Choose a web agency by three things: it has finished projects similar to yours, it explains scope, price and timeline in writing, and after launch the website, the domain and all access stay under your control. Below are 10 questions for the first meeting, a comparison of freelancer, studio and agency, a 15-minute supplier check and the points a contract must not miss.
Why Choosing the Right Agency Matters
Website development is an investment of thousands to tens of thousands of euros for most businesses. Choosing the wrong web agency can mean months of delays, a blown budget, and a result that doesn't meet your business goals. The right partner, on the other hand, builds you a website that brings in inquiries and grows alongside your company.
The market is flooded with options, from freelancers and small studios to large agencies. How do you navigate the noise? I've prepared 10 questions that will help you separate the professionals from the amateurs.
Freelancer, small studio or agency?
| Freelancer | Small studio | Large agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
Who works on the website |
One person, often covering only some of the disciplines |
Several specialists, or one person with a broader skill set and trusted partners |
A team: project manager, designer, developers, copywriter |
Who you talk to |
The author directly |
Directly the person who designs and builds |
Mainly the project manager |
Capacity and cover |
Lowest, a holiday or illness stops the work |
Medium, depends on the agreed cover |
Highest |
Suits |
Simple websites, edits |
Business websites, e-shops, smaller apps |
Large portals, big companies, several departments on the client side |
Watch out for |
Who maintains the site if the author stops |
Capacity and deadlines confirmed in writing |
Who on the team actually works on the project and for how many hours |
I am a one-specialist studio: I do design, development and SEO myself and you talk directly to me; for larger applications I bring in trusted specialists. If you need a team dedicated to your project every day, an agency will suit you better.
10 Key Questions
1. Can you show references from our industry?
A portfolio is essential, but pretty screenshots aren't enough. Ask about:
- Results. How did the website help the client? Did traffic, conversions, or revenue increase?
- Similar projects. Does the agency have experience with your type of website (e-commerce, business site, portal)?
- Reference client contact. Ask for a reference contact with that client's permission
2. What technologies do you use and why?
The answer to this question reveals a lot about the agency's expertise. A quality agency can explain why they recommend a specific technology:
| Technology | What to ask about |
|---|---|
| WordPress | Editor, plugins, updates and maintenance ownership |
| Shoptet | Plan features, integrations and required countries/languages |
| Next.js / React | Project benefit, content editing and development cost |
| Webflow | CMS limits, integrations and handover or export options |
Watch out for agencies that use a single technology for everything, every project has different needs. If you're curious about the difference between the two most common choices, read my WordPress vs. Next.js comparison.
3. What does your process look like from brief to launch?
A professional agency has a clearly defined process. Typical phases include:
Process from brief to launch
- Discovery needs analysis, target audience, competitor research
- Wireframes page layouts, structure without graphics
- Design visual design of key pages
- Development coding and backend integration
- Testing functional tests, cross-browser, responsiveness
- Launch content migration, DNS setup, redirects from old URLs
- Support ongoing maintenance and development
I describe the launch process in SEO migration during a redesign.
If an agency skips steps 1-2, that's a red flag.
4. Who will be working on the project?
Find out whether you'll have:
- A dedicated project manager as your point of contact
- An in-house team or external subcontractors
- Access to a designer, developer, and copywriter
Smaller agencies can be more flexible, but make sure they have the capacity to handle your project.
5. How does communication and approval work?
Ask about:
- How often will you receive progress updates?
- What communication tool do they use? (Slack, email, Basecamp)
- How many revision rounds are included in the price?
- How long does it take to respond to your feedback?
6. What's included in the price and what isn't?
This is one of the most important questions. Demand a detailed breakdown:
What a price breakdown should show
- Included
- design
- development
- responsiveness
- basic SEO
- testing
- training
- Often not included
- copywriting
- photography
- hosting
- domain
- advanced SEO
- maintenance
The cheapest quote is rarely the best choice. Hidden costs can make a project far more expensive in the long run.
7. Will I own the source code and design?
Agree rights to use and modify the work and delivery of source, design files and data. Distinguish supplier-created work from libraries, fonts and a hosted platform with separate licences. Check whether another maintainer can take over and whether content can be exported. A licence is not itself a warning sign; unclear rights or hidden dependencies are. What to check at handover is summarised in the website handover checklist.
8. How do you handle SEO?
A quality website must be search-engine optimized from day one. The minimum SEO standard includes:
- Proper heading structure (H1-H6)
- Meta tags (title, description) for every page
- SEO-friendly URLs
- Fast loading (Core Web Vitals)
- Mobile responsiveness
- Schema markup (structured data)
- XML sitemap and robots.txt
9. What's your availability after launch?
A website isn't finished at launch. Ask about:
- SLA (Service Level Agreement): guaranteed response time for issues
- Maintenance: regular updates, backups, monitoring
- Growth: ability to gradually add features
- Support pricing: hourly rates, retainer packages
10. Can you guarantee a completion date?
Ask for a realistic timeline and what happens if the project runs late:
- What are the milestones and deadlines?
- What happens if the delay is on the agency's side?
- Are there penalties in the contract?
- How are scope changes (change requests) handled?
Worked example: The deadline depends on prepared content
ORIGINAL EXAMPLE · FICTIONAL DATA
| Milestone | Example input | Dependency |
|---|---|---|
| Brief | 5 pages and one service | Confirm scope |
| Design | Offer copy and photographs | Approve content |
| Implementation | Approved design | Resolve comments |
| Launch | Contacts and form | Verify enquiry delivery |
Delayed inputs affect dependent milestones.
Red Flags to Watch Out For
Keep an eye out for these warning signs, they may indicate a problematic partner:
- No portfolio or references. Professionals have work to show
- Unrealistically low price. Check the actual scope; my smaller websites start at €800
- No contract. Always insist on a written agreement with a clear scope
- Everything takes "about 2 weeks". Vague estimates without a timeline
- Unwillingness to explain technology choices. Transparency is fundamental
- Vendor lock-in. You can't move the website elsewhere
- Unresponsive. Verify the communication channel and agreed response time before signing
- No process, "Just send us the text and we'll handle it" is a recipe for disaster
How to check a supplier in 15 minutes
- The company in a public register: in the Czech Republic, ARES shows by company ID who is behind the supplier and since when they have been in business. The company ID and registered address should also be on their website (mandatory details on a website).
- Three portfolio websites live: open them on a phone, not just screenshots in a presentation. Do they still work? Do they load fast? Does the form send?
- Speed in PageSpeed Insights: enter the supplier's own website and one from the portfolio. If even their own site has major problems, ask why.
- Reviews and references: Google reviews, local directories and one phone call to a reference client with the supplier's consent.
- Who is talking to you: ask who will actually design and build the website and who will respond after launch.
What the contract must contain
Eight points the contract must cover
- Scope and exclusions pages, templates, features, languages, who supplies texts and photos
- Price and payment milestones deposit, stage payments, what is paid separately
- Timeline stage deadlines and delays in materials or feedback on your side
- Acceptance how you take over the website, what is a defect and what is a new request
- Licence to the work scope, exclusivity and the right to modify under the Czech Copyright Act
- Source code, access and data when and in what form you receive them
- Domain and hosting in your name the holder of a .cz domain can be checked in the CZ.NIC registry
- Support and ending the cooperation response time, price of maintenance, handover to another supplier
Agree explicitly what is paid separately (hosting, licences, extra work and its hourly rate). A licence is granted for the website, graphics and texts, so check its scope before signing.
How Much Should a Website Cost
Compare quotes against the same pages, content, integrations and support scope. The following table shows my current packages, not a Czech market average. The actual quote confirms price and running costs.
Worked example: Website packages differ in scope
CURRENT SERVICE PRICES
| Package | Scope | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | One-page or up to 3 subpages | €800 |
| Business | 5-10 pages + blog | €1,200 |
| Corporate | 20+ pages, languages and CMS | €2,400 |
Confirm hosting and operating scope in the actual quote.
What to take away
- Choose a web agency by three things: it has finished projects similar to yours, it explains scope, price and timeline in writing, and after launch the website, the domain and all access stay under your control.
- If an agency skips discovery and wireframes, that is a red flag.
- Demand a detailed price breakdown. The cheapest quote is rarely the best choice and hidden costs can make a project far more expensive.
- You can check a supplier in 15 minutes: the public register (ARES), three portfolio websites live, PageSpeed Insights, reviews and a reference call.
- The contract should cover scope, price, timeline, acceptance, licence, source code and access, domain and support.
- The domain should be registered to you or your company, not to the supplier.
Frequently asked questions
Agency or freelancer?
It depends on the scope and on how many people on your side will have a say in the project. A business website or e-shop can be handled by a good freelancer or small studio, usually for less and with direct communication. A large portal with many integrations and departments needs an agency team. With both, check who maintains the website after launch.
Who owns the website and the source code?
Whoever the contract says. In the Czech Republic a copyrighted work (design, code, texts) is not transferred like an object; a licence is agreed. So ask for an explicit licence to use and modify, the handover of source code and access, and a domain registered to you.
How long does it take to build a website?
A smaller business website takes me 2-4 weeks from receiving the materials, an e-shop or app longer. The most common delay is not the developers but texts, photos and approvals on the client side. A promise of "a website in two days" usually means a ready-made template with minimal changes.
Who should the domain be registered to?
To you or your company, not to the supplier. The domain holder decides on its transfer and on changing the registrar. If the agency registers it for you, have yourself recorded as the holder and check it in the registry.
How much does a website from an agency cost?
Prices vary by scope and type of supplier. My packages start at €800 (Starter), €1,200 (Business) and €2,400 (Corporate). How to compare quotes item by item is explained in the article how much a website costs.
How can I tell whether an agency understands SEO?
Ask how they will plan the page structure around search queries, who will write titles and descriptions, how they will handle redirects from the old site and how they will measure results (Search Console, GA4). If the only answer is "the website will be SEO optimised", they do not really do SEO.
Conclusion
Choosing the right web agency is one of the most important decisions for your company's online success. Don't be lured by the lowest price; focus on similar finished projects, a clear contract and direct communication. Ask these 10 questions, check the supplier in 15 minutes and you'll have a clear picture of who you're dealing with.
I build websites on modern technologies with a focus on performance, SEO, and user experience. If you're looking for a partner for website development, I'd love to talk, and I'll happily answer all 10 questions. Before you kick the whole thing off, I recommend reading how to prepare materials for a new website, it can reduce avoidable revisions and waiting.