How to choose a contractor to create a website: 7 questions that will save you nerves and money
Every third website that comes to us for redevelopment is less than two years old. It was recently commissioned, the customer paid – but the site does not work for business. It doesn’t bring in clients, it’s inconvenient to edit, it falls apart on mobile phones. And the point is almost always not in technology, but in the fact that the customer did not ask the right questions before signing the contract.
We at web studio 12ia work with businesses in tourism, logistics, hotel industry and other niches. Over the course of 7+ projects in our portfolio, we’ve seen enough other people’s mistakes to compile this list. Seven questions are not a theory, but a filter that weeds out unreliable contractors even before the first payment.
Why choosing a web studio is more important than choosing a CMS
Customers often start with the question “what to use for making a website” – WordPress, Bitrix, Tilda? It’s a trap. The platform is a tool. It’s not the hammer’s fault if the house is crooked.
What is more important is who uses this tool and how. A good website contractor will offer a platform for the task, and not one that a single full-time developer can work on. If a web studio does everything using only one CMS, this is a reason to be wary.
For example, we use WordPress for content projects and corporate websites, 1C-Bitrix for online stores with integrations into accounting systems, Tilda for landing pages and quick launches. The choice depends on the client’s business problem, and not on our preferences.
7 questions for the contractor before signing the contract
1. Show cases in my or related niche
Not a “portfolio of 200 sites”, but specific projects with results. A website for a travel agency and a website for a factory are different universes. The contractor who made websites for tourism knows that a module for selecting tours and integration with search engines is needed. A contractor without experience in a niche will reinvent the wheel for your money.
What to ask:
- What business problems did this site solve?
- What results did the client get after launch?
- Can this customer be contacted for feedback?
If a contractor only shows screenshots without context, this is a showcase, not a portfolio.
2. Who exactly will work on the project?
The classic situation: an experienced account manager sits at a meeting, and after signing the contract, the project goes to the intern. Or a “studio” is one freelancer who will actually transfer the layout to a subcontractor from the exchange.
Ask a direct question: who is the designer, who is the developer, who will lead the project. Ask to see their work. In a normal web studio this does not cause any difficulties.
3. What is included in the how much a website costs and what is not?
The main source of conflicts is different understanding of the scope of work. You thought that adaptive layout was enabled, but the contract says “desktop version”. You expected SEO settings, but got a bare website without meta tags.
Check the list to see if the price includes:
- Adaptive layout for mobile devices
- Basic SEO optimization (meta tags, sitemap, robots.txt, loading speed)
- Filling with content or just structure
- Connecting analytics (Yandex.Metrica, Google Analytics)
- Training to work with the admin panel
- Warranty period after delivery
If the contractor cannot clearly answer what is included in the price, he himself does not know what he will do.
4. How the process works: stages, deadlines, approvals
“We’ll do it in 2 weeks” is almost always a lie or a sign of a template approach. Normal turnkey website development takes from 4 to 12 weeks, depending on the complexity. And it includes clear stages: analytics, prototype, design, layout, programming, testing, launch.
What to look for when ordering a website:
- Is there a prototyping stage before design
- How many iterations of edits are included
- What does the approval process look like (in writing, in a task tracker or via WhatsApp)
- What happens if deadlines are shifted
A transparent process is a sign of a mature studio. Chaotic is a sign that the project will stall.
5. What will happen to the site after launch?
A website is not a painting that you hang on the wall and forget about. This is a working tool that needs to be updated, protected from hacking, and modified to accommodate business changes.
Questions:
- Is there technical support after delivery? Under what conditions?
- Who updates the CMS and plugins?
- Are backups made?
- What happens if in six months you need to add a new section or functionality?
A good contractor for creating a website thinks not only about the launch, but also about the life of the project after it. It’s even better if the studio offers comprehensive website promotion – this way you get both development and results in one place.
6. Who owns the rights to the site, domain and hosting?
It sounds obvious, but we regularly encounter situations where a domain is registered to a contractor, hosting is tied to his account, and the source code “remains with the developer.” The customer is hostage: if you want to leave, pay for the “transfer of rights.”
The contract must explicitly state:
- Exclusive rights to the design and code are transferred to the customer
- The domain is registered to the customer (or transferred after delivery)
- Access to hosting, admin and analytics – from the customer
If the contractor avoids this conversation, run away.
7. How do you measure results?
This question separates “website makers” from business partners. Some hand over the design and disappear. Others ask: “What problem should the site solve?” – and build work from this.
Normal result metrics for a business website:
- Number of applications from the site per month
- Positions for target queries in search
- Conversion from visitor to lead
- Load speed and Core Web Vitals
If a contractor talks only about “beautiful design” and “modern technologies”, he is selling the process, not the result.
Freelancer, studio or agency: who to choose for website development
There is no universal answer. There are tasks that each format is suitable for.
Freelancer – suitable for a simple landing page or minor modifications. Cheaper, but the risks are higher: one person can get sick, disappear, or fail to complete a complex project.
Web studio is the best option for small and medium-sized businesses. A team of 3–7 people, clear processes, reasonable prices. The studio closes the entire cycle: from analytics to promotion.
Large agency – for large budgets and complex projects. But for the agency brand you pay a markup of 30–50%, and the same team of several people will work with you.
For most business tasks, choosing a web studio is the most balanced option in terms of price/quality/manageability.
Red flags: when you should definitely not sign an agreement
Over the years, we have compiled a list of signals after which you should look for another contractor:
- No agreement – “let’s do it in words” means “then it will be your word against mine”
- 100% prepayment – normal scheme: 50/50 or staged payment by milestones
- They promise first place in Yandex – no one can guarantee positions in search, this is the work of search algorithms
- Do not ask questions about the business – if the contractor has not asked who your clients are and what problems the site solves, he will make a “site in general” and not a site for your business
- Term – “3 days” – in three days you can assemble the template on the constructor. If you are promised full-fledged development in such a period, you are being deceived
- No portfolio – or there is, but all links lead to non-existent sites
Checklist before signing an agreement to create a website
how to prepare a website briefly – what to check before ordering website development:
- We studied the contractor’s portfolio and looked at live sites
- We understood who exactly will work on the project
- We received a detailed estimate with a list of works
- Agreed stages and deadlines with control points
- Discussed support and development after launch
- The agreement specifies the rights to the site and the transfer of access
- The contractor understands your business problem and is ready to measure the result
If all seven points are closed, the chances of a successful project increase exponentially.
Instead of output
Choosing a contractor for a website is not about “finding the cheapest” and not about “finding the most expensive”. It’s about finding someone who asks the right questions, shows real results, and doesn’t disappear after receiving payment.
Seven questions from this article are not a guarantee of an ideal result. But they cut off 80% of problem contractors at the start. And this is already a lot.
If you want to discuss a task regarding the site, write to us. We don’t promise “a website in 3 days” and we don’t say that we know everything. Check out our case: hotel website to see our approach in action. But we will definitely ask you the right questions – and we will make a website that works for business, and does not just exist on the Internet.