How to choose a web design agency (without getting burned)

Web design has no licensing, no minimum standard and a low barrier to entry — which means brilliant providers and cowboys advertise in the same places at similar prices. Here's how to tell them apart before money moves.

Red flags worth walking away from

• No portfolio you can actually visit. Screenshots can be mocked up; live sites can't. If nothing they've built is live and linkable, that's your answer.
• Guaranteed Google rankings. Nobody controls Google. "Page one guaranteed" is either a lie or a trick (ranking you for a search nobody makes).
• Pressure to sign today. Discounts that expire this afternoon exist to prevent comparison shopping. Legitimate providers survive being compared.
• They'll own your domain. If the domain is registered in their name, they own your address on the internet and every future negotiation. Non-negotiable: it's registered to you.
• Vague deliverables. "A professional website" means nothing. How many pages? Mobile testing? Speed targets? What happens after launch? If it's not written down, it doesn't exist.

Questions that reveal quality fast

• "Can I see three live sites you've built, and how they perform?" — Then actually check them on your phone: speed, polish, whether the businesses look real.
• "What happens after launch?" — The honest answer includes specifics about hosting, updates, support and costs. The evasive answer is where budgets go to die.
• "Will I see anything before I pay?" — The strongest providers show work first: a mockup, a concept, even a working demo. Confidence shows itself; the rest ask for deposits.
• "Who writes the content?" — Half of all website projects stall on content. Know upfront whether they write it, you write it, or you're stuck at 90% for six months.
• "What do you need from me, and when?" — Good agencies have a process and can describe it. Improvisers can't.

What good actually looks like

• They ask about your business goals before talking about design
• They talk about enquiries and customers, not just aesthetics
• Their own website is fast, clear and current (astonishing how often it isn't)
• Pricing is written, itemised and includes the after-launch picture
• They'll say "no" to something — yes-to-everything is a warning, not a virtue

On price

Cheapest usually costs the most: rebuilt in a year, invisible on Google, abandoned after handover. Most expensive isn't automatically better either — you can pay agency-prestige rates for template work. Judge on evidence: live work, clear process, straight answers, and what happens after launch. Price is what you pay once; the relationship is what you live with.

The single best filter: ask to see something before you commit. Providers confident in their work will show you. The rest will explain why they can't.