11 questions to ask before you commission a website.

A website is now where most clients form their first opinion of your firm. Commissioning one is a significant decision, and the questions you ask at the start decide most of what you get at the end. These eleven will help you compare studios on what matters.

1. What business result is this website for?

   Name it before you meet any studio: more qualified inquiries, a stronger price position, recruiting, or credibility for a raise. Everything else follows from it.

2. How will the quality of the website be measured?

   Ask for written targets for speed, accessibility, usability and security, and how they will be tested. If a studio cannot say, nobody will know if you got what you paid for.

3. Who will actually do the work?

   Ask to meet the people who will design and build your site, not only the people who sell it.

4. Is the fee fixed, and what would change it?

   A fixed fee with a clear change process protects your budget. Hourly billing moves the risk to you.

5. How much of our leadership’s time will this take?

   A good studio can tell you exactly when decisions are needed and how long each meeting will be.

6. Will we own everything?

   Code, design files, fonts, images and accounts should all belong to your firm on final payment.

7. Can our own team update the website?

   Ask to see the editing experience and the training plan before you sign.

8. How is accessibility handled?

   Look for WCAG 2.2 AA as a standard and an independent audit before launch.

9. What happens after launch?

   Ask what support, monitoring and reporting are included, and for how long.

10. How will our legal, security and procurement teams be supported?

    A studio used to large clients will have NDAs, contracts and security answers ready.

11. Can we speak to a comparable client?

    References from a firm of similar size and industry tell you more than any portfolio.