How to Vet a Web Design Agency Before You Sign a Contract

A great portfolio tells you an agency can design a good-looking site. It tells you almost nothing about whether they'll hit deadlines, communicate clearly, or still answer your emails six months after launch.

Questions worth asking directly

Who owns the code, the domain, and the hosting account after the project ends? What does post-launch support actually include, and for how long? Can they show a project's speed and traffic results, not just its screenshots? And critically — will you be working with the person on the sales call, or handed off to someone you've never spoken to?

The agencies worth working with won't flinch at any of these questions. The ones that get vague or defensive about ownership and support terms are telling you something important before you've signed anything.