Your website is often the first place customers check before they call, visit or buy. Choosing the right development partner affects how the site looks, how fast it loads, how easily you can update it and how well it brings in enquiries. Use this checklist to compare companies on substance, not just price.
1. Start With Your Goals
Before talking to agencies, write down what the website must achieve. More enquiries? Online sales? Recruitment? Investor credibility? A good partner will ask about your goals before discussing design.
2. Review Their Work Properly
- Look at live websites, not only screenshots.
- Open them on your phone and check how fast they load.
- See whether they have built sites for businesses similar to yours.
- Check whether the sites are easy to navigate and the contact forms work.
3. Ask About Their Process
A professional team can explain how the project will run:
- Discovery and requirement gathering.
- Sitemap and wireframes.
- Design and revisions.
- Development and testing.
- Launch and handover.
Ask how many revision rounds are included and how feedback is managed.
4. Check Technical Standards
- Is the site mobile-first and responsive?
- Is it built for speed and good Core Web Vitals?
- Are SEO basics included: meta tags, clean URLs, sitemap, structured data?
- Is SSL included, and how are forms protected from spam?
- Which technology will they use, and why?
5. Clarify Ownership
This is one of the most overlooked points. Make sure you own:
- The domain, registered in your company's name.
- The hosting account, or at least admin access.
- The source code and design files.
- All content and images.
"If you cannot access your own website without your developer, you do not fully own it."
6. Understand the Content Plan
Who writes the copy? Who supplies images? Is a CMS included so you can update content yourself? Content delays are one of the most common reasons projects run late.
7. Compare Quotes Like for Like
Ask for a written scope that lists pages, features, integrations and deliverables. Compare quotes against the same scope. A much lower price usually means something is missing.
8. Ask About Support After Launch
- Is there a warranty period for bug fixes?
- What do maintenance plans include?
- How quickly do they respond to issues?
- Who will be your point of contact?
Red Flags
- No written proposal or scope.
- Guaranteed first-page Google rankings.
- Unwillingness to share past work or references.
- Domain or hosting registered in the agency's name.
- Very low prices with vague deliverables.
- Pressure to pay the full amount upfront.
Questions to Ask in the First Meeting
- What do you need from us to start?
- Who will work on our project?
- How will you measure whether the website is successful?
- What happens if we need changes after launch?
- How long will it take, and what could delay it?
Working With ITELLIC
We share a written scope, timeline and clear ownership terms before starting. Our office is in Gurugram, and we work with businesses across India through online meetings and regular progress updates.
Website Development
Fast, secure business websites that bring in enquiries.
