How to Choose a Web Design Agency: 8 Checks Before You Sign

Legacies is a software and web studio from Romania, founded by Horia Stan and Alexandru Talnaci, that builds websites and web apps for businesses worldwide. We are a web studio ourselves, so take this guide as written by someone on the other side of the table. We tried to make it useful even if you never hire us.

The best way to choose a web design agency is to judge how they work, not how their portfolio looks. Ask for live sites, a fixed price in writing, the name of the person who writes the code and a clear plan for after launch. An agency that answers all of that quickly is usually a safe bet.

Quick answer

• Check live work: ask for links to sites that are online now, and test them on your phone.
• Get a fixed price and a date in writing: vague answers about cost usually turn into a bigger bill.
• Know who builds it: find out who writes the code and who you talk to when something breaks.
• Own everything: the domain, hosting, code and accounts should be in your name.

Start with what you need, not with agencies

Before you contact anyone, write down three things. What should the site do for your business? Who is it for? What does success look like in six months? One paragraph is enough.

This helps in two ways. Agencies can quote faster and more accurately. And you can compare offers, because everyone is answering the same brief. Without it, one agency quotes a landing page and another quotes a 12-page site, and the numbers mean nothing side by side.

It also helps to know your budget range. If you are unsure what is realistic, our breakdown of how much a business website costs in 2026 gives market ranges by type of provider.

1. Ask for live sites, not mockups

Anyone can show nice screenshots in a pitch deck. What matters is whether those sites exist and work today, in production. Ask for links to recent projects, not images.

Then test them yourself:

• Open them on your phone, on mobile data, not only on office wifi.
• Run one through Google PageSpeed Insights or our free website audit.
• Try the contact form if there is one.
• Check if the site still feels current or looks abandoned.

If an agency hesitates to share links to recent work, that is a clear signal. The portfolio probably looks better in the deck than in reality.

2. A fixed price beats "it depends"

A vague answer to the price question, like "it depends on complexity" or "we will see along the way", usually ends in a final cost much higher than expected. A serious agency can give you a fixed price and a delivery date in writing after one short conversation.

That does not mean every project needs a public price list. A complex web app genuinely depends on scope. But after the first discussion, the ambiguity should be gone. At Legacies, the quote arrives within 48 hours of our first chat, with a fixed price and a delivery date, not an estimate.

3. Find out who actually writes the code

Many small agencies subcontract development to freelancers you never meet, with an account manager as your only contact. That is not automatically wrong. But it changes who answers when a real technical problem shows up.

Ask directly: if something stops working after launch, do I talk to the person who wrote the code, or to someone who has to ask them? The difference shows most in emergencies.

4. Make sure you will own the site

This one gets skipped more than it should. Ask who registers the domain, whose account the hosting runs on and whether you get the source code. The answer should be you, every time.

If the domain sits in the agency's account, leaving later becomes slow and stressful. If the site runs on a builder, you may own the content but not the site itself. Wix, for example, says plainly in its support documentation that a Wix site cannot be exported and hosted elsewhere. That is fine if you chose it on purpose. It is not fine if nobody told you. We compare the platforms in Wix vs WordPress vs a custom website.

5. Ask what happens after delivery

A site delivered "done" with no maintenance gets more vulnerable every month. Libraries age, security issues get discovered and pages slowly load worse than at launch. On WordPress the risk is concrete: Patchstack's 2026 security report counted 11,334 new vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem in 2025, with 91% of them in plugins.

So ask plainly. Is there a support period included? What does monthly maintenance cost if you want it? Is there a long contract attached? For sites built on modern frameworks, updates matter just as much. We explain why in Next.js security patches are now a product maintenance task.

6. Check how they handle SEO and AI search

Every agency says they do SEO. Ask what that means in practice. At minimum you want clean page titles and descriptions, a fast mobile site, structured data and a sitemap submitted to Google.

In 2026 there is a second audience too. People ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI answers to recommend providers, and those systems read your site. A good agency should have an opinion on that. If you want the background, read how AI crawlers are changing what a business website is for.

7. Compare quotes on the same terms

Two quotes can differ by thousands and still describe different projects. Put them in one table before you decide.

Empty cells are the point. Every blank is a question to send back before you sign.

8. Do not rule out remote studios

You do not need an agency down the street. Most web projects run fine remotely, often better, because everything is written down. Rates vary a lot by region. According to Clutch's pricing guide, web design companies in the US, Canada and Australia typically charge $100 to $149 an hour, UK teams $50 to $99 and teams in countries like Poland or Spain $25 to $49.

When you work with a remote team, check that they communicate clearly in writing, reply within a working day, send a written timeline and invoice properly. Those habits matter more than the time zone.

How we work

We are a two-person studio, so the people you talk to are the people who write the code. Our process is short.

1. We talkYou tell us what you want to solve. A short written chat is enough to start.
2. We send a quoteWithin 48 hours you get a fixed price and a clear delivery date.
3. We do the workWe keep you posted, so you always know where things stand.
4. You receive itYour site, all access and files, plus 30 days of support.

A landing page starts at 1,499 lei (about EUR 285) and a 4-6 page business website starts at 2,199 lei (about EUR 415). Monthly maintenance is optional, at 499 lei a month (about EUR 95), with no fixed-term contract. Euro amounts are approximate, at the October 2026 exchange rate. The full list is on our services page, and our work is on the projects page.

Questions to send before you sign

Copy these into an email to every agency on your list:

• Can I see 2-3 live sites you built recently, not screenshots?
• What is the fixed price and the delivery date, in writing?
• Who writes the code, and who do I contact if something breaks after launch?
• Will the domain, hosting and code be in my name?
• What is included in post-launch support, and what does maintenance cost?

If an agency answers all five clearly and quickly, you have found a good signal. If they dodge two or more, keep looking.

Do it yourself or hire an agency

Do it yourself if you are testing an idea, your budget is small and the site is not how clients find you yet. A builder is fine for that stage, and you can upgrade later.

Hire an agency or studio when the site has to bring in clients, when you need it to be fast and well structured for Google and AI search, or when you simply do not have the time. If you want a second opinion on what you have now, start with the free audit. If you want a fixed quote, send us a message through the services page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I look for when hiring a web design agency?

Look for live, recent sites you can test on your phone, a fixed price and delivery date in writing, direct access to the people who write the code, and a clear plan for support after launch. Also confirm that the domain, hosting and source code will be in your name. These tell you more about the agency than a polished portfolio.

How do I know if a web design quote is fair?

A fair quote is specific: it lists the pages, features, revisions, timeline and what happens after launch, and it gives a fixed price rather than an open estimate. Compare quotes on the same items, not only the total. Hourly rates also vary by region, so a lower price from a remote team is not automatically a sign of lower quality.

What questions should I ask a web designer before hiring them?

Ask to see live sites they built recently, what the fixed price and delivery date are, who writes the code, who you contact if something breaks, whether the domain and code will be yours, and what maintenance costs. A good designer answers all of these quickly and in writing.

Is it better to hire a freelancer or a web design agency?

A freelancer is often cheaper and you talk directly to the person doing the work, but you depend on one person being available. An agency usually has more capacity and process but costs more and may put an account manager between you and the developers. A small studio sits in between, with direct contact and a bit more resilience.

Should I own my website and domain after an agency builds it?

Yes. The domain, hosting account and source code should be registered in your name or handed over to you at the end of the project. If the agency keeps them, moving to another provider later becomes slow and sometimes impossible. Ask about ownership before you sign, not after.

Can I hire a web design agency from another country?

Yes, and many businesses do, because most web projects work well remotely and rates differ a lot by region. Check that the team communicates clearly in writing, gives you a fixed price and timeline, invoices properly and replies within a working day. Those habits matter more than where the team is based.