To choose a web development company, ask questions that have checkable answers. How is the scope written? Who owns the accounts? How is work reviewed and tested? How will you communicate, and what happens after launch? Clear written answers tell you more than portfolios and promises.
Before you contact anyone
- Your goal: what the website or application should achieve for the business.
- Must-haves: pages, features, and integrations you can't do without.
- A budget range and a timeline: even a rough range helps a provider propose the right scope.
- Who decides: the people who will review and approve the work.
Not sure yet what kind of website you need? Start with custom website vs. website builder and what drives the cost of a website.
Questions about scope and price
- Will I get a written scope before work starts? What does it include and exclude?
- How many revision rounds are included?
- How are changes to the scope handled and priced?
- Is the price fixed for the agreed scope, or billed by the hour?
When the proposals arrive, compare them item by item: put the scopes side by side, not only the totals .
Questions about ownership and access
- In whose name will the domain, hosting, and other accounts be registered?
- How are ownership and rights to the code and design defined in the agreement?
- What do I receive at handover: source code, access list, documentation?
Domain names deserve special attention. ICANN, which coordinates domain names, describes your right as a registrant to accurate information about your registrar and its processes for managing, transferring, and renewing your domain. Knowing who holds the domain account is basic protection.
This is not legal advice. For contract terms, talk to a lawyer.
Questions about process and quality
- What are the steps from discovery to launch, and what do I review at each step?
- Will I see the work on a staging site before it goes live?
- How do you test: browsers, devices, forms, accessibility basics?
- How do you protect search traffic if URLs change?
Questions about communication
- Who is my point of contact, and how are updates shared?
- What are your working hours, and how do you handle time zone differences?
- How quickly do you usually reply, and is that written down anywhere?
Questions about after launch
- Is support after launch included, or a separate agreement?
- Who updates the platform, plugins, and server, and how often?
- How are backups made and restored?
Red flags
- Guaranteed rankings. Google's own guidance on hiring an SEO says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
- No written scope, or a price without a list of what is included.
- Accounts only in the developer's name, with no clear handover.
- Vague answers about testing or what happens after launch.
How DEXVANE answers these questions
Work starts after the scope and project terms are agreed in writing. Ownership and rights to project deliverables are defined in the project agreement, and client-owned accounts and access are used where appropriate. Clients have a clear point of contact throughout the project. The details are on how we work; for a new site, see custom website development.
Sources
- Google Search Central, Do you need an SEO? (accessed October 4, 2026)
- ICANN, Registrants' Benefits and Responsibilities (accessed October 4, 2026)