A polished portfolio tells you an agency can produce good-looking screenshots. It tells you very little about what it is actually like to work with them for the three, six or twelve months a real project takes. Here is what is worth checking instead.
Do you own the code at handover?
Some agencies build on proprietary platforms or keep source code under their own accounts. Ask explicitly: at the end of the project, do you receive full, exportable ownership of the code and content, or are you locked into that vendor indefinitely?
How do they estimate and communicate scope?
Vague estimates turn into scope disputes later. A good agency will walk through what is included, what counts as a change request, and how they handle discoveries mid-project — before you sign anything.
Who will actually be working on your project?
It is worth asking directly whether the senior people in your sales calls are the ones who will write the code, or whether the work is handed off entirely once the contract is signed.
What happens after launch?
Ask what support looks like once the site is live, and whether it is included or a separate ongoing cost. A team that disappears after launch leaves you exposed to the maintenance issues covered in our post-launch checklist.
Time zones and communication
Working with a Baltic-based team gives most EU and UK businesses convenient overlapping hours and clear, direct communication — worth weighing against outsourcing further afield purely on price.
If you are currently comparing agencies, send us your shortlist of questions and we will answer them as directly as we would in a real sales call.
