Not all agencies are equal. These are the questions that separate the good ones from those that will make you waste time and money.
We have seen projects delivered 8 months late. Websites that did not work on mobile. Clients who paid €4,000 for a website and have no access to the code or server. Madrid has hundreds of web agencies and the difference between them is vast.
These questions do not guarantee you choose well. But they guarantee you spot the warning signs.
Can I see code from previous projects?
A serious agency has no problem showing code with client permission. The code says more than any visual portfolio: whether it is clean and scalable, or a maze of plugins and patches. If they hesitate to show code, there is a reason.
Who exactly will work on my project?
Many agencies sell with senior profiles and execute with juniors or outsource. Ask directly: who designs, who develops, who does the SEO? Can I talk to them before signing? The answer reveals a lot.
How do we measure success?
A website is a means to achieve something: more clients, more sales, more bookings. If the agency does not ask about your business objectives in the first meeting, they will probably make you a pretty website that serves no purpose. Pretty does not convert.
What happens if I do not like the result?
Good agencies work with phase approvals: design approved before entering development, development approved before launch. If the process is "we deliver it when it is ready", that is a warning sign.
How fast will my website load?
Ask for a number. Lighthouse score on mobile, Core Web Vitals in the green. If they cannot answer with data, they do not understand technical SEO. And if they do not understand technical SEO, the website they make will not appear on Google.
Is the website mine when we finish?
Some agencies build on proprietary systems and maintain hosting and access. If you want to change agency, you cannot take your website. Demand full access to the code, repository, server and domain from day one. No exceptions.
Can I speak with a current client?
An agency confident in its work provides references without hesitation. One that dodges this question is also saying something.
Have a project in mind?
Tell us what you want to achieve.