A good agency explains trade-offs, documents scope, and gives you access to repositories and hosting. Be cautious when everything is “unlimited revisions” with no process, or when contracts omit IP ownership and deliverables.
Process signals quality
Expect discovery, milestones, a staging environment, and a launch checklist. If testing is an afterthought, production bugs become your problem.
Contract checklist before you pay deposits
- Intellectual property: who owns code, designs, accounts, and third-party licenses after final payment?
- Hosting and domains registered in your name—or documented transfers when milestones complete.
- Change orders in writing with revised timeline and cost, not informal chat promises.
- Accessibility or performance targets called out if they matter for procurement.
- Warranty/support window defined with realistic response expectations.
Tooling transparency
You should receive credentials or collaborator access to version control, hosting, CMS admin, analytics, and DNS—not discover everything lives in the vendor’s personal accounts during an emergency handoff.