5 Top Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Design Agency

Think about the last time you visited a website that looked outdated, loaded slowly, or was hard to navigate. It was frustrating, right? You probably clicked away within seconds. Now, imagine if that was your business’s website and potential customers leaving before they even get a chance to see what you offer. 

Your website is often the first impression people have of your business, and first impressions happen fast, really fast. Research shows that users form an opinion about a website in just 50 milliseconds. If your site looks unprofessional or doesn’t function well, people will leave, and chances are, they won’t come back.

That’s why hiring a web design agency is more than making your site look good; it’s also about creating an experience that attracts visitors, keeps them engaged, and turns them into loyal customers. A well-designed, functional, and optimized website boosts your credibility, builds trust, and drives conversions.

But the thing about hiring a web design agency is that not all agencies are created equal. Some promise stunning designs but deliver a site that’s slow and glitchy. Others might focus on flashy graphics but ignore critical things like SEO, mobile responsiveness, or user experience and the last thing you want is to invest in a website that doesn’t work for your business. 

That’s why choosing the right agency is so important. As a business owner, you need a team that understands your goals, has a proven track record, and offers long-term support. But how do you know which agency is the right fit? It starts with asking the right questions.

To help you make an informed decision, here are 5 key questions you should ask before hiring a web design agency. 

1. What Experience Do You Have in My Industry?

Let’s be real, hiring a web design agency is a big investment, and you don’t want to waste your money and time on a team that doesn’t understand your business because every industry has its own peculiarities, challenges, and customer expectations, and your website needs to reflect that.

Think about it. A web design agency that specializes in e-commerce will know how to create seamless checkout experiences, integrate secure payment gateways, and optimize product pages for conversions. On the other hand, if you run a law firm, your website needs to establish trust, highlight credentials, and make it easy for potential clients to book consultations. The same goes for healthcare providers, real estate agents, or tech startups. Each industry has different priorities, and a one-size-fits-all approach just doesn’t work.

So, before hiring a web design agency, ask for proof that they’ve worked in your industry. Check out their portfolio and read case studies. If they have experience with businesses similar to yours, that’s a great sign. Hiring a web design agency that knows your industry inside and out can save you time, reduce headaches, and ensure your website is built for success. 

But if they haven’t, that doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t do the job. It just means you need to ask the right follow-up question–how do you plan to research and adapt your approach to my industry? A great agency won’t just shrug it off; they’ll take the time to understand your market, study your competitors, and develop a strategy that makes sense for your business. 

2. Can You Share Client Testimonials or Reviews?

When you’re hiring a web design agency, you want to know you’re making the right choice. And the best way to do that is by seeing what past clients have to say. Client testimonials and reviews give you real insight into an agency’s reliability, professionalism, and ability to deliver results. Any reputable agency won’t just claim they do great work, they’ll have proof to back it up. 

Did they meet deadlines? Were they easy to communicate with? Did they handle revisions without a hassle? These are all things you can learn from client feedback. In fact, 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted review, so why wouldn’t you apply the same logic when choosing a web design partner?

Of course, checking an agency’s website for testimonials is a good start, but don’t stop there. Look for independent reviews on platforms like Google Reviews, Clutch, Trustpilot, or LinkedIn. These third-party sites give you unfiltered feedback that can help you spot any red flags before making a commitment. And if you really want the full picture, ask for direct references. A good agency will have no problem connecting you with past clients who can speak honestly about their experience.

But if an agency hesitates to provide testimonials or references, consider that a warning sign. A trustworthy web design agency should be proud of its work and eager to showcase its success stories. After all, happy clients are their best marketing tool. 

At Texttot Digital, we believe transparency is key. That’s why we’re happy to share real testimonials from businesses we’ve worked with and if you want to speak directly with a past client, just get in touch with us. We’re confident that our work speaks for itself.

3. What Is Your Design and Development Process?

A well-structured design and development process is what separates a professional agency from one that just “wings it.” Without a clear roadmap, projects can spiral out of control, deadlines get missed, budgets get stretched, and the final website might not even meet your expectations.

Any top-tier web design agency will have a step-by-step approach that includes planning, design, development, testing and launch. 

During the planning phase, the agency should take the time to understand your business, industry, and goals by finding out your target audience and what you want your website to achieve. According to a study by McKinsey, businesses that prioritize digital experience see revenue growth rates nearly twice as high as those that don’t. That’s why it’s so important to have a strategy in place before jumping into design.

The wireframing and design phase is where the agency will create basic layouts that show the structure of your site without any colours or graphics, and once that’s approved, they’ll move on to mockups, which bring in design elements like colours, fonts, and images. This step ensures you can visualize your website before any coding starts, making changes easier and faster.

Then the development phase is where the approved design gets turned into a fully functional website with all the necessary features like mobile responsiveness, fast loading speeds, SEO-friendly coding, and CRM integrations or payment gateways. Following this phase is rigorous testing to check for bugs, broken links, mobile compatibility, and security vulnerabilities to ensure a seamless user experience for everyone. 

And lastly, launching! But this isn’t the finish line, websites need regular maintenance, updates, and optimization to stay secure and competitive. A great agency will provide you with post-launching support and training so you can manage updates or have them handle them for you. 

If that sounds like what you’re looking for, schedule a consultation with us today. Let’s build something great together! 

4. How Will My Website Be Optimized for Performance and SEO?

Website performance and SEO aren’t just technical details; they directly impact your ability to attract and convert customers. If your site takes too long to load, visitors won’t wait around. And if search engines can’t find or properly index your site, neither will potential customers.

When hiring a web design agency, you need to ask how they plan to optimize your website for both speed and search visibility. Your website needs to function flawlessly, rank well, and keep visitors engaged long enough to take action.

Why Does Speed & Mobile-Friendliness Matter? 

Your website speed is an important factor in the success of your business. Think about the last time you clicked on a website that took forever to load. It was quite frustrating, right? You’re not alone. 53% of mobile users abandon a site if it takes longer than three seconds to load, that’s lost traffic, lost leads, and ultimately, lost revenue.

A professional web design agency will ensure your site loads quickly by optimizing images, minimizing unnecessary code, and using caching techniques. They may also implement a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to distribute content efficiently worldwide, improving loading times for users no matter where they are.

Beyond speed, mobile-friendliness is non-negotiable. With over 60% of all web traffic coming from mobile devices, your site must look and function perfectly on smartphones and tablets. In fact, Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search rankings, meaning if your site isn’t optimized for mobile, it’s not just frustrating for users, it’s also hurting your visibility in search results. 

How Will Your Customers Find You?

Your website may be beautifully designed, but no one will find it without SEO. Before you can turn your website into a powerful sales machine, search engines need to understand what your website is about, and proper SEO implementation ensures your pages rank for relevant searches. 

A good web design agency will integrate SEO best practices into your site from day one. This includes keyword optimization, ensuring your content aligns with what potential customers are searching for. They’ll also structure your site properly so search engines can crawl and index it efficiently.

Also, technical aspects play a role. Secure HTTPS encryption, structured data markup, and schema implementation can give your site an additional edge, helping search engines display rich results for your content. 

Read more on our SEO checklist for business websites to better understand the concept of SEO and how it impacts your business. Meanwhile, if you want the help of a professional, schedule a consultation with us today at Texttot Digital; we can help you build a high-performance, SEO-friendly website that stands out in search results and helps you grow your business.

5. What Post-Launch Support and Maintenance Do You Offer? 

Launching a website is just the beginning; over time, it’ll require ongoing maintenance, updates, and security checks to stay functional and secure. That’s why, when hiring a web design agency, it’s crucial to ask about their post-launch support. Will they provide ongoing maintenance, or will you be left scrambling to fix issues on your own?

Without proper post-launch support, your site could slow down, break due to outdated software, or even become vulnerable to cyberattacks. In fact, 60% of small businesses that suffer a cyberattack go out of business within six months. 

Just like a car needs regular servicing to run smoothly, a website needs routine checkups to ensure it performs at its best. Software updates, plugin management, and security patches are all essential to keeping your site fast, secure, and user-friendly. Some agencies include routine updates in their service, while others charge separately for fixes. Knowing what’s covered in their support plan will prevent unexpected costs and downtime in the future.

Another important consideration when hiring a web design agency is content management. Ask if you will have full access to make updates, or will you need to rely on the agency for every small change? That’s because a well-built website should include a user-friendly Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress or Shopify that allows you to update text, images, and products without needing technical expertise. However, if you prefer a hands-off approach, a good agency should also offer content update services. 

All in all, when you’re hiring a web design agency, don’t just focus on the design process alone, make sure they’re committed to supporting your site long after launch.

Conclusion 

Hiring a web design agency is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your business, but make sure it’s an agency that understands your industry, has a proven process, prioritizes performance and SEO, and offers ongoing support to keep your site running smoothly.

By asking the right questions, you can separate the agencies that talk a good game from the ones that actually deliver results. If an agency can’t clearly explain its approach to design, SEO, and maintenance, you may want to reconsider. 

At Texttot Digital, we check all these boxes and more. Not only do we build websites, but our team specializes in creating SEO-friendly, mobile-optimized designs tailored to your specific business needs. Plus, we provide ongoing support, so you never have to worry about security updates, slow loading speeds, or outdated content. If you’re interested in hiring a web design agency that delivers measurable results, we’d love to chat. Schedule a consultation with us today and let’s create a website that drives real growth for your business.