Picking a web design agency is one of the most expensive decisions a small company makes. The good ones deliver something that compounds in value for years. The bad ones deliver something you'll be embarrassed to share in 18 months. Here's how to tell them apart before you sign anything.
1. Look at their last 6 shipped projects — not their hero reel
Every agency has one or two beautiful case studies. What you want is the median work. Ask for a link to live sites they built in the last 12 months. Visit them. Click through them. Check them on your phone. If the work they show in pitches is significantly better than what they're shipping now, that's a red flag.
2. Ask who will actually do the work
The senior team that pitches you is almost never the team that builds your project. Ask directly: "Who is the designer on my project, and what is their experience?" If they won't tell you, or if the answer is "we'll assign the best fit," that's a sign the team changes after the contract is signed.
3. Check the source code, not just the screenshots
Ask to see the code repository of a previous project (with client permission). Look for: clean component structure, comments that explain why something exists, sensible naming. Messy code now means expensive maintenance for the next 5 years.
4. Read the contract for "scope creep" clauses
Every agency handles scope changes. The good ones define it clearly upfront: a written list of what's in, what's out, and what costs extra. The bad ones have vague language like "additional work as required" — which becomes "we'll charge you $200/hour for every change" halfway through.
5. Ask about post-launch support
A site that ships and disappears is a liability. Ask what happens 30, 90, and 365 days after launch. Who fixes bugs? Who updates dependencies? Who handles the inevitable "we need to add one tiny thing" requests? Get the answer in writing.
6. The 12 questions to ask on every call
- How many projects does your team run simultaneously?
- What does your discovery phase look like?
- How do you handle disagreements about design direction?
- What happens if I want to cancel mid-project?
- Do you write the copy, or do I?
- Who owns the code and designs after launch?
- What is your average project timeline vs your estimate accuracy?
- Can you show me 3 recent clients I can call as references?
- How do you measure success?
- What's not included in this quote?
- Where will my site be hosted, and what does it cost?
- What does month 13 look like if I don't sign a maintenance contract?
Red flags that mean walk away
- They can't show recent live work
- They push you to sign before you've had a discovery call
- They don't have a written process
- The proposal is vague on timeline, deliverables, or scope
- They pressure you with "this price is only valid this week"
- They refuse to put anything in writing
Green flags that mean sign
- They say "no" to something you asked for, and explain why
- They ask you questions you weren't expecting
- They send a detailed proposal that took real effort to write
- They give you a realistic timeline that's longer than you wanted
- They mention things you should be thinking about that you hadn't considered