You’ve got a shortlist. Two, maybe three agencies that look promising. Their websites seem professional, the portfolios are decent, and they’ve said the right things in your initial conversation.
But how do you actually tell if an agency is the right fit for your business? A website is a significant investment, anywhere from a few thousand to $30,000+ depending on what you need. The wrong choice doesn’t just cost you money. It costs you months of back-and-forth, a site that doesn’t work properly, and the soul-crushing experience of starting over.
The good news: you don’t need to be a web expert to make a smart decision. You just need to ask the right questions.
Here are ten that will tell you everything you need to know.
1. What platform do you build on, and why?
This isn’t a trick question. There’s no single “right” platform. But the answer tells you a lot about how an agency thinks.
Some agencies are platform-agnostic and will recommend whatever suits your project. Others specialise in one platform (WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, custom builds) and they’ll tell you why they’ve made that choice.
What you’re listening for:
- A clear rationale that relates to your needs, not just theirs. “We use WordPress because it gives our clients full ownership and flexibility” is a better answer than “it’s what we know.”
- Honesty about trade-offs. Every platform has strengths and weaknesses. If an agency tells you their platform is perfect for everything, that’s a red flag.
What you want to avoid: an agency that can’t explain why they use what they use, or one that seems to pick platforms based on what’s easiest for them rather than what’s best for you.
2. What does your process look like from start to finish?
A good agency has a defined process. They’ve done this enough times to know what works, and they can walk you through it without fumbling.
Ask them to describe the steps from signing on to going live. You should hear something like:
- Discovery or briefing phase
- Strategy and planning
- Design concepts
- Development and build
- Content loading
- Testing and review
- Launch and handover
The specifics will vary between agencies, but the point is that there is a process. If the answer is vague (“we’ll just get started and figure it out as we go”), that’s how projects blow out on time and budget.
Bonus question: “How many rounds of revisions are included?” This is where scope creep lives. A clear answer upfront saves arguments later.
3. Can I see examples of sites you’ve built for businesses like mine?
Portfolios are great, but they tend to showcase the flashiest work. That stunning e-commerce site with custom animations might not tell you much if you need a straightforward service-based website.
Ask specifically about projects similar to yours:
- Same industry or a similar business type
- Similar scope and budget
- Similar goals (lead generation, online sales, bookings)
If they don’t have an exact match, that’s fine. But they should be able to show you something relevant and explain how the experience applies to your project.
Even better: Ask if you can talk to a past client. Any agency confident in their work will happily connect you. If they dodge this request, pay attention.
4. Who will actually be working on my project?
Some agencies present a senior team in the sales meeting and then hand your project to a junior developer. Others outsource development overseas without telling you.
Neither of those is necessarily a dealbreaker, but you deserve to know.
Ask:
- Who will be my main point of contact?
- Who’s designing it? Who’s building it?
- Is the work done in-house or outsourced?
- Will the person I’m talking to now be involved throughout?
What you’re looking for is transparency. A small agency where the founder does the design and a senior developer does the build is a very different experience from a larger agency where you’re passed between departments. Neither is wrong, but you should know which you’re getting.
5. What do you need from me, and when?
This question catches people off guard, but it’s one of the most important ones to ask.
Web projects don’t stall because the agency ran out of ideas. They stall because the client didn’t provide content on time, couldn’t gather feedback from their team, or underestimated how much input was needed.
A good agency will be upfront about what they need from you:
- Written content (page copy, product descriptions, team bios)
- Photos and images
- Branding assets (logo files, brand colours, fonts)
- Feedback and approvals at key milestones
- Access to existing systems (domain, hosting, email)
They should also give you realistic timelines for each. “We’ll need your homepage content two weeks before the design phase starts” is much more helpful than “we’ll need content at some point.”
If you’re not sure whether you can provide content yourself, ask about that too. Many agencies offer copywriting and photography as part of the project, or can recommend someone who does.
6. What happens after the site goes live?
This is the question most business owners forget to ask, and it’s the one that matters most six months later.
A website isn’t a “set and forget” thing. WordPress needs regular updates. Plugins need patching. Security needs monitoring. Content needs refreshing. Things break. Google changes its algorithm. Your business evolves.
Ask:
- Do you offer ongoing maintenance and support?
- What does that include, and what does it cost?
- If something breaks at 9pm on a Tuesday, what’s the process?
- Will you help me make content changes, or am I on my own?
- What happens if I decide to leave? Do I own everything?
Some agencies build the site and wave goodbye. Others offer ongoing care plans. There’s no wrong answer, but you need to know which model you’re signing up for, because finding a new agency to maintain someone else’s code is neither easy nor cheap.
7. How do you handle SEO?
You don’t need to understand the technical details of search engine optimisation. But you do need to know whether your agency thinks about it.
At a minimum, your website should be built with:
- Proper page titles and meta descriptions
- Clean URL structures
- Fast loading speed
- Mobile-friendly design
- Heading hierarchy that makes sense
- Image optimisation
These are the basics. Some agencies include them as standard; others treat SEO as an optional extra. You want to know which camp you’re in before you sign.
What to listen for: An agency that talks about SEO as part of the build process, not something bolted on after the fact. “We’ll set up the technical foundations during development and recommend an SEO strategy” is a much better answer than “we can add SEO later if you want.”
What to avoid: Anyone who guarantees you’ll rank #1 on Google. Nobody can promise that.
8. What’s included in the price, and what’s extra?
Web design pricing in New Zealand varies wildly, from $2,000 to $50,000+, and comparing quotes is surprisingly difficult because agencies don’t all include the same things.
Make sure you understand what’s in (and out of) the quote:
- Design: How many page layouts are designed from scratch vs. templated?
- Content: Is copywriting included, or do you need to provide all the text?
- Images: Does the quote include stock photography or custom shoots?
- Functionality: Are contact forms, maps, galleries, and integrations included?
- Training: Will they show you how to update the site yourself?
- Hosting and domain: Is the first year included? What about ongoing?
- Post-launch support: Is there a warranty period for bug fixes?
Two quotes might both say “$10,000 for a new website” but mean very different things. Don’t compare numbers until you’ve compared scope.
9. Will I own the website when it’s done?
This should be a straightforward “yes,” but it isn’t always.
Some agencies use proprietary platforms that lock you in. If you want to leave, you’re starting from scratch. Others retain ownership of the design or code, which limits what a future developer can do with it.
Clarify:
- Do I own the design files, code, and content?
- Can I take the site to another developer if I choose to?
- Is the site built on open-source technology (like WordPress), or a proprietary system?
- Who owns the domain name and hosting account?
- What happens to my site if your agency closes down?
You’re paying for this website. You should own it. Fully and unconditionally. If an agency hesitates on this point, that tells you something.
10. What does a realistic timeline look like?
Most business owners underestimate how long a website takes. And most agencies, wanting to win the project, underestimate it too.
A typical timeline for a small to mid-sized business website in New Zealand:
- Simple brochure site (5-10 pages): 4-8 weeks
- Mid-range site with custom features: 8-12 weeks
- E-commerce or complex site: 12-20 weeks
These assume the agency has capacity and you’re providing content on time. Add 2-4 weeks if you need copywriting or photography as part of the project.
Ask specifically:
- When can you start?
- What could delay the project?
- What happens if the timeline slips, on your side or mine?
A good agency will give you a realistic timeline with clear milestones, not a vague promise of “a few weeks.” If someone tells you they can build a custom 20-page site in two weeks, ask them how.
A Quick Scoring System
You don’t need a spreadsheet to evaluate agencies (though you can if that’s your thing). After your conversations, ask yourself these three questions about each one:
Did they listen more than they talked? An agency that spends the whole meeting pitching is more interested in selling than understanding your business.
Could they explain things clearly? If they buried you in jargon, imagine what the project itself will feel like. Good agencies make complex things simple.
Did their answers feel honest? The best agencies will tell you things you might not want to hear: “your timeline is too tight,” “you’ll need to spend more on content,” “that feature isn’t worth the cost.” That honesty is worth more than a polished sales pitch.
Ready to Start the Conversation?
If you’re weighing up agencies for a WordPress project, we’re happy to answer every one of these questions, and any others you can think of. No pitch deck. No pressure. Just a straight conversation about what you need and whether we’re the right fit.
