How to hire a web or app agency without getting burned: 12 questions to ask first

We are an agency, so take this with the right amount of salt. But the stories founders share online are hard to ignore. One small-business owner on r/smallbusiness paid $3,000 for branding and a website and was still waiting nine months later. Another found out after launch that the vendor had built the site with an AI tool and that they could not edit a single line themselves. An Indian D2C founder described moving to their third agency in a year.

Almost all of these problems are avoidable with a few questions before you sign. Here are the ones we would ask if we were on your side of the table.

Ownership: ask these before anything else#

1. Will the domain, hosting and code be in my name?#

This is the single most important question. The domain should be registered to you. Hosting, the code repository, the database and any app store accounts should be created under your company email, with the agency added as a user.

A good agency will set it up this way without being asked. If someone insists on keeping these in their own account "to make it easier", treat that as a warning.

2. Who owns the design files and the content?#

You are paying for the Figma files, the copy, the photos and the source code. The contract should say that ownership passes to you on payment, and you should be able to download everything at any time.

3. For ads and analytics: whose account is it?#

Google Ads, Meta Business Manager, Google Analytics and Search Console should all belong to your business. If you ever part ways, your campaign history, audiences and tracking should stay with you. As one r/PPC commenter put it, the first question to ask any ads agency is who owns the ad account and the tracking.

How the work will happen#

4. Who will actually do the work?#

Many agencies sell with senior people and deliver with juniors or subcontractors. That is not always bad, but you should know. Ask who will design, who will write the code and who your day-to-day contact is, and ask to meet them.

5. How will I see progress?#

The best answer is a working link you can click every week, not a status report. A founder on r/Entrepreneur gave the best advice we have seen on this: tie staged payments to demos, not to milestones on paper.

6. What tools and platforms will you use, and can my team edit it later?#

WordPress, Webflow, Framer, Shopify, Next.js and AI builders all have their place. The real question is whether your team can update prices, add a page or change a photo without paying the agency every time. If a CMS is part of the deal, ask for a short walkthrough before launch.

Scope, price and timelines#

7. What exactly is included, and what is not?#

A good proposal lists pages, features, rounds of revisions, copywriting, SEO setup, analytics and launch support. Vague phrases like "complete website solution" hide arguments later. Ask what happens if you want something that is not on the list, and how much it costs.

8. How do payments work?#

A common, fair structure is a deposit to start, then payments tied to visible milestones (design approved, working build, launch). Be careful with 100% upfront for anything bigger than a small fixed package.

9. What will the first two weeks look like?#

This tells you whether there is a real process. You should hear about a kick-off call, research or discovery, a sitemap or user flow, and when you will see first designs.

10. Is the price realistic?#

Very cheap quotes usually mean templates, missing pieces or a project that stalls halfway. Very expensive quotes are not automatically better. On r/developersIndia, one developer described being asked to build a full learning-management system for ₹1 lakh in 45 days; experienced commenters estimated systems like that at many times the price. If a quote seems too good, ask what is being left out.

After launch#

11. What happens if something breaks after launch?#

Ask how long bugs are fixed for free, how quickly they respond, and what ongoing support costs. Ask who will update the site's software and security patches. For example, Next.js shipped an emergency fix for two critical vulnerabilities in October 2026. Someone needs to apply updates like that.

12. How will we know if it worked?#

The project should have a goal you can measure: enquiries, bookings, sign-ups or sales. A good partner will set up tracking for it and look at the numbers with you after launch. Be wary of anyone who promises guaranteed rankings or a fixed number of leads; nobody controls Google.

Red flags worth walking away from#

• Domain, hosting or ad accounts kept in the agency's name.
• 100% payment upfront for a large project.
• No working preview until the end.
• Guaranteed first-page rankings or guaranteed leads.
• They cannot explain who is doing the work.
• Every question about scope gets the answer "don't worry, we'll handle it".

Green flags#

• A written scope with clear inclusions and exclusions.
• You own every account from day one.
• Weekly demos you can click through.
• They push back on ideas that would not help your goal.
• They talk about your customers more than about their tools.

The short version#

Get ownership right first, then insist on visible progress, a written scope and milestone payments. Most horror stories start with one of those missing.

If you want to hear our answers to all twelve questions, book a free strategy call. We will tell you how we would approach your project, and we will tell you if we are not the right fit.