To choose the right web agency, check three things: whether it understands what you need to achieve with the website or system, whether it can show real work and a clear way of working, and whether it leaves you in control of the code, domain and accounts. Price and portfolio matter, but the contract and transparency decide how smooth the collaboration will be.
The guide below is written for owners and managers choosing a web design, development or AI solutions company who do not want to become technology specialists just to make a good decision.
In short
Ask for real, verifiable work, a process described step by step and a quote with clear deliverables. Make sure the domain, hosting, code and accounts are in your company's name. Read what the contract says about ownership, changes, maintenance and ending the collaboration. For AI, ask for a demonstration on your own data and ask what limits the solution has.
What to check before your first conversation with a web design company
A few minutes of research tell you a lot. Open the agency's website on your phone and see whether it loads quickly and reads easily. Look at the portfolio: do the projects link to live websites? Can you open those sites, and do they work well? A portfolio made only of images, without names or links, is not necessarily a problem, but it is worth asking why.
- Projects similar to yours in type or complexity, not necessarily from the same industry.
- Clear company identification details: name, tax ID, address, contact people.
- A described working process, not just a list of services.
- Content that explains limitations too, not just benefits.
Web agency, freelancer or in-house team?
Before comparing agencies, it is worth knowing what type of partner you need. There is no option that is right for everyone, only different trade-offs.
- Freelancer: direct communication and flexibility, suited to well-defined projects. The limitation: if the person is not available, the project stalls, and the range of skills covered is usually narrower.
- Web agency: several skills under the same contract (strategy, design, development, content, SEO, AI) and continuity if someone is away. The limitation: more coordination and, sometimes, less direct access to the people actually doing the work.
- In-house team: maximum control and deep knowledge of the business, suited to when you need ongoing development. The limitation: recruitment, fixed costs and the difficulty of covering every specialism yourself.
Many companies combine the options: an agency builds and launches, and someone in-house updates the content and stays in touch with the supplier. Whatever you choose, the rules on ownership, contracts and access below stay the same.
Questions to ask a web agency
A good agency asks questions about your business before proposing a solution. If the conversation jumps straight to colours and technologies, it is a sign the project will be built on assumptions. Here are the questions worth asking in return.
- What does the working process look like, from the first conversation to launch? What do I approve, and when?
- Who actually works on the project, and who is my contact person?
- What technology do you propose, and why is it right for my case?
- Can I change the text and images myself after launch? How?
- How do you test the site on mobile, for speed and for accessibility before launch?
- What happens to the old website's pages and its positions in Google?
- What does the quote include and what does it not? How are changes requested along the way charged?
- What happens after launch: warranty, maintenance, response time for problems?
The answers do not have to be perfect, but they do have to be specific. “It depends” is an honest answer only if it is followed by “what exactly it depends on”.
Who owns the code, domain and accounts
This is the most often forgotten question and the one that matters most when you want to change supplier. The basic rule: your company's digital assets must be in your company's name, and the agency gets working access, not ownership.
- The domain (the website's address) registered in the company's name, with access to the management account.
- Hosting on a company account or, if the agency provides it, with a clear right to transfer.
- The source code: delivered or accessible in a code repository you have access to, with usage rights clearly set out in the contract.
- Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Business Profile, social media and advertising accounts created in your company's name.
- Accounts for AI services and other third-party providers (API keys, subscriptions) in the company's name or with a transfer provided for.
- Passwords and access handed over with documentation at the end, not just “we know them”.
Important limitation
Some components cannot be fully “owned”: licensed themes and plugins, closed platforms or subscription services. That is not necessarily bad, but you need to know which part of the site depends on them and what happens if the licence or subscription ends.
What the contract should say
A good contract does not have to be long, but it must clearly answer the questions that come up when something does not go to plan. Do not leave these points only in an email or a phone conversation.
- The list of deliverables, specific enough that you can check at the end whether they were delivered.
- The stages, deadlines and what happens if materials from you or delivery from the agency run late.
- The number of revision rounds included and how additional ones are charged.
- The rights to the code, design and content after payment.
- Who processes personal data and under what conditions, if the agency has access to your customers' data.
- The warranty period for bugs and what counts as a “bug”.
- The conditions for ending the collaboration and handing over access.
For the legal clauses, especially those relating to intellectual property and data protection, it is worth having a lawyer review them. This guide is for information only and is no substitute for legal advice.
Maintenance: what happens after launch
A website or software system needs looking after: security updates, backups, monitoring, small fixes. Ask from the start what maintenance option the agency proposes and what exactly it covers.
- What maintenance includes: updates, backups, monitoring, small changes.
- How quickly they respond to a problem and through which channel.
- How work that falls outside maintenance is charged.
- Whether you can drop maintenance and continue with another supplier without obstacles.
AI promises you need to check
Many web agencies now also offer artificial intelligence solutions: chatbots, AI agents, assistants that answer from the company's documents, automations. Some are very useful; others are just a new label on something old. A few questions help you tell the difference.
- Can you see a demonstration on an example close to your case, not just a presentation?
- What sources does the solution answer from, and what happens when it does not know the answer?
- Which AI model provider is used, where is the data processed and is it used for training?
- Who checks important answers or actions before they reach the customer?
- How is it measured whether the solution works: which metrics, and how often?
- What recurring costs are there for third-party AI services? Plans change, so check the providers' official pricing pages.
Please note
Be wary of promises such as “AI completely replaces the team”, “error-free” or “guaranteed results”. AI models can make mistakes, and a serious solution builds in human review where mistakes are costly. An honest agency will also tell you when AI is not the right solution.
Red flags when choosing a web company
- It guarantees positions in Google, a number of customers or a specific increase in sales.
- It refuses to put the domain and accounts in your company's name.
- It offers no contract or proposes only a verbal agreement.
- A portfolio that cannot be verified, or testimonials without names and context.
- A quote with no deliverables, just a total price.
- It asks no questions about your customers, goals and content.
- Pressure to sign quickly, with a “today-only discount”.
No single sign automatically disqualifies a company, but several together are worth pausing to think about and asking further questions.
How we work at WEB-AZ
At WEB-AZ we build websites, online stores and AI solutions starting from what the business needs to achieve. We describe the process step by step, say what is included and what is not, and discuss access to the code, domain and accounts from the outset. If you would like to put the questions in this guide to us, write to us or start with an analysis of your needs.
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