- Ask who will really do the work, how they listen, whether the quote is fixed and written, and who owns the code and domain at the end.
- Good agencies can explain how they handle speed, SEO, security and accessibility in plain words and show evidence, not slogans.
- Beware guaranteed rankings, hidden monthly fees, locked-in platforms and portfolios that cannot say what was actually done.
- We answer every question openly: you talk to the person who builds your site, you get one fixed quote, and you own everything.
Hiring a web design company is hard because the thing you are buying is invisible until it is finished, and most of its quality stays invisible even afterwards. Two sites can look identical on launch day and one of them loads slowly, leaks customer data and disappears from Google within a year. How do you tell the difference before you pay?
You ask better questions. Below are the twelve I would ask if I were hiring, in the order they tend to matter, with the answer I hope you hear and how we answer each at iVishwa. Use the list with any company you speak to, including us. A good company will be glad you asked.
1. Who will actually build my website?
Many agencies sell with one team and deliver with another, or pass the work to freelancers or overseas contractors you never meet. That is not always bad, but you should know about it. What to hear: a named person, their role, and who you can contact when something goes wrong.
How we answer: you talk to the person who designs and builds your site, from the first call to launch day and after. There is no sales team handing you to a different team.
2. How will you learn about my business before you start?
A company that begins with a template and a price list is selling a product. A company that begins with questions is solving a problem. What to hear: questions about your customers, goals, competitors and existing site, and an honest "that might not need a website at all".
How we answer: we start with a free video call in your time zone where I mostly listen. You can also design your site in our Design Studio beforehand, which shows us what you have in mind. Then you get a proposal made for you.
3. Is the quote fixed, written and itemised?
Vague quotes and hourly estimates move all the risk to you. A vague quote can also hide the things that are not included. What to hear: a written scope, page by page and feature by feature, a fixed price, a payment schedule and what happens if the scope changes. We discuss how to compare quotes in How much does a website cost?
How we answer: one fixed, written, itemised quote, valid for 7 days. We do not publish price lists, because the right answer depends on what you need, and the price only changes if you change the scope, which we quote before any extra work begins.
4. Who owns the code, the content and the domain?
This is the question that separates partners from landlords. Some companies keep ownership of the site, the hosting account or the domain, so leaving them means starting again. What to hear: "You own everything." Red flag: proprietary platforms that only the agency can edit, and domains registered in the agency's name.
How we answer: the domain, the code and the content are yours, and you receive a written handover. If you later move to another developer, they can pick it up.
5. How do you handle SEO?
Be wary of anyone who guarantees a position on Google, since nobody outside Google controls that. A good company can explain what it does in the build: titles and headings, structured data, sitemaps, redirects, internal links and speed. What to hear: specifics and a plan for a replacement site not to lose the rankings it already has.
How we answer: SEO foundations are part of the code from the first day, and we help you set up Search Console. When we replace a site, every old address is mapped to its new home. The detail is in how we build a website and redesigning without losing your rankings.
6. How fast will my site be, and how will you prove it?
Speed is measurable, so a good company states a target and shows the result. Google defines good as Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5 seconds, Interaction to Next Paint under 200 milliseconds and Cumulative Layout Shift under 0.1, measured on real visits. What to hear: those numbers, tested on real phones, and an explanation of how plugins and third-party scripts are controlled.
How we answer: we build to those targets and test on a mid-range phone, not only a fast laptop. Sites are served from a global edge network so visitors in the US, UK, Europe, Australia and Canada get quick pages.
7. How will you keep my site and my customers' data secure?
A breach can cost more than the site did. What to hear: HTTPS everywhere, security headers, validated input, strong sign-in, backups and updates, and a plain explanation in everyday language, not just the words "secure" and "SSL". Red flag: shared passwords sent in email and sites left unpatched.
How we answer: security is layered, from strict browser policies and server-side validation to rate limits, least-privilege access, passkey sign-in where there is a login, and tested backups. More in Zero trust for small businesses.
8. Will the website be accessible to everyone?
Accessibility widens your audience and increasingly your legal duty. What to hear: WCAG 2.2 AA as the target, keyboard and screen-reader testing, and an honest statement that automated tools find only part of the problems. We explain the laws in Website accessibility law in 2026.
How we answer: we build to WCAG 2.2 AA and test by hand as well as by tool.
9. What platform will you use, and why?
The right platform depends on your goals, not on what the agency prefers. Shopify suits many online stores, WordPress suits content you edit yourself, and custom code suits unusual needs and the strictest speed and security requirements. What to hear: a recommendation with reasons, including the downsides, and a willingness to recommend a platform they do not sell. See WordPress, Shopify or custom-coded.
How we answer: we build in all three, so the advice is honest. We start with the simplest route that does the job, and we tell you when the biggest option is not the right one.
10. Can I see real work, and what exactly did you do?
A portfolio of pretty screenshots proves little. Ask what the company actually did on each project, what the client's goal was, and whether you can speak to the client. Red flag: templates passed off as custom work, or concept projects presented as client work.
How we answer: our case studies explain the problem, the approach and the outcome, and we are clear which ones are concept studies rather than client projects. For example, Travel Safe Lanka is a real client project, while Plumaire and NIKO Ceylon Tea are labelled concepts. Our reviews come from real clients, never invented ones.
11. How will we communicate, and what happens across time zones?
Bad communication is the top reason projects go wrong, and it is worse across time zones. What to hear: one place for decisions, regular progress you can see, and clear reply times.
How we answer: every client has a private portal showing progress, designs to approve, files, invoices and a chat with me. We are based in Colombo and arrange calls in your hours, and WhatsApp or email works too. Many of our clients are in the US, UK, Europe, Australia and Canada.
12. What happens after launch, and what if I am unhappy?
Websites are living things. They need updates, monitoring and changes. What to hear: what the post-launch support period is, what ongoing care costs, whether it is optional, and how disagreements are resolved, with a written agreement and a clear refund and cancellation policy.
How we answer: after launch you can still ask for changes in your portal, and ongoing care is optional, never a condition of owning your site. Our terms, refunds and privacy policies are written in plain English on this site.
Red flags, in one list
- A guaranteed ranking, or a promise of "number one on Google".
- A price given before anyone asked about your business.
- No written scope, or a scope that is vague about what is excluded.
- The company holds your domain, hosting account or code.
- A proprietary builder that only they can edit.
- Reviews and testimonials that cannot be traced to real people.
- Pressure to decide today.
- No answer when you ask about speed, security or accessibility.
A simple scorecard
Give each company a mark from 0 to 2 on every question: 0 for a vague or missing answer, 1 for a reasonable answer without proof, and 2 for a clear answer with evidence you can check. Add the marks up. Anything under 16 out of 24 deserves a second conversation before you sign, and a single 0 on ownership (question 4) or on a fixed, written quote (question 3) is reason enough to walk away. It takes ten minutes, and it replaces a gut feeling with something you can explain to a business partner.
How to decide
Ask two or three companies the same twelve questions, in writing if you can. Compare not just the prices but the clarity of the answers. The companies that explain themselves plainly, admit trade-offs and show evidence are almost always the ones that will treat your project with care.
A good fit is also personal. You will be working with these people for months. Choose the one you trust to tell you the truth when it is inconvenient.
Sources
I design and build websites, online stores and business systems for clients in the US, UK, Europe, Australia and Canada, from Colombo, Sri Lanka. When you work with iVishwa, you talk to me directly, from the first call to launch and after.
Want a straight answer for your own project?
Design your website in the Studio, tell me your budget if you like, and I will reply with one fixed, written quote.
