How to ensure you get a good website developed
- Carolina Trevizo
- 9 hours ago
- 9 min read
Many agencies offer website development services, but how do you ensure they develop a good website before hiring them?
In this article, I will give you the advice I wish I had known before hiring an agency to develop the website for the business where I worked, because I was once a client too.
I clarify in advance that you won't end up being a web development expert after reading this article, but what you will have are the tools to evaluate the probability that whoever is selling you a web development service will end up doing a good job and that the investment you make will have a good return (or in short, so they don't take advantage of you when they make your website).
Table of Contents
7 tips to ensure they develop a good website for you
What you need to ensure they develop a good website for you is an ally. More than a service provider, someone proactive, who proposes and challenges your ideas if you are a bit lost. Someone who gives you clarity and is committed to you and your business. But to differentiate the charlatans from those who are more likely to give you what you need, I give you the following tips:
Visit your service provider's website
Basically, what you need to do is navigate through their page, click on their different sections, observe a little, and ask yourself: "Does this page seem very well-made, average, or poorly made?" To determine this:
Check if the page can be navigated and read without problems on both your computer and your cell phone (i.e., if the page is responsive to mobile devices).
Review if, when you enter the Home page, what they do is quickly understood thanks to the messages they communicate.
Identify if they don't have pages or buttons that show an error when you click them.
Observe if they have visible buttons (calls to action like "Contact Us") and if they work.
Analyze if, when you navigate their page, you can do it logically and simply.
Review if the site is aesthetically consistent: they use legible fonts, texts have no errors, and the images they include are relevant.
Check if the site loads quickly, meaning it doesn't take more than 3 seconds to load.
And finally, think if this looks like a page from someone who can build the website that will be the face of your business.
Basically, what you want to determine is if this agency you are considering is a "shoemaker with no shoes" or if they truly apply their knowledge and talents to their own business. That is, someone who is dedicated to making websites should have a very good website, don't you think? (If they didn't, it would be like going to a dentist who has crooked and yellow teeth 🚩).
Review their portfolio and web development project references
It is important that you take a look at the past site developments they have done, and get an idea of the type of deliverables they provide. This will give you an idea of what you can receive from them. (You can review the previous point again, but now with the pages they delivered).
Similarly, check if there are references or comments from past clients about those projects to ensure that other people have already had a good experience.
Ensure they have certifications in the platforms they build their sites on
If they tell you they build websites in Wix, make sure they have a Wix certification. If they say they build them based on WordPress, check that they have WordPress certification. Don't let someone improvise with your website. Ask them what their credentials are for the platform they are proposing.
And if what you need is a native HTML development (in some cases it is still justified), it is MUCH more important to ensure that besides making it look good, they know how to optimize from the code. If you don't know how to validate this, it is important to approach a trusted expert. I mention this because of the LEAST optimized websites we have seen on the market, most are victims of a programmer who did a project directly in code without knowing how to optimize it for good visibility and ranking in search engines.
Ensure they take the time to understand your business and what you want to achieve
An agency that is going to make a good website for you takes the time to deeply understand your business. What is your industry? Who are your clients? Who are your competitors? What is your differentiated value? What is your objective? Etc, etc, etc.
Your website is your calling card and the digital home of your brand, it is where prospects and clients will arrive to understand who you are and what you can do for them. But if from the start someone is "guaranteeing" they will put your website in first place on Google, and you haven't even sat down to talk with them or they haven't asked about your business 🚩, it means they won't take the time to translate your value proposition to your client.
In order to effectively transmit and communicate the essence of your brand and your differentiation on a website, your agency must understand who your business is; if they don't, they may end up communicating poorly like a game of "broken telephone." Those who don't take the time to understand your business are likely selling you pre-made sites and structures that apply the same for a law firm site as for a nail salon... don't waste your time with promises like that.
On the other hand, besides understanding your business well, they should understand what your expectations are for this website. Part of this is asking you to provide references of other websites to be able to deliver something that is on par with them or even exceeds your expectations.
Ask them to clarify the processes
The development of a website implies certain steps, methodology, and times that have to be coordinated to carry out its construction. The agency that develops your site must give you clarity on those processes and reflect it in a work schedule that also indicates what information they need from you and when, so that the project comes out on time and in form. "We'll see as we go" is not a process and in the vast majority of cases, it will lead to your website being published late and below your expectations.
At the end of the day, the development of a website implies the collaboration of both the client and the agency: One provides information that the other presents attractively while ensuring the technical details are optimized.
Speaking of technicalities...
Understand basic technicalities and ensure they are included in the proposal
A website that is poorly optimized in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is like a car that has no engine. It can look very pretty, but it's no good for taking you anywhere.
SEO: Search Engine Optimization is the optimization done to certain website configuration categories "behind the scenes" so that search engines like Google, Bing, and others can correctly "read" your page, understand what it's about, and suggest it to their users.
So, to keep you from being caught off guard, I'm going to give you a brief basic glossary of SEO terms that your website should have as a minimum, and if your service provider doesn't include them 🚩, you should consider other options.
Glossary of basic SEO terms:
Favicon: It is the tiny icon that appears on the website tab. It is usually the business logo.
Title tag: It is the text that appears on the website tab and is the one that appears in search results.
Meta description: It is a small descriptive paragraph that appears in search results, below the title tag.
Preview image (social share or thumbnail): It is the image that will be displayed when you share the page on social media.
Image alt text: It is a text description of each of the images that appear on your website.
Keywords: These are keywords that users use to search for things like what you offer, and therefore, your website must contain them so that search engines find you (and if one day you want to do Google / SEM campaigns, having relevant text will help them be more effective).
Header structure (H1, H2, H3): Headers are tags that are put on the titles that appear on your website. A correct header structure has only one H1 (main title tag) per page, and for example, does not jump from H1 to H3, but has a logical sequence.
Mobile responsive: A mobile-responsive site is a site that looks good, is functional, and navigable on computers as well as tablets and cell phones. That is, the images and texts adapt to the device in question.
Domain: It is the address of the website. E.g. www.werko.mx
Webhosting: It is the digital space where the information of your website is stored (Note: This is purchased separately from the domain).
Backlinks: These are links that point to your website, coming from other websites.
Indexing: A tag that tells search engines that this is a page that DOES want to be found (there are noindex tags to indicate completely the opposite and are used, for example, on pages exclusively for internal use for the company).
Security certificates (SSL): It is a digital file that certifies that your page is secure, and makes it appear as HTTPS instead of just HTTP. Google does not favor pages that do not have SSL.
DNS: It is the abbreviation for Domain Name System, and it is a system or guide that "translates" your domain name to an IP number so that the webhosting and the browser can find your website.
Try to get your ownership
Unfortunately, there are website service providers whose business model is to charge for details that, in my opinion, should already be included in your page. I once heard of a provider in Monterrey who charges their clients an additional fee for making their page have security certificates (SSL), plus, if one of their clients wants to take their site to another webhosting, the client has no control over their website.
Therefore, make sure you know what your service provider's terms and conditions are, and that you are the owner of your property. For example, here at Werko, our clients' sites are hosted on our platform but the moment a client requests their property, their DNS connections are transferred where they indicate. The page will always belong to the client.
Extra: They offer to integrate Schema Markups and FAQ
If besides all of the above, your service provider offers to integrate Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sections to your website that will also have their integration with Schema Markups, say yes!
Schema Markup: It is an HTML code that is added to the website, and that helps search engines understand what your page is about.
In this way, your page will be much more prepared to be found and recommended by search engines, both traditional (Google, Bing, etc.) and Artificial Intelligence (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc.).
So now you know, I hope this guide has been very useful to you. Most likely in the near future, with technology advancements, I will have to update these tips, but today, these are the tips I can give you to help you better choose your website development service provider.
Of course, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, do not hesitate to contact us. We will be very happy to hear from you.
FAQ
How can I evaluate a web development agency by visiting its own site?
To determine if the provider is professional, you must navigate their page and verify the following:
That the site is responsive and reads well on both computer and cell phone.
That on the Home page, what they do is quickly understood.
That they don't have pages or buttons that mark an error when clicked.
That they have visible and functional call-to-action buttons (like "Contact Us").
That navigation is logical, simple, and loads in less than 4 seconds.
That it maintains a consistent aesthetic with legible fonts, error-free texts, and relevant images.
What are the basic SEO terms that a web development proposal should include?
Your provider should include essential elements in the "behind the scenes" configuration such as the Favicon, title tag, meta description, preview image, image alt text, use of keywords, and a correct header structure (H1, H2, H3). It should also contemplate the domain, webhosting, backlinks, indexing tags, and SSL security certificates.
How do I ensure I keep ownership of my website?
You must carefully review the provider's terms and conditions to ensure that you are the absolute owner of your property. A good ally should give you full control so that, if you decide to move your site to another webhosting, it is possible to transfer your DNS connections without obstacles or excessive charges.
About the author
Carolina Trevizo
Partner at Werko Marketing Solutions with extensive and varied experience of over 18 years in B2B companies, specializing in strategic marketing, project management, data analysis for advertising management, audiovisual production, and graphic design.
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