Most agency selection processes compare portfolios and prices, which are the two least predictive signals available. Portfolios show the best work an agency has ever done, and price only tells you what they think the project is worth. These nine questions surface how a team actually operates.
Key Takeaways
- Ask who writes the code — a bench swap after signing is the single most common failure mode.
- Code ownership and documented handover matter more than any portfolio piece.
- An agency willing to tell you what they are not good at is usually telling the truth about the rest.
Questions about the people
The person who scopes your project is often not the person who builds it. That handover is where quality and context are lost, and it is rarely disclosed unless you ask directly.
Ask for the names and seniority of the people who will do the work, and whether they are on other projects during your build.
- Who specifically will write this code?
- Will the people in this meeting be on the project?
- How many other projects will they run at the same time?
Questions about the commercials
Fixed price protects you from scope creep but only if the scope is written down. Time and materials is honest for genuinely uncertain work, and dangerous for work that should have been scoped properly.
Either way, ask what triggers a change order, and what a typical change order costs on a project like yours.
- Is this fixed price, and what is explicitly out of scope?
- What triggers a change order?
- What does support cost after launch, and what response time comes with it?
Questions about what you are left with
The end of a project is where the difference between agencies becomes concrete. You should receive the repository, the deployment pipeline and enough documentation that another team could pick it up.
If any of that is withheld, or the site is locked to a proprietary platform only that agency can edit, you are not buying a website. You are renting one.
- Do we own the code outright?
- Do we get the repository and deployment pipeline?
- Could another developer take this over without a rewrite?
The question that tells you the most
Ask what kind of project they are not the right fit for. An agency that answers honestly has a clear view of its own capability, and is unlikely to sell you something it cannot deliver.
An agency that claims to be excellent at everything is describing a sales position, not an engineering team.
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask a web development agency before hiring?
Ask who specifically will write the code, whether the price is fixed and what triggers a change order, whether you receive the repository and deployment pipeline, what support costs after launch, and what kind of project they are not a good fit for. The last question is the most revealing.
Should I hire a local agency or work remotely?
Location matters less than overlapping working hours and a named point of contact. Remote teams work well when there is a scheduled weekly call and a staging URL you can open at any time. Local matters most for projects requiring frequent in-person workshops.
How do I know if an agency's portfolio is real?
Ask which parts of each project they built, whether the site is still live, and whether you can speak to that client. Portfolios often include work where the agency contributed only design, or where the build has since been replaced.
Is a bigger agency safer than a small one?
Not necessarily. Larger agencies offer process and continuity but often assign junior staff to smaller accounts. Smaller teams give you senior attention but carry key-person risk. Ask about both directly rather than inferring from headcount.