How to choose a web design partner: a checklist

A website project takes a few months; you work with the result for years. Choosing the right partner therefore matters more than choosing a design. A good-looking portfolio says something about taste, but little about how an agency communicates, what happens after launch or who will own the code. This checklist helps you compare suppliers on the same points.

01Before you start looking: know what you need

The better you can describe what you need, the better the proposals you get back. A brief of one or two pages is enough. It also stops you comparing apples with oranges, because every party starts from the same assumptions. Include at least the following:

• The purpose of the website: enquiries, recruitment, sales or a portal for existing clients.
• Your audiences, markets and languages.
• Functions and integrations that must be included, such as a CRM, accounting software or a scheduling system.
• What does not work well on your current website, and what should be kept, such as pages that rank well in search engines.
• Who supplies the copy and images, and who will manage the site afterwards.
• The desired timeline and any hard deadlines, such as a trade fair or a campaign.
• An indication of your budget. Even without a public price list, a range helps a supplier propose a suitable scope.

02Assessing the portfolio and references

Look beyond screenshots. Open the live websites in the portfolio on your phone. Do they load quickly? Do the forms work? Can you use the site with only a keyboard? A quick test in PageSpeed Insights shows how a site is built technically. Also ask for projects similar to your situation: the same sector, comparable complexity, several languages or integrations.

Ask how long clients stay, too. An agency that maintains and extends websites for the same clients over many years is evidently delivering something that works. Ask whether you may call one or two clients, and ask them in particular what went wrong and how it was resolved; every project has setbacks. Be critical of figures you cannot verify, such as a percentage increase in leads. Ask how it was measured and over what period.

03Who does the work, and how do you communicate?

An agency may do the work itself, bring in freelancers or outsource parts to a team abroad. None of these models is wrong in itself, but you should know how it works. Ask who your regular point of contact is, who writes the code, which language communication takes place in and how quickly you get an answer. Remote collaboration works well when agreements are clear: fixed meeting times, written summaries and a shared overview of what is done and what is still open.

Ask them to explain how they work as well. A serious party can tell you what the steps are, from intake and design to development, testing and launch, and what is expected of you. Ask for a sample timeline and how the delivery is tested: on which devices, in which browsers, and whether accessibility and speed are part of it. If you are replacing an existing site, also ask about the plan for redirects from old to new addresses (301 redirects), so you do not lose your positions in search engines.

04Contract, ownership and privacy

Code ownership is often overlooked. In many EU countries, copyright in design and code stays with the creator unless the contract transfers it in writing; in Germany, copyright itself cannot be transferred at all, only rights of use. Make sure the contract states explicitly that the rights to the code and design pass to you, or that you receive a broad, unlimited licence, and that you receive the source code. Also check the following points:

• The domain name is registered in your company's name.
• You have your own hosting account, or at least full admin access.
• There is a data processing agreement under Article 28 GDPR if the supplier processes personal data, for example through forms or hosting.
• Scope and price are fixed, with a clear procedure for changes.
• There are agreements on delivery, acceptance and a warranty period for defects.
• If you switch suppliers, you receive the code, the documentation and all access credentials.

Also discuss who is responsible for the legal parts of the site: privacy policy, cookie consent and company details, and in Germany the Impressum. A web developer takes care of the technical side, such as a cookie banner that really only loads scripts after consent. The texts themselves remain your responsibility; if in doubt, have them drafted or checked by a lawyer.

05After launch: maintenance and switching

A website is not finished at launch. Ask who handles updates and security patches, how often backups are made, where they are stored and whether restoring them is tested. Ask what happens in the event of an outage and how quickly they respond. Distinguish between what is included in maintenance and what is charged separately. And ask what happens if you ever want to switch: can another developer take over your site? A widely used framework, documentation and automated tests make that much easier.

How to compare proposals in five steps:

1. Invite two or three parties and give each the same brief.
2. Schedule a short intake call with each. Note who asks questions about your business and your clients, and who mainly talks about themselves.
3. Compare the proposals line by line on scope and approach, not just on the total.
4. Ask for a fixed price for a defined scope, or an hourly rate with a clear cap.
5. Go through the contract points above before you sign.

This is how we work at CleanByte: we are based in Bucharest, Romania, within the EU, and have been building websites since 2014. After an intake you receive one fixed price for a clearly defined scope, you own 100% of the code, and some clients have worked with us since 2015. Our calls are held in English; the websites themselves can be delivered in any language. You are welcome to hold us to every point in this checklist.