[ Guide ]
Questions to ask before hiring a web or app agency
Most agency problems are visible before you sign, if you ask the right questions. These are the ones worth asking on the first call, and what a good answer sounds like.
About the work
Start with who will do it and how they have done it before.
- Can I see work similar to my project, and talk to the client behind it?
- Who exactly will design and build it, and are they employees or subcontractors?
- What stack do you use, and why is it right for my project?
About the process
A good answer is specific: named steps, named deliverables and a regular rhythm you can rely on.
- What happens in the first two weeks?
- How often will I see working progress, not just status updates?
- How do you handle changes to the scope once we have started?
- How is testing done before launch?
About communication
Most projects that go wrong go wrong here first.
- Who is my day-to-day contact, and how quickly do they reply?
- When do your working hours overlap with mine?
- Where do conversations, files and decisions live?
About ownership
This is the question people forget, and the one that matters most later.
- Do I own the code, designs and content outright when the project ends?
- Whose accounts are the domain, hosting, repository and analytics in?
- What documentation do I get at handover?
About the contract and after launch
Know how you are billed and who is accountable.
- Is the price fixed for an agreed scope, or billed by the hour?
- Which country is the contract under, and who is accountable if something goes wrong?
- What does support look like after launch, and what does it cover?
Red flags
Be careful if an agency gives a firm price without understanding your project, can’t show working progress until the end, keeps the code or accounts in its own name, or can’t tell you who will actually do the work.
Common questions
- Should I choose an agency or a freelancer?
- A freelancer can suit a small, well-defined job. An agency suits projects that need design, engineering and project management together, with someone accountable for all of it.
- How does Zecro answer these questions?
- You get a written scope and timeline, a demo link every week, one point of contact, US contracts and billing, and full ownership of the code, designs and accounts at handover.
- What should I prepare before the first call?
- The problem you are solving, who it is for, any deadline that matters and examples of products you like. A full specification isn’t needed.
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