Not all website projects are the same. And not all agencies are equipped to handle all types. Figure out which category you're in first.

Type 1: Marketing/Portfolio Websites (Brand Presence)

What it is: Showcase site that establishes credibility and provides basic information. Think lawyer, consultant, photographer, small service business.

Primary goal: Look professional, show what you do, build trust, provide contact information.

Complexity: Low to medium. Standard pages (home, about, services, portfolio, contact), content management system for updates, mobile responsive, basic SEO.

Timeline: 4-8 weeks

Budget: £3,000-£15,000

What you need from an agency: Strong design skills, understanding of your industry, basic SEO knowledge, reliable hosting/maintenance.

Type 2: E-Commerce/Transactional Websites (Selling Online)

What it is: Sites where users make purchases, book appointments, subscribe to services, process payments.

Primary goal: Convert visitors into paying customers. Everything optimized for the purchase/conversion funnel.

Complexity: Medium to high. Product catalogues, payment processing, inventory management, checkout flows, security, shipping integrations, customer accounts.

Timeline: 8-16 weeks

Budget: £10,000-£50,000+

What you need from agency: E-commerce platform expertise (Shopify, WooCommerce, custom), payment gateway integration, conversion optimization experience, security knowledge, performance optimization.

Type 3: Web Applications/MVPs (Software Products)

What it is: Your website IS the product. SaaS platforms, booking systems, custom tools, dashboards, member platforms.

Primary goal: Deliver functional software that users interact with. The website doesn't just display information, it performs complex operations.

Complexity: High. User authentication, databases, complex business logic, API integrations, real-time features, scalability, security at a higher level.

Timeline: 12-24 weeks minimum

Budget: £15,000-£100,000+

What you need from agency: Full-stack development capability, modern frameworks (React, Vue, Node.js, etc.), database design, API development, security expertise, scalability planning. Really, you need a software development company that also understands web, not a web design agency trying to build software.

However, if your website has complex user interactions, databases, and custom functionality beyond content display and shopping carts, you don't want a website development agency. You want a software development company. Octogle is both.

1. A Portfolio That Matches Your Needs

Don't just look at pretty designs. Look for:

• Sites similar to what you need - If you're launching an e-commerce store, did they build other e-commerce stores?

• Working examples, not mockups - Anyone can make something look good in a static screenshot. Can you actually use the sites they built? Are they still live and functioning?

• Variety that demonstrates capability - Multiple projects across different industries shows they can adapt. Same template copy-pasted 50 times shows they're a one-trick pony.

• Recent work - Web development moves fast. Sites built in 2018 tell you nothing about their current capabilities.

2. Process That Demonstrates Their Knowledge

Choose a website development agency that has a structured process, not the ones that "figure it out as (they) go."

• Discovery/strategy phase - They spend time understanding your business, users, goals, and requirements before designing anything.

• Design phase - You see wireframes and mockups BEFORE development starts. You can request changes when they're easy to make.

• Development phase - Structured sprints with regular check-ins. You see progress continuously, not after three months of silence.

• Testing phase - QA testing across browsers, devices, and scenarios. Not "we tested it on my laptop and it works."

• Launch and support - Clear handover process, training, documentation, ongoing maintenance plan.

3. Technical Capabilities That Match Your Project

This is where most people get lost because they don't know what questions to ask. Here's a list of questions to help you with your website development agency selection:

For basic marketing sites:

• What CMS do you build on? (WordPress, Webflow, and Framer are common and fine)

• How do I update content after launch? (Should be easy, no coding required)

• Is it mobile responsive? (It should always be)

• What's included in hosting? (Uptime, security, backups, SSL certificate)

For e-commerce sites:

• What platform do you recommend and why? (Shopify, WooCommerce, custom)

• Have you integrated with [your payment processor]?

• How do you handle product data and inventory?

• What about abandoned cart recovery, email automation, customer accounts?

• How does it scale if I grow from 100 to 10,000 products?

For web applications:

• What's your tech stack? (They should explain in terms you understand)

• How do you handle user authentication and data security?

• What's your approach to scalability? (What happens when usage grows?)

• What API integrations have you built? (If you need to connect to other services)

• How do you handle ongoing feature development after launch?

4. Communication Style That Works With Yours

You're going to be talking to these people for months. Communication breakdowns tend to affect projects more than technical problems.

What to evaluate:

• Response time - Do they reply within 24 hours? Or do you chase them for days?

• Clarity - Do they explain things in language you understand? Or hide behind jargon?

• Proactivity - Do they tell you about problems before they become disasters? Or do you find out things are broken when it's too late?

• Meeting cadence - Weekly check-ins? Bi-weekly demos? Monthly updates? Radio silence?

• Tools - What do they use for project management? How do you track progress?

Red flags:

• Takes 3-4 days to respond to your initial inquiry (it won't get better)

• Talks in technical jargon without explaining what it means

• Vague timelines - "probably around 3 months-ish"

• No clear process for handling changes or feedback

5. Post-Launch Support for Long-Term Stability

Websites aren't "build it and forget it." They need ongoing maintenance. Things break. Content needs updating. Features need adding.

What to clarify before signing:

• What's included in the initial post-launch support period?

• What happens when that period ends?

• What are your maintenance/support options and costs?

• Response time for critical issues (site down, security breach)?

• How do you handle updates and feature requests after launch?

• Who owns the code and can I move to another host/agency if needed?

To help you make the right choice, here are some questions that will help you reveal whether an agency knows what they're doing or is just winging it:

‍

‍

1. "What's your approach to understanding my business and users before you start designing?"

Good answer: "We start with a discovery phase where we interview you about your business goals, target customers, competitors, and success metrics. We typically spend 1-2 weeks on this before touching design. We might also look at user research or analytics if you have an existing site."

Not a good answer: "We look at your competitors and design something similar but better." (Translation: We copy what everyone else does and hope for the best.)

‍

2. "What happens if I'm not happy with the design?"

Good answer: "We include a few rounds of revisions in the design phase. The first round is usually major changes, second round is refinements. We work collaboratively with you during design before we start development, because changes are much easier at that stage."

Not a good answer: "We're confident you'll love it!"  

‍

3. "How do you ensure the site will rank on Google?"

Good answer: "We build with technical SEO best practices: fast loading, mobile responsive, clean code, proper schema markup, optimised images. We can include basic on-page SEO (meta tags, keywords) in the project. For ranking strategies and ongoing SEO, we either have that as a separate service or can recommend an SEO specialist."

Not a good answer: "We add some keywords and hope.” If they promise first-page rankings, run because nobody can guarantee that.

‍

4. "What's your typical timeline for a project like mine?"

Good answer: Gives you a specific timeline with phases broken down. Somethnig like - "Based on what you've described, we estimate 10-12 weeks: 2 weeks discovery, 3 weeks design, 5 weeks development, 1 week testing, 1 week launch."

Not a good answer: "Probably 3-4 months-ish."

Let’s say you've talked to 5 website development agencies. They all seem fine. They all have nice portfolios. Their prices range from £5,000 to £35,000 for roughly the same project. Now what?

Here's the decision framework:

Step 1: Eliminate anyone who triggered red flags

Seriously. If they pressure you, can't explain their process, have no recent work, or quoted without asking questions—eliminate them immediately. Don't rationalize.

Step 2: Evaluate portfolio match

Do they have 3+ examples of projects similar to yours? Not just similar design, but similar function. If you're building e-commerce and they've only built portfolio sites, that's a mismatch.

Step 3: Assess process and communication

Which agency's process made the most sense? Who communicated most clearly? Who responded fastest and most thoroughly? You're going to be working with these people for months so pick the ones you actually want to talk to.

Step 4: Verify technical capability

For the type of project you need, do they have the specific skills? Ask for examples of technical challenges they've solved similar to yours.

Step 5: Compare total cost, not just price

The £5,000 quote might not include hosting, maintenance, training, or content entry. The £35,000 quote might include 12 months of updates and support. Calculate total cost over the first year.

Step 6: Trust your gut on cultural fit

This is the tiebreaker. If two agencies are comparable on all other factors, pick the one you'd actually enjoy working with. Project success often comes down to relationship quality.

To summarise,

1. Know what type of project you need - Marketing site, e-commerce, or web application? Different agencies for different needs.

2. Look for portfolio matches - Don't hire an agency that's never built what you need. See working examples, not just pretty pictures.

3. Evaluate their process - Do they have structured phases? Clear deliverables? Defined timelines? Or do they "figure it out"?

4. Ask about the ugly stuff - Scope changes, what if you're unhappy, post-launch support, who owns the code, what costs extra.

5. Verify they can communicate - Fast responses, clear explanations, proactive updates. If communication is bad before you hire them, it gets worse after.

6. Understand total cost - What's included? What's extra? What's the ongoing monthly cost? Hidden fees destroy budgets.

7. Check references - Talk to 2-3 recent clients. Ask: Did they hit timeline? Stay on budget? Handle problems well? Would you hire them again?

Pricing reality check:

• Basic marketing site: £3,000-£15,000

• E-commerce site: £10,000-£50,000

• Web application/MVP: £15,000-£100,000+

• Ongoing maintenance: £100-£1,000/month

Timeline reality check:

• Basic site: 4-8 weeks

• E-commerce: 8-16 weeks

• Web application: 12-24+ weeks

Choose someone who asks good questions, has a clear process, communicates well, and has built things similar to what you need. Everything else is secondary.