Choosing a web contractor is a choice for several months, often for years: whoever builds the site usually maintains it. Here is what to look at.
Live work, not a portfolio
A portfolio is easy to fabricate. Ask for links to live sites that are running right now and open them on your phone: check speed, responsiveness, whether the forms work.
A good question: «what problem did this project solve and what came of it». If the answer is only about how beautiful the design is, business results were not on their mind.
The contract and what belongs in it
Working without a contract is the main risk. It should fix the scope, timeline, cost and payment terms.
- What exactly is included: copy, design, build, integrations, analytics
- Deadlines by stage, not «roughly in a month»
- How many rounds of edits are included
- Who owns the code, design and access after handover
Process matters more than promises
Ask how the work is organised. Bad answer: «we will build it and show you in a month». Good answer: work-in-progress versions, edits along the way, clear stages.
A contractor disappearing for months and then presenting a «finished product» is the most common failure mode. By then, changing anything is expensive.
Copy: who writes it
A separate point people forget before the start. If the contractor expects copy from you while you expected it from them, the project stalls there for weeks.
Agree upfront: who writes, how many iterations, what happens if you do not like the result.
What happens after launch
A website does not end at handover. Ask what the warranty period covers, how much support costs and how fast they respond to problems.
And crucially — will they hand over access: domain, hosting, repository, analytics. If access stays with the contractor, you are locked in.
Warning signs
- They quote a price before reviewing the task
- They promise top rankings within a month
- They refuse to work under contract
- They will not show live projects
- They cannot explain who will own the access
How to vet a contractor in one conversation
A few questions tell you more than a portfolio.
- «What will you do if in a month the structure turns out wrong?» — tests willingness to adjust mid-flight
- «Which project did not work out and why?» — dodging the answer means there is no reflection
- «What do you need from me and when?» — a good contractor names materials and checkpoints immediately
We answer all of these before work starts and send the estimate in writing. Message us on WhatsApp — we will review the task in 15 minutes.