What to Look for in a Web Design Agency Portfolio
A portfolio tells you more than any sales pitch. Look for websites that are similar to what you need, not just visually impressive showcase pieces. If you are a contractor, you want to see other contractor or service business websites in their portfolio.
Visit the sites in their portfolio on your phone. Are they fast? Easy to navigate? Do the phone numbers work? If the agency's own portfolio sites have issues, imagine what happens when the project is done and they move on to the next client.
Look for evidence of results, not just design. The best agencies show what happened after the site launched: increased traffic, more leads, higher conversion rates. A beautiful website that does not generate business is just expensive art.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
Start with ownership. Ask: "When the project is done, do I own the website?" Some agencies retain ownership and charge you a monthly fee to "lease" your own site. If you stop paying, you lose your website. This is a dealbreaker.
Ask about the platform. WordPress gives you the most flexibility and portability. Proprietary platforms lock you in. If an agency builds your site on their proprietary system, you cannot take it with you if you want to switch providers.
Ask about the timeline. A custom website for a small business typically takes 6-10 weeks from kickoff to launch. If someone promises it in a week, they are using a template. If they say 6 months, they are overloaded or inefficient.
Ask who you will work with. Will you have a dedicated project manager? Will you meet the designer? The best agencies introduce you to the actual people doing the work, not just a sales rep who disappears after you sign.
Red Flags That Should Make You Walk Away
Any agency that does not have a portfolio is not an agency. They are a freelancer or a startup, and they are learning on your dime. Experience matters in web design because the biggest challenges are not designing a pretty page. They are structuring content for SEO, optimizing for conversions, and handling the technical details that make a site perform.
Watch out for "custom" designs that all look the same. Some agencies buy WordPress themes, change the colors and fonts, and call it custom. Browse their portfolio and look for genuine variety in layouts and approaches.
Be cautious of extremely low pricing. A custom small business website should cost $5,000-$15,000 depending on scope. An agency offering a "custom website" for $500 is either using a template, offshoring the work to untrained developers, or planning to upsell you aggressively after you commit.
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Get a Free ConsultationWhy SEO Matters in Web Design
A common mistake is treating web design and SEO as separate projects. The most effective websites are designed with SEO built into the foundation: proper heading hierarchy, fast load times, mobile responsiveness, schema markup, and clean URL structures.
Ask your web design agency about their SEO approach. If they say "we will add SEO later" or "SEO is a separate service," they are building a house without plumbing. Retrofitting SEO into a poorly structured website is expensive and often requires a rebuild.
At minimum, your website should launch with proper title tags and meta descriptions, an XML sitemap, Google Analytics and Search Console connected, page speed optimized, and basic LocalBusiness schema markup.
What a Good Web Design Process Looks Like
A professional web design process has clear phases: discovery (understanding your business, goals, and audience), content planning (organizing what goes on each page), design (creating visual mockups for your review), development (building the site), and launch (going live with testing and optimization).
You should have opportunities for feedback and revision at each phase. A design review where you see mockups before any development begins is standard. Most agencies include 2-3 rounds of revisions in their base price.
Good agencies also provide post-launch support. The first 30 days after launch often surface small issues that need attention. Ask what is included in their post-launch support and how long it lasts.
How to Compare Web Design Proposals
When comparing proposals, look beyond price. Compare the scope (how many pages, what features), the timeline, what is included in post-launch support, and whether hosting and maintenance are separate costs.
Ask each agency for references from businesses similar to yours. Call those references and ask about the process, communication, whether the project stayed on budget and timeline, and whether they would hire the agency again.
Trust your gut on communication. How responsive were they during the proposal phase? Did they ask good questions about your business? The way an agency communicates before you hire them is the best version of how they will communicate after.