Getting started with your website!
Planning to have a website, webshop or a custom application built? Don’t forget to ask your web agency these 16 key questions! By carefully considering these questions, you can avoid unpleasant surprises later on. This way, both parties know exactly what to expect from each other, minimizing the chance of misunderstandings.
- 1. How does pricing work?
- 2. Who does what?
- 3. How will communication be handled?
- 4. How do you handle overtime?
- 5. How quickly can you deliver?
- 6. What happens after delivery?
- 7. How fast will my website load?
- 8. How is scalability (responsiveness) arranged?
- 9. How is security handled?
- 10. How is expandability handled?
- 11. How can I ensure my website or webshop is findable?
- 12. How does ownership work?
- 13. Will my website be built according to the latest programming standards?
- 14. What is the maintenance policy?
- 15. How is hosting handled?
- 16. What is the duration and terms of the collaboration?
1. How does pricing work?
Probably the most frequently asked—and most important—question is how pricing works for your web project.
It’s difficult to give a general answer, as costs depend on various factors. What exactly do you need? A simple website or an extensive webshop? How many pages should the website include?
Will a content management system (CMS) be used, or is a custom solution required? How complex are the functionalities you want? Do you have any special requirements, such as security measures or specific API integrations with other systems?
Ultimately, it all comes down to how much time the web agency will spend on your project.
Tip: A good web agency will always provide a customized quote, completely without obligation. This quote will outline exactly what to expect and what the costs will be, so you know exactly where you stand!
2. Who does what?
In a web project, various people with different roles are usually involved. It’s important to know who will be involved in the project and what role each person will play.
Who is the project manager? Who is responsible for development? Who will handle the design? Who will conduct testing? Will you write the content yourself, or will the web agency do it?
👉 Tip: Make sure you know who from your organization will be the main point of contact with the web agency.
3. How will communication be handled?
An important point to clarify in advance. How will the web agency communicate with your organization? Will someone visit your office? Do they have a helpdesk where you can ask questions? When and how often do you want updates? How long does the web agency take to respond to your questions?
👉 Tip: Make sure you agree on how communication will be handled—before, during, and after the development of your web project.
4. How do you handle overtime?
Unfortunately, it’s often the case in practice that projects take longer than planned. In some cases, this is unavoidable, but sometimes it’s the web agency’s responsibility.
It’s important to agree in advance on how any overtime will be handled. How does the web agency approach this?
Is this handled with leniency, or is it considered additional work? What is the agency’s definition of additional work? Are you always required to pay for it?
👉 Tip: Ask the web agency how they handle overtime and additional work, and make clear agreements about it. Also review the agency’s general terms and conditions.
5. How quickly can you deliver?
An important question closely related to the first one. Of course, the answer depends on the size and complexity of the project. However, a good web agency can always give you an estimated timeline for completion.
👉 Tip: Always make sure you agree on delivery terms. When is the project considered complete? How is delivery handled? Who conducts testing? What happens if the timeline isn’t met?
6. What happens after delivery?
Once a website or webshop goes live, what’s next? Who is responsible for maintenance? Will any adjustments still be made? How is support handled? What are the testing and delivery procedures? What if errors are found in the website?
👉 Tip: It’s important to agree in advance on what happens after the website goes live. Clearly document who is responsible for maintenance. Will any adjustments still be made? How is support handled? What are the testing procedures?
7. How fast will my website load?
For your website to function well and achieve a high search engine ranking (SEO), it’s important that it loads quickly. How fast a website should load depends on the type of website you have. For webshops, load time is more critical than for business websites.
👉 Tip: It’s helpful to agree in advance on the load time requirements for your website. When is the website fast enough for your goals? What is the maximum number of seconds you’re willing to wait for your website to load?
8. How is scalability (responsiveness) arranged?
The world is becoming increasingly mobile. More and more people are visiting websites on their phones or tablets. It’s therefore important that your website works well on all these different devices and that scalability is properly arranged.
👉 Tip: It’s helpful to check whether the web agency can build responsive websites.
9. How is security handled?
When you have a website or webshop built, it’s important that it is secure. Measures must be taken to prevent hackers from accessing your website.
👉 Tip: It’s important to agree in advance on what measures will be taken to ensure the security of your website or webshop.
10. How is expandability handled?
When you have a website or webshop built, it’s important to consider expandability. How can you add new functionalities to your website or webshop in the future? In practice, this largely depends on the systems and technologies chosen.
👉 Tip: It’s helpful to agree in advance on how the expandability of your website or webshop will be arranged. Inform yourself thoroughly about the possibilities and any associated costs.
11. How can I ensure my website or webshop is findable?
For a successful website or webshop, it’s important that it is easily findable. People should be able to find your website or webshop in search engines like Google and Bing.
This means that both the content and the technical aspects must be optimized for search engines: in short, SEO must be in order.
👉 Tip: It’s helpful to agree in advance on how the web agency will help you make your website or webshop findable.
12. How does ownership work?
When you have a website or webshop built, it’s important to know how ownership of your website is arranged. With many websites and webshops, ownership can be quite complex.
Often, a combination of a CMS—sometimes open source or sometimes closed source—is used, supplemented with plugins, modules, or other third-party software or technologies. This makes it difficult to fully own your website.
Fortunately, you don’t need to own your website to use it effectively. However, it’s important to understand how ownership is arranged so you know what the possibilities and limitations are.
👉 Tip: It’s helpful to agree in advance and clarify how ownership of your website or webshop is arranged and what this means for you.
13. Will my website be built according to the latest programming standards?
Technological developments move quickly. It’s important that your website or webshop is built according to the latest programming standards so that you can easily make adjustments in the future. It’s also important for the security of your website or webshop. Finally, it’s also better for findability in search engines.
👉 Tip: It’s helpful to agree in advance on how the web agency ensures your website or webshop is built according to the latest programming standards.
14. What is the maintenance policy?
A website or webshop is never truly finished. Adjustments and changes will always be necessary. It’s important to agree in advance on how this maintenance will be handled. Who will perform the maintenance? Do you have to pay extra for this? What is the turnaround time for adjustments?
👉 Tip: It’s also helpful to agree in advance on when the web agency will perform updates. Most CMS systems regularly release new updates to improve security and keep your website running smoothly. It’s important that your website is always up to date to prevent hackers from accessing it. A clear maintenance contract provides a solution for this.
15. How is hosting handled?
A website or webshop needs to be hosted somewhere. This can often be done by the web agency itself or by an external hosting provider.
It’s important to agree in advance on how hosting will be arranged. Who is responsible for hosting?
Will the website be hosted on dedicated servers or with an external provider? How much does hosting cost per month? How is support for hosting arranged?
👉 Tip: It’s important to agree in advance who is responsible for hosting and support. If there are issues with the website or hosting, who will address them? It’s also important to agree in advance on how hosting costs will be handled.
16. What is the duration and terms of the collaboration?
When you enter into a collaboration with a web agency, it’s important to agree in advance on how long this collaboration will last. Are you planning a short-term project and will you part ways with the agency after development? Or is the intention to work together longer, for example for maintenance and expansions? In all cases, consider the notice periods for the services you purchase.
👉 Tip: It’s helpful to draw up a contract that clearly outlines the agreements. This way, you know exactly what to expect and where you stand. A good web agency will always work with such a contract.
In conclusion: make the most of this checklist!
As you can see, there are many questions you can ask your web agency before starting a website, webshop, or other web project. It’s important to know where you stand and what the possibilities and limitations are. Avoid disappointment and be prepared!
👉 Tip: Use this checklist as a guide when asking questions to your web agency. This way, you can be sure you haven’t overlooked anything.
I hope this checklist provides you with enough information to get a great start with your new website, webshop, or web project.
And if you’d like to know how we answer all these questions? Contact us! Schedule a free online meeting, call Martijn at 06 48 08 40 58, or invite us to your office.
