborative. Even the best agency cannot extract your business knowledge through telepathy, although some discovery meetings do make a brave attempt.

Clear responsibilities prevent projects from stalling.

12. What happens after the website launches?

A website is not finished when it goes live.

It needs updates, security monitoring, backups, testing, performance improvements and occasional changes as the business evolves.

Ask whether the agency offers ongoing support and what is included in that service.

13. Why should I host and manage the website with you?

Hosting is one of the most confusing areas because prices vary dramatically.

A $100-per-year hosting account is not the same as a $1,200-per-year website care plan. One may simply provide server space. The other may include maintenance, security, backups, performance monitoring, software licensing, support and actual humans who answer emails.

Ask what is included rather than comparing the headline price alone.

Be particularly careful with IT providers who have added hosting as a side line. Running a server and running a website are different jobs. Compatibility checks between theme, builder and plugins, vendor licence management, and a disciplined update routine are all website work, and where they are skipped you get a site that degrades quietly until something breaks or is exploited.

14. What ongoing licensing costs should I expect?

Modern websites often use premium software for forms, SEO, security, backups, eCommerce, bookings or advanced layouts.

Some licences may be included in your management plan. Others may be billed separately.

Ask what happens to those licences if you move to another provider. You do not want to discover later that the website relies on several thousand dollars per year in software you did not know existed.

15. Can I arrange my own hosting and maintenance?

Many agencies will say no, and that is not automatically unreasonable.

They may have established processes, preferred infrastructure and responsibility for the site’s security and performance. They also have a business to run and naturally want an ongoing relationship with clients.

Still, the answer should be explained clearly. You should understand whether the restriction is based on quality control, support requirements or simply commercial preference.

16. What are the payment terms?

Most agencies request a deposit before starting, followed by staged payments or a final payment before launch.

Some ask for the full amount upfront, particularly when external resources need to be booked.

There is no single correct structure, but the terms should be clear before the project starts. Ask what happens if the scope changes, the project is delayed or either party needs to end the agreement.

17. How will success be measured?

This is one of the most important questions in the entire list.

Success may mean more enquiries, better-quality leads, increased bookings, improved conversion rates, easier administration, stronger search visibility or greater trust.

The answer should come back to the goals established at the beginning of the project.

“It looks good” is useful. “It generated 35 qualified enquiries in three months” is more useful.

18. How do you approach SEO, performance and security?

These areas should be considered during the build, not added as emergency repairs after launch.

Ask about page structure, metadata, redirects, schema, mobile performance, image optimisation, backups, malware protection and software updates.

You do not need to understand every technical detail. You just need confidence that the agency does.

If you ask about security and the answer is “WordPress updates itself”, keep asking questions.

19. Do you use Cloudflare or an equivalent DNS and security platform?

Yes, this is the question where your eyes may begin to glaze over. Stay with me.

Cloudflare can improve security, performance and DNS management. It also makes it easier to provide controlled access to other providers without transferring ownership of the domain.

Not every website must use Cloudflare, but the agency should understand modern DNS, SSL, proxying and security options well enough to explain its preferred setup.

If the explanation is simply “We have always done it this way”, that tells you something too.

A final warning about do-it-yourself website builders

Website builders are often marketed as the fast and inexpensive alternative to hiring an agency.

For some simple projects, they can be useful. But business owners often underestimate the time required to plan the structure, write the content, select imagery, optimise the site, configure tracking and make everything work properly on mobile.

The subscription may be inexpensive. Your time usually is not.

The problem is rarely whether you can physically build a website. Most people can also physically paint their own house. The question is whether the result will be good enough, whether you will enjoy doing it and whether you will still be speaking to your family by the end.

What should a good agency have in common?

The right agency does not need to be the largest, the cheapest or the one with the most dramatic office photos.

Look for an agency that:

• asks thoughtful questions about your business;
• can explain its process clearly;
• connects design decisions to business goals;
• is transparent about ownership and ongoing costs;
• uses technology that can be supported long term;
• has a plan for content, SEO, performance and security;
• communicates in a way you understand; and
• sees the launch as the beginning of the relationship rather than the end.

How to check what you’re being told

Asking the right questions only helps if you can tell whether the answers are true. These are the checks I run before I believe a portfolio.

• Check for hosted website builders, Wix or SquareSpace – No, it’s not a disease but it’s kind of like one. For me personally I’d look past what appears beautiful elegant design with great photos to the architected system and strategy at work. I’ll explain why later in the article. You can use this check CMS link to test the site, what you want to see is any other system not Wix, Webflow or SquareSpace.
• Check their portfolio but realise just because a designer lists a business or their logo as someone they’ve “worked with” doesn’t mean that website or branding is still in use. It could be the worst branding in the world from the 1990s and yet a designer will leave it on their portfolio as a dot point in order to get work.
• A design is only part of the work so designers putting work on their portfolio is to say: “hey there, I changed some colours, your font and put your content into the website and bam we have something awesome!” Meanwhile they may of chosen one of thousands of themes from a hosted website builder library or had someone else build the site. Again consider the portfolio half the job when it’s a design based agency. The hard stuff, functionality, even the menu may of been completed by someone else.
• Screenshot a design and upload it to Google, while I can spot a template a mile away especially a SquareSpace one. Yes, Poppins is a nice font but I don’t use it on every single website I build uploading a screenshot may tell you a different story about those unique designs.
• The young up and coming cool, hip designers will gravitate towards the non-technical sphere of existence adopting visual tools that make you feel good and you can see visual deliverables rather than doing the hard yards in the SEO discovery process to get really gets the real results. Speaking of stereo types of course.
• Older designer dude – Say you have chosen an agency and it’s not just the one man show but they have a designer employed. Yay, I’m sure that means that the 40 year old dude that has 20 years experience building websites for builders, tradies and handyman will definitely build a beautiful website for your flower business aimed at a more feminine audience.
• Young designer chick – Same can be said for that 20 year old girl straight out of uni doing design for her agency will by default love those pastel colours and sub-consciously they’re fight their inner selves and own unconscious biases. Not saying some bloke might not like the pastels and pink and if he does good for him.
• Some designers typically are project or service orientated which involves getting your money and saying “Goodbye, I’m handing your website over, thanks”. If there are no ongoings then consider that a designer is not partnering with you in your business and is this the right pick for your investment.
• Watch out for things like Domains, Hosting or SquareSpace monthly not included in ongoings, you don’t need to manage these yourself.
• We don’t do email, and yet their supposed to be professional marketers. You better send that next newsletter yourself and figure out your own DMARC.
• Your domain costs and by the way “What’s DNS?” – I’m of course being a bit facetious sorry.

In the era of anyone can run their own business, “you do you”, “you go girl”, the answer to the dream that it is to be a designer who represents only themselves goes two ways.

• Unemployment leaving you in the lurch
• Burnout leading to a career change into real estate.

If you’re being quoted by an IT provider

• What if I want you to update my address on your website? what? you’re charging me for that? — Your IT guy is running a business and care may not be there before profit.
• Copy on their website is Chat GPT generated — You can test for this with a tool like Quilbot that will give you the insight into how much work they actually really did put in to building their own website. Not all AI content is good content. Another tell-tale sign is the use of the words “top-notch”, I hate this term and to me it screams AI. For more information on AI I have another blog on that here
• Ask “Do you maintain licensing for all of my plugins in your monthly?” — most IT guys see hosting sites as a quick buck. They buy some hosting and resell it without any consideration of security or plugin updates.
• Like the designer leaving a business on their list of “customers we’ve worked with” you’ll also find IT pro’s just by hosting a site rubber stamp that website or brand as their own creation. Not the case, and you should ask them what their involvement is with said client.
• “I need a new site can you help me redesign mine?” if the answer is no, but I know someone who can, we just look after sites, clearly this guy/girl is after your ongoings for maintaining the site and nothing more? You’ll end up with a site from Fivr or a template.
• “Can you help me with my content strategy and provide some numbers when it comes to if my site is it effective?” — For the IT guy/girl it’s about the money and business, as far as “strategy”, what language are you speaking? They will default to the detail and ask what text and what image you have to replace. it’s about the work, not so much about the planning and therefore miss the big picture when it comes to the problem or goals you need to use your site for.

Is it an agency, or one person?

At GetLeads, we have access to five different designers most of them local to the Riverina. This allows us to select the most suitable one for each project. It’s crucial to understand that while designers play a key role in the discovery process, it’s not solely their responsibility. They are there to develop a concept that aligns with the strategy provided to them by the agency or person who executed the discovery. They can offer valuable advice to ensure the final product is the best it can be for the client but their job is design.

Often, agencies might present themselves as larger than they actually are. At GetLeads, we might seem similar, but we genuinely have access to extended resources that ensure optimal results. These resources are carefully chosen based on the project’s needs. In contrast, a designer claiming to run an “agency” might just be a freelancer with minimal support, which might not be ideal for every client.

If the selection process for a designer isn’t handled correctly, it can lead to wasted time and effort, and possibly multiple iterations to meet client needs. Sometimes, clients themselves might not be the best at strategising for their website. They might focus too much on unprofitable parts of their business. It’s beneficial to consider various designers and agencies, especially since in regional Australia, many “agencies” are actually freelancers.

It’s important to investigate the team before committing to ensure you’re not stuck on the project for years. Some agencies might have many employees but only a few designers, which can limit diversity in design. At GetLeads, we ensure flexibility and choice by having multiple designers available.

Our business model at GetLeads includes a redundancy plan, SOPs that ensure that multiple people are knowledgeable and can assist if issues arise. This is crucial for maintaining continuity and quality.

The inherent issue as a designer with little technical skill

This blog isn’t just about pointing out what other designers do wrong. It’s about helping you make informed decisions. I strongly advise against designers who only offer SquareSpace websites. This often indicates a lack of development skills and a preference for quick, templated solutions over building a lasting relationship and achieving your business goals. I can build something in a couple of days vs the 60-70 hours my team would usually put in to a website.

The inherent issue as an IT guy with little design skill

Another concern is the IT specialist who might be skilled in technical setup but lacks understanding of strategic marketing. They might rely on automated tools like chat.gtp for content creation and have minimal design skills. While they can offer technical support, they are not marketers.

The Answer

In summary, choosing the right designer or agency is crucial. It’s not just about getting a website built; it’s about creating a marketing tool that aligns with your business goals. Make sure to assess the capabilities and background of the team you choose to work with to avoid future regrets. You want a team with a diverse skill base and multiple designers and developers. Prepare to pay a little bit more to get the job done right first time.

Final thoughts

There is no perfect website agency for every business.

Large agencies offer broader teams and specialised skills. Smaller agencies often provide closer relationships, greater continuity and direct access to the people doing the work.

The right choice depends on your budget, goals, preferred working relationship and the complexity of the project.

Most importantly, do not buy a website based solely on price or appearance.

Buy the thinking behind it.

Buy the process.

Buy the support.

And ask enough questions that you know exactly what you are getting before somebody sends you a proposal containing the phrase “bespoke digital experience”.