You need a website and you've started looking for someone to build it. Ten agency websites in, you've already noticed the problem: they all say the same thing, in the same words. "Professional." "Modern." "SEO-optimized." "Team of experts." From the outside, a good agency and a weak one look identical — until you sign. This article gives you the instrument that tells them apart before the signature: twelve questions a serious agency answers gladly, and an unprepared one starts squirming at.
Why they all look the same
It's not a conspiracy, just lazy marketing: generic promises can't be verified, so they can't be contradicted either. "Modern website" can't be measured. "Dedicated team" can't be checked. Which is why comparing agencies is never done on what they say — it's done on what you can verify: live projects, a concrete process, clear answers to uncomfortable questions.
The golden rule, valid at any budget: you're not buying promises, you're buying verifiable answers. The rest of this article is exactly that checklist.
The 12 questions, one by one
The first four are about the work, the next four about money and what you own, the last four about what happens after the signature. Together they cover most of what hurts later.
Can you show me live projects, with an address I can open?
Anyone can produce screenshots. Real sites, in production, used by clients for years — that can't be faked. Open them on your phone, on a weak connection, and watch how they behave.
Who will actually work on my project?
Is the person in the first call the one doing the work, or just the one selling it? Subcontracting isn't necessarily bad — but you have the right to know who really holds the project in their hands.
What will the site be built on — and why?
The answer matters less than the reasoning behind it. If the technology is the same regardless of the project, you've learned their comfort zone, not your need.
What exactly do I receive at the end?
Code, content, access credentials, design files. Ask for the list in writing. Whatever isn't on the list isn't yours — and you find that out precisely when you want to leave.
How is the price formed?
A serious price comes after questions about your business, not before them. We've written about the numbers separately, without evasion — see the article on what a custom website costs.
What is NOT included in the price?
Copy, photography, translations, licenses, hosting, maintenance. The gaps between “included” and “not included” are where budgets swell after signing.
What does the site cost me in year two?
Hosting, licenses, maintenance, changes. A clear answer shows the agency thinks long-term. Silence on this question is also an answer.
If we part ways, what am I left with?
The question that scares exactly the agencies that should be scared. The correct answer: you keep everything — working site, code, access — because you paid for it.
Who answers me after launch — and how?
Launch isn't the end, it's the beginning. You want a person with a name, a clear channel, and a written understanding of what support means — not a generic ticket address.
What does the process look like, step by step?
Stages, moments where you see and validate, what's expected from you and when. An agency that can't describe its own process is improvising — on your money.
How do we measure whether the site is doing its job?
Inquiries, phone calls, orders, Google positions — objectives get set before construction, not invented after. Without measurement, “it turned out pretty” is all you'll ever know.
What happens when we disagree?
How scope changes are handled, how many revision rounds are included, what the contract says when surprises appear. Good relationships show in how the bad moments are prepared for.
Does the agency's city matter?
The unspoken question behind many searches: "do I need a Bucharest agency for the work to be serious?"
The honest answer: no. A website gets built just as well from any corner of the country — projects run through video calls, shared documents, and live versions you see in your own browser anyway, regardless of where the agency's office sits. What does differ is pricing: an agency with an office in central Bucharest builds its rent and overhead into the rate, and you pay for it without receiving anything extra in return.
We work from Gorj, and our projects tell the story better than any argument could: a mountain guesthouse in Rânca, a clinic in Craiova, a public institution in Bucharest — plus clients from other counties and abroad. Distance has never once been a topic of discussion; the quality of the work has.
The genuinely interesting part for businesses outside Bucharest: an agency that understands a local market — how people in a county actually search, what the local competition looks like, how little it takes to stand out where nobody is doing serious work — can bring you more visible results than the same investment thrown at the most crowded market in the country.
The good signs, briefly
So you're not left with only the question list, here's its mirror — what you see at an agency worth working with:
- They ask you questions first. About your clients, about how you make money, about what isn't working now. Whoever asks nothing intends to solve nothing.
- They also tell you "no". "You don't need this yet", "this budget covers the simpler version", "for this stage something else is enough". Whoever sells you anything, at any price, isn't a partner — they're an invoice supplier.
- They speak so you understand. Jargon used as a smoke screen is a choice, not an accident.
- Their projects are still alive. Sites launched years ago and still working, fast, maintained — the best clue about what your relationship will look like in year three.
The honest conclusion
Choosing a web agency is only a lottery if you treat it like one. With twelve questions asked at the right moment, most of the disappointments in this market become predictable — and avoidable. And if a single thing stays with you from this whole article, let it be this: the right agency isn't the one with the office closest to you or the biggest promises. It's the one whose answers you can verify.
If you'd like to start the interrogation with us, describe your project — we'll answer all twelve, in writing if you want.
