Category 1: Ownership, IP, and Account Access
Too many clients find themselves held hostage by an agency that registered their domain in its own name.
- 1. Will all domain, hosting, and third-party accounts be created under my company's credentials? The answer must be an unequivocal yes.
- 2. Do I own 100% of the custom code, Figma files, and design assets upon project completion? Verify that the contract contains an explicit Intellectual Property (IP) assignment clause.
- 3. If we part ways in three years, can another developer easily take over the codebase? Ensure they build with standard, open-source frameworks (React, Vite, Next.js, or Shopify 2.0) rather than proprietary in-house agency CMS engines.
Category 2: Staffing and Technical Execution
Understand who is actually sitting at the keyboard writing your code:
- 4. Who is physically doing the work? Many agencies pitch with senior partners and then quietly outsource execution to junior offshore freelancers.
- 5. How do you approach responsive mobile design? Ask whether they design mobile-first or simply squeeze desktop mockups into mobile breakpoints.
- 6. What is your development tech stack, and why did you choose it? They should explain their choices in terms of business outcomes (speed, security, maintenance ease) rather than buzzwords.
- 7. Can you show me two live websites you built that pass Google's Core Web Vitals? Test their portfolio URLs live on PageSpeed Insights during the call.
Agency response scorecard
| Topic | Green flag (Hire) | Red flag (Walk away) |
|---|---|---|
| IP Ownership | 100% assigned to client upon final invoice | Agency retains proprietary code rights |
| Hosting Accounts | Client's own Vercel/Shopify/AWS account | Hosted on agency's private locked server |
| SEO Inclusions | Crawlable HTML, unique titles, JSON-LD, sitemap | "We install an SEO plugin and guarantee #1" |
| Timeline Estimates | Milestone dates tied to client feedback turnarounds | Vague "2–3 months" with no phase breakdown |
| Post-Launch Warranty | 30 to 60 days of free bug fixes included | Hourly billing begins immediately on launch day |
Category 3: Scope, Cost, and Post-Launch Warranties
Protect your project budget against surprise fees:
- 8. What is included in the base quote, and what counts as an add-on?
- 9. How do you handle revisions? How many rounds are included per design phase?
- 10. Does the quote include copywriting and image asset sourcing, or must I provide all text?
- 11. What third-party software subscriptions will I need to pay for directly?
- 12. What happens if a bug or broken form is discovered 30 days after launch?
- 13. Do you provide training and documentation on how to update content?
- 14. What are your ongoing maintenance options, and are they mandatory?
- 15. May I speak directly with two past clients who completed a similar project?
