Looking for a web agency — what do they actually do, and what don't they?

Make sure to add these 3 items before signing the proposal: 1) Clearly state who is responsible for providing copy and visual assets. 2) Define at least two rounds of revisions during the design phase with clear deadlines. 3) A commitment that all admin passwords and source codes will be handed over in full once the project is finished.

"We'll handle everything" is the most dangerous line in the industry. Ask the agency this directly in writing: The day we pay the 16,500 Euro, will our site be ready to launch with all our products, pricing and German copy, or will we have to enter the data ourselves? Once you see their answer the scope will become clear.

We started a similar B2B project last year for 14,000 Euro. Since content entry wasn't clearly defined in the contract, they just delivered an empty template. Our own team spent three months uploading products, which ended up costing us around 6,000 Euro in lost labor.

Does the quote include integration with your ERP or accounting system? In B2B portals, the biggest expense is usually syncing your existing inventory system with the website. If that's excluded, the budget can easily double.

hosting and monthly backups are usually not included, then they hit you with a 200 euro monthly maintenance bill, def discuss that upfront imo.

we went through the exact same thing we assumed the agency would write the copy, turns out they were just drawwing empty boxes where the text goes. we ended up staying up for nights writing all our product descriptions ourselves. getting that cleared up early on is huge.

To sum it up, a web agency is the architect and structural engineer of your house, but you have to furnish it yourself. If content, legal texts, and integrations aren't broken down as individual line items in the proposal, you can count on paying out of pocket later.

Let me summarize what's been said so far. Don't hesitate to ask; those who don't ask always pay more.

Do you think this works at any scale? Every "we'll look at it later" in a meeting means unbilled work.

There's also a measurement aspect to this. Any unwritten clause becomes a point of disagreement later, as both sides remember it differently.

This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.

this trhead is archived.

The answer above hits the nail on the head. Any unwritten clause becomes a point of disagreement later, as both sides remember it differently.

How did you solve this? Mistakes made on the what is a web agency side are usually reversible but expensive.

If I were you, I'd go this route.

Exactly like that. The system lives on after delivery; maintenance is a separate line item.

The harder it is to reverse a decision, the slower you should make it. If you post the result here, it will help others too.

I'm in the same situation, that's why I'm asking. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

Hope this helps.

the discussion got scattered, let me summarize. tbh most time waste accumulates in tasks waiting for approval.

hope this helps.

I've been down this road, let me tell you. The answer varies greatly by industry; there is no one-size-fits-all rule.

Every "we'll look at it later" in a meeting means unbilled work.

Do you think this works at any scale? When we decide without measuring we always end up in the same place.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.