How to choose a web agency to create a business website?

If you have decided to create a new website for your company or craft, you will very quickly encounter one problem: How to choose a web agency?

The offer on the market is great. Some offer the creation of a website for several hundred euros, others for several thousand. Someone is emphasizing design, someone SEO, someone's speed of production, and someone simply says they'll "do everything". At first glance, it can be difficult to estimate what you actually get for your money.

A good business website is not just a nice design. It needs to clearly present your business, build trust, work well on mobile phones, be search engine-friendly and – most importantly – help you get new queries and customers.

1. Before deciding how to choose a web agency, take a look at the actual projects that the agency has created

The first thing you should do is look at portfolio the Web Agency. Do not settle for just a few nice pictures on the homepage of the agency. Open the actual websites they have created and try to view them as a potential user.

Check: Is the page clear? Can you figure out what the company is doing right away? Is navigation easy? Does it look good on your phone? Is the information easily accessible? Is there a clear way to contact or send a query?

It is especially useful to look at projects that are similar to your business. The website for the law office, restaurant, construction company and tourist facility do not have the same needs.

An agency that understands the specifics of different activities can often give you a much higher quality solution than someone who only technically creates the site.

2. Compare the price-quality ratio

One of the most common mistakes is sending inquiries to several addresses and choosing the cheapest offer. The problem is that two offers that look similar on paper may actually involve a completely different scope of work.

For example, a single tender may include:

• tailor-made design
• creation of all subpages
• Content input
• basic SEO optimization
• Adaptation for mobile phones
• speed optimisation
• contact forms
• Google Analytics
• security settings
• training to use the site

While the other can only mean installing the finished template and several modifications. That's why it's not enough to ask "How much does the website cost?" It is much more important to ask:

‘What exactly do I get for that price?’

3. Ask who builds the website

Good communication with a person or team which works on your website can significantly affect the final result.

Before starting the project, try to find out: Who will be your contact? Who makes the design? Who is programming the site? Who does SEO? Who will enter the content? Can you communicate directly with the person working on the project?

For very cheap offers, it sometimes happens that the project goes through multiple intermediaries or that a large part of the work is done according to a predefined template. It's not necessarily bad in itself, but it's important to know what you're buying and who you're working with.

4. Ask if a ready-made template or custom design is used

WordPress, ready-made themes and different visual builders can be a great choice for specific projects. The problem is not whether the agency uses the finished topic.

The problem arises when the website practically comes down to change color, typography and photography in the existing template. For a business website, it is important that the structure fits your business and your customers.

A good process usually starts with questions such as: Who are your clients? What services do you want to highlight? What are the most common queries? What distinguishes you from the competition?What is the goal of the website?Do you want phone calls, forms, reservations or something else?

Only after that does it make sense to decide what the website will look like.

5. Make sure the website is mobile-friendly

Today, a large part of the users of the website visit through the smartphone. That is why it is not enough for the site to look good on the computer.

On the mobile phone, the page should be clear, fast, easy to navigate, readable without magnification, easy to contact and adapted to different screen sizes.

If a potential client finds it difficult to find a phone number, an enquiry form or information about your service on their mobile phone, it is very possible that you will lose some of your potential clients.

6. Ask what is included in SEO

"SEO is on" can mean almost anything. That's why you're looking for a more specific answer. A good web agency should be able to explain what it will do so that the site has a good technical basis for search engines.

This may include proper title structure, meta titles and descriptions, URL optimization, appropriate content structure, image optimization, internal page connectivity, technical optimization, basic speed optimization, and proper page indexing.

It is important to understand one thing: Creating a SEO-friendly website is not the same as a first-place guarantee on Google. No one can seriously guarantee that for a particular keyword you will be the first result.

A quality agency can make a good technical and content base, but positioning on Google depends on many different factors. Therefore, be very careful when “promising” agencies about the first place in the search. Very often, the promise hides that you will really be in the first place but with google ads. Not with an organic search.

7. Check the technical quality

Pay attention to the behavior of the page on your mobile phone, large photos, unnecessary animations and the stability of the content during loading. Speed is not just a technical detail. It is part of the user experience.

8. Check who owns the domain and hosting

This is a question that is often overlooked until a problem arises. Before starting a project, you should know:

Who owns the domain? And where is the website located?

As a rule, the domain should be registered to you or your company, not so that after the termination of cooperation you become dependent on the agency. The same applies to hosting, website administration and other key accounts. Good cooperation should not mean that you are "locked" in one agency.

9. Ask what maintenance looks like after making

The website is not necessarily a finished project the moment it is published. WordPress, plugins, hosting and other systems require maintenance. So before you start, ask:

• Who makes security upgrades?
• Is it backup?
• Who solves technical problems?
• How much does maintenance cost?
• How much do subsequent changes cost?
• What happens if one day you want to change the agency?

10. See how well the agency communicates

This may sound less important than design and technology, but in practice it can be crucial. Creating a website is a collaboration. You know your business, customers and services best. The web agency knows how to turn this information into a functional and effective website.

If you already get short answers in the initial communication, no one asks you anything about the business and everything comes down to "send a logo and texts", this can be a sign that the project is being done too superficially.

On the other hand, a quality agency should ask you questions. The more he understands your business, the greater the chance that the final site will be useful to your customers.

11. Be careful with promises that sound too good

There are certain phrases to be cautious about:

• "First on Google guaranteed" (this with bottom-up algorithms is not possible)
• "Website in a day" (Only AI pages without human optimization can be finished so quickly)
• "Unlimited changes" (no one will work unrestrictedly free of charge)
• "Best web for only a few hundred euros" (There is no best web)
• ‘100 % Guaranteed results’ (No one can guarantee 100% the result, you should be careful what is hidden in it)

Fast and inexpensive workmanship can make sense for very simple projects. But if the website should be an important channel for you to come new clients, you should look at the bigger picture. How much will this website be worth to you in a year, two or five years? This is a much more important question than the initial price itself.

12. Ask for a clear offer before starting the project

Before you accept the offer, it should be clear: how many subpages you get, who prepares the content, who provides the photos, whether SEO is included, whether hosting is included, whether the domain is included, how long the creation takes, how many rounds of changes you have, what happens after publication, how much maintenance costs and what is not included in the price.

The more precise the offer, the less room for misunderstandings.

How much does a good business website cost?

There is no one universal price. The price depends on the number of pages, the complexity of the project, the design, functionalities, content, SEO requirements and other elements.

Before ordering, you need to ask yourself: What solution do I need the website to represent my business well and bring me new queries?

If a website brings you only a few new clients a year, the difference between a low-cost and high-quality solution can quickly prove unimportant in relation to the value of new jobs.

What does a good website design process look like?

Quality business website creation is usually not just:

design → creation → publication. A good process involves several steps:

1. Understanding Business. Before creating, it is necessary to understand your services, target group and website goals.
2. Structure. It defines which pages you need and how the user will get the information.
3. Content. The content should clearly explain what you offer and why a potential client should choose you.
4. Design. Design should support content and business goals, not be an end in itself.
5. Design and technical optimization. The site is designed to be functional, responsive, secure and as fast as possible.
6. SEO basics. There is a high quality technical and content basis for search engines.
7. Testing. Pages, forms, mobile version, links and other functionalities must be checked before publication.
8. Publication and further maintenance. After publication, the site is monitored, maintained and, if necessary, upgraded.

10 Questions You Need to Ask Your Website

If you are talking to several agencies, these ten questions can help you compare offers more easily:

1. Can you show a few similar projects that you have created?
2. What exactly is included in the price?
3. Who prepares and enters the content?
4. Is the design made according to my business or are you using a ready-made template?
5. Is the website fully mobile friendly?
6. What specifically includes SEO optimization?
7. Who owns the domain and website?
8. What does maintenance include after publication?
9. How long does it take to make?
10. What happens if one day I want to change the agency?

If you get clear and specific answers to these questions, you will be much easier to evaluate the offer.

Red flags when choosing a web agency

If you notice several of these things during the conversation, it is worth additionally checking the offer:

🔴 They don't want to show real projects.
🔴 I can't explain clearly what you get for the price
🔴 First place on Google
🔴 They don't care about your business.
🔴 They want you to pay everything in advance at once without clear conditions
🔴 Domain and website are not under your control and you want
🔴 It is not clear how much maintenance costs after construction
🔴 “Unlimited amendments” without a clear explanation of what this means
🔴 There is no clear offer or contract, everything remains unclear.

Conclusion

Choosing a web agency is not a decision that should be made only on the basis of price. The website you create today can be the foundation of your online business for the next few years. That is why it is more important to understand what you get, who will work on the project, who will be the owner of the website and how much it will really cost you over time.

A good business website should be fast, clear, mobile-friendly, technically well-designed and focused on the real needs of your users.

If you want a website that professionally represents your business, builds trust and helps you come up with new inquiries, you are looking for an agency that will understand your business, and only then proceed to the creation of the site.

Are you planning to create a new website?

Before you choose a web agency, compare offers and check what is included in the price. If you wish, you can send us information about your project and you will receive a clear offer at no hidden cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to choose a good company to create a website?

• Take a look at the real projects that the company has created, check what is included in the price, the way of communication, SEO, maintenance, domain and hosting ownership, and experience with projects similar to your business.

Should I choose a web agency or a smaller company?

• It is not crucial how big the company is, but whether it can perform your project well. It is important to check references, mode of operation, communication, technical knowledge and post-production support.

Should the website be built according to a ready-made template?

• Ready-made templates can be very useful and allow for faster and more affordable production. The problem arises when the template is only superficially adjusted without thinking about the structure, content and needs of your users.

What should I ask the company before creating a website?

• Ask what is included in the price, how many pages you get, who prepares the content, whether SEO is included, who owns the domain, where the site is located, how long it takes to create, what includes maintenance and how much subsequent changes cost.

Who should own the domain?

• As a rule, a domain should be registered to you or your company. Thus, after a possible termination of cooperation, you can keep your domain and freely choose another provider.

Is SEO involved in the creation of the website?

• It depends on the offer. It is necessary to ask what is specifically meant by SEO optimization. Basic technical and content optimization should be part of a well-designed website, but this is not the same as a long-term SEO campaign.

Can a web company guarantee first place on Google?

• It can't seriously guarantee first place in Google's organic results. The position depends on a number of factors and competition. Be careful with offers that promise guaranteed first place without clearly explaining what it actually means.

How long does it take to create a business website?

• The production time depends on the scope of the project, the number of pages, content preparation, design and functionalities. A simple website can be finished relatively quickly, while more complex projects require more time.

What happens after the website is published?

• After publication, it is necessary to take care of security upgrades, backups, technical maintenance and possible changes to the content. Before starting the project, check who provides the support and how much it costs.

Can I change the company that maintains my website later?

• Before starting cooperation, make sure that you are not unnecessarily attached to one company.

Should I get an offer in writing?

• Yes, yes. A clear written offer should specify the scope of the project, the price, the design deadline, the functionalities involved, the obligations of both parties, the post-production costs and what is not included in the price.

What is more important – the design or functionality of the website?

• Both are important, but design should not be an end in itself. A good business website must look professional, but at the same time allow the user to quickly find the information and do what he came to the site for – call you, send an inquiry, book an appointment or ask for an offer.