How to Choose a Website Development Agency: A 12-Point Checklist

1. Start with your goals, not the agency

Before you contact anyone, write down what the website must achieve: more enquiries, online sales, bookings, recruitment or credibility with investors. An agency can only be judged against a goal. If you can't describe success, every proposal will look similar.

Note your must-have features, the platforms you already use (CRM, payments, booking tools) and who will update the site after launch. This becomes your brief.

2. Review the portfolio for relevance, not just beauty

A beautiful portfolio is a good sign, but look for work in a similar category or with similar goals. Open the live sites on your phone. Are they fast? Is it obvious what each business does and how to get in touch? Design that looks great in a screenshot but frustrates on mobile won't help you.

3. Ask for case studies with outcomes

Good agencies explain the problem, their approach and what changed. Look for case studies that talk about positioning, user journeys and business results — not just a gallery of mockups.

4. Understand their process

A professional agency should explain how it moves from discovery to launch: research, sitemap, wireframes, design, development, testing and launch. Ask where you give feedback, how many revision rounds are included and what happens if scope changes.

5. Check that SEO is built in from day one

Many websites are redesigned beautifully and then lose their Google rankings because URLs changed without redirects or content was removed. Ask how the agency handles technical SEO, metadata, structured data, page speed and URL migration.

• Will you map and redirect old URLs?
• How do you optimise page speed and Core Web Vitals?
• Do you add structured data and an XML sitemap?
• Will each service have its own optimised page?

6. Ask who will actually do the work

Find out whether design and development happen in-house, who your main contact is and how communication works. Clear ownership prevents the classic problem of a great pitch followed by slow, confusing delivery.

7. Confirm platform recommendations are unbiased

Some agencies only build on one platform and will recommend it regardless of fit. A good partner explains the trade-offs between custom builds, Shopify, WordPress and web apps, and recommends based on your goals and team.

8–12. Ownership, pricing, support, timeline and fit

Finally, check the commercial details. You should own your domain, hosting accounts, design files and code. The proposal should itemise what is included. Ask what support looks like after launch, get a realistic timeline that accounts for content, and trust your instinct about the working relationship — you'll be collaborating closely for weeks.

• You own the domain, code and accounts
• Itemised proposal with clear inclusions and exclusions
• Defined post-launch support or maintenance options
• Realistic timeline including content and feedback
• A team that asks good questions about your business