Getting a corporate website built is a serious investment. But the real problem isn't how much it costs — it's paying the wrong agency. If you ask these 10 questions before signing, the chances of experiencing regret drop significantly.
1. Are There Projects from a Similar Sector in the Portfolio?
An agency doing "good work" in general and what they can do in your sector are different things. A site designed for a dental clinic and a site built for a law firm differ from each other in terms of both target audience and content architecture.
Even if there are no projects from a similar sector, there is no need to panic. The important thing is to be able to see what kind of thought process the agency carries out in its portfolio. Is there a reason behind the design decisions, or is visual aesthetics prioritized?
A good portfolio usually contains few but annotated examples. If you can get a clear answer when you ask "Why did you design this project this way?", it is safe to work with that agency.
2. Is the Delivery Time Realistic, or Just Marketing?
Every agency promises "fast delivery". But projects that start with a 3–5 day promise often extend to 3–5 weeks. There are usually two reasons behind this: the number of concurrent projects the agency is running and the content/visual feedback loop they expect from you.
Instead of asking "When will you deliver?", ask "How do you determine the delivery date, and at what stage do you expect feedback from us?". If there is a clear process in the answer, it's a good sign.
A realistic timeframe for a standard corporate website is 10–20 business days, assuming the content side is ready. For e-commerce projects, this time can increase to 20–35 business days. Approach quotes well below these figures with caution.
3. Is the Site Designed on an SEO Foundation?
Getting organic visitors from search engines allows a website to grow without depending on an advertising budget. So why is this important during the design phase?
SEO is not something "added" later. Heading structure, page speed, semantic HTML, internal link architecture, and page URLs depend on decisions made during the design phase. Starting SEO adjustments after the site is finished and live is like trying to strengthen the foundation after building the building.
- Is a single H1 heading used on every page?
- Does the URL structure contain keywords and are non-English characters avoided?
- Are alt text and lazy load applied to images?
- Are meta title and description written separately for each page?
- Is schema markup (JSON-LD) being added?
4. How is Mobile Compatibility Tested?
Approximately 70% of web traffic in Turkey comes from mobile devices. This means that the first impression of your site is given to most users on a phone screen. Saying "mobile friendly" is no longer a sufficient answer.
The right question is: "Do you create the mobile design by scaling down from the desktop, or with a mobile-first approach?" The difference between the two is huge. A mobile-first approach expands an experience designed for a small screen towards the desktop. In this approach, touch targets, text sizes, and button sizes are set right from the start.
5. What is the Scope of Post-Project Technical Support?
The site requires maintenance even after it goes live. WordPress updates, plugin incompatibilities, security vulnerabilities, and minor fixes accumulate over time. Some agencies deliver the project and end the relationship, while others offer a monthly maintenance package.
The point you need to pay attention to: if "maintenance support" is written in the contract, ask clearly for how long and what interventions are included. The phrase "24/7 support" looks attractive, but if the response time and intervention scope are not specified in the contract, it is a vague promise.
6. What is Done for Site Speed?
Google evaluates page speed as both a ranking factor and a user experience metric. Especially Core Web Vitals scores — LCP, CLS, and INP — now directly affect search visibility.
The ready-made theme + dozens of plugins combination is the most common mistake regarding speed. The site may look visually beautiful, but it continues to make dozens of unnecessary requests in the background. A minimum score of over 80 in Google PageSpeed Insights should be targeted before delivery.
In concrete terms, you can ask these: Are images delivered in WebP format? Which plugin is used for caching? Will CDN integration be done?
7. Are the Contract and Payment Terms Transparent?
After receiving the quote, it is very important to learn what is included and what is excluded. Some quotes only cover the design; content writing, hosting setup, and images are billed separately. Some do not include domain and email setup.
Make sure the following items are clear in the contract:
- How many pages are included, what is the extra page fee?
- How many design revision rights are there?
- Is there a penalty in case of delivery delay?
- Are project files and source codes delivered to you?
- Whose name is the hosting under, who has control of the site?
8. Will You Provide the Content, or Will the Agency Write It?
Many website projects start with the assumption that "content will come from the customer" and end up delayed for months because the content doesn't arrive. This situation puts both you and the agency at risk.
Clarify this regarding content: Does the agency offer copywriting services? If so, do they write SEO-focused content? If you are going to provide the content, in what format and how soon do you need to deliver it?
Service pages, "About Us" text, and blog posts — all require a different approach. Agreeing on this beforehand prevents the process from getting stuck.
9. How Many Design Revision Rights Do You Have?
The phrase "If you don't like it, we will change it" does not provide assurance. Projects that start without a clearly defined revision right turn into "this is out of scope" arguments as the process progresses.
In standard practice, 2 major revisions during the design phase and minor corrections during the development phase are included. What the revisions "cover" should also be clearly written — a color change and structural editing are not considered the same.
10. Under Whose Name Will the Domain and Hosting Be?
This question seems technical, but in reality, it is an ownership issue. If the hosting and domain information are on the agency's own account, you are technically a "tenant". If the agency ceases operations or the relationship deteriorates, access to your site may also be endangered.
- ✗ Domain is registered to the agency, you are not given the password
- ✗ Hosting invoice comes monthly through the agency, you do not have your own panel
- ✗ You do not have the WordPress admin password
- ✗ Source files are not shared upon delivery
A domain registered in your name, hosting in your own cPanel account, and full admin access — these must undisputedly be yours. In a healthy agency relationship, this information is transferred at the beginning of the project, not at the end.
Has over 3 years of experience in WordPress, Elementor, and SEO. Founder of Bursa-based EminTechLab. Produces web solutions for corporate and local businesses.
Are You Ready to Ask the Right Questions?
Before working with EminTechLab, you can ask us all of these 10 questions too. You will get clear answers.