Choose a web design company with practical checks, not impressions. Try its live sites on your phone and measure their speed, ask for Core Web Vitals targets in the contract, an SEO plan that redirects your old URLs, and a demo of the dashboard you'll use. Make sure the domain and hosting are in your name and payments follow milestones.
How do you test a company's past websites yourself?
Ask for links to live sites similar to yours, then check them yourself before any pricing meeting. None of these checks need technical skills, and they show the difference between a design that looks good in a screenshot and a site that works for real visitors:
- Open each site on your phone over mobile data, not office Wi-Fi, and notice when the main content appears.
- Run the URL through Google's PageSpeed Insights and look at real-user data if it's shown, not just the score.
- Test the forms: send a contact or booking request, then ask the company whether it arrived and where it's managed.
- Check the Arabic version: page direction, alignment of numbers and tables, and legibility on a small screen.
- Search Google for the site's name to see whether its inner pages appear with clear titles and descriptions.
- Ask exactly what they designed and built on that project, and who runs it now.
Which speed targets should go into the contract?
Write measurable targets instead of "a fast website". Google's Core Web Vitals define a good experience as Largest Contentful Paint within 2.5 seconds, Interaction to Next Paint of 200 milliseconds or less, and Cumulative Layout Shift of 0.1 or less, measured at the 75th percentile of page loads. It isn't a technical detail: Google data published in February 2018 found that as page load time goes from one second to ten, the probability of a mobile visitor bouncing rises 123%.
Ask how the agency will hit those targets: image compression and sizing, font loading, caching and hosting choice. The technical side is covered in our website speed optimization guide.
How do you make sure a new site won't lose your Google rankings?
If your current site gets search traffic, launch day is the riskiest moment. Ask for a written plan that covers:
- A 301 redirect map from every old URL to its matching page on the new site.
- A unique title and description for every page, plus an XML sitemap.
- Page content delivered to search engines in the HTML itself, not dependent entirely on JavaScript after load.
- Correct language setup for an Arabic and English site, so Google can identify each language version.
- A Google Search Console property in your name, with its reports reviewed after launch.
Be wary of anyone promising the top spot. Google's own guidance on hiring an SEO states that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
What should you try in the dashboard before signing?
The dashboard is what you'll use every day after the project ends, so ask for a live demo or a test account and try it yourself:
- Edit a page's text and add an image, and check whether images are compressed automatically.
- Add a new article, service or product with its own search title and description.
- Follow up on messages and requests coming in from forms.
- Create a staff account with limited permissions.
- Manage the Arabic and English versions of the same content.
Which security and data protection questions should you ask?
Snaabble provides a tailored technical assessment to define the right stack & exact budget.
Ask about security with specific questions, and get the answers in writing as part of the proposal:
- How do you handle the risks in the OWASP Top 10:2025, such as broken access control, security misconfiguration and injection?
- Who updates the framework or WordPress and its plugins, and how regularly?
- Where are backups stored, and are they kept off the server itself?
- Is there two-factor authentication for dashboard accounts, and spam protection on forms?
- If the site collects customer names and phone numbers, how will you meet the obligations of Egypt's Personal Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020 and its Executive Regulations issued in November 2025?
Which website-specific clauses belong in the contract?
On top of the general terms of any software contract, a website project needs specific clauses that head off the most common disputes:
| Clause | What the contract should state |
|---|---|
| Pages and templates | The list of pages and the number of distinct design templates |
| Content | Who writes it, who supplies images, and who migrates content from the old site |
| Languages | Arabic only or Arabic and English, and who translates |
| Integrations | WhatsApp, booking, a payment gateway such as Paymob or Fawry, shipping, analytics |
| Acceptance criteria | Core Web Vitals targets, devices and browsers tested, Arabic interface testing |
| SEO at launch | 301 redirect map, titles and descriptions, sitemap |
| Accounts | Domain, hosting, Search Console and payment merchant account in your company's name |
| Payments | In EGP, tied to milestones: design approval, staging version, launch |
| After launch | The bug-fix period, with maintenance and hosting priced as separate items |
To see what drives the price of each item, read how much a website costs in Egypt, and for paperwork and the general terms of any software project, see how to choose a software development company in Egypt.
What are the red flags when choosing a web design company?
- It shows design images only, with no links to live sites.
- It registers the domain or hosting in its own name and won't transfer them.
- It promises the top spot on Google or a specific number of visitors.
- A quote with no page list or milestones, or "unlimited revisions" with no definition.
- It can't show you the dashboard before you sign.
- It won't say who handles security updates after launch.
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose a WordPress agency or custom development?
Choose based on what the site has to do. WordPress suits content sites and company websites if it's managed and updated consistently; custom development fits better when the site needs its own business logic or integration with your systems. A good agency explains why its choice suits your project specifically.
Does a lower price mean lower quality?
Not necessarily, but a lower quote may cover a smaller scope: fewer pages, no copywriting, or no testing or post-launch support. Compare what each quote includes line by line before judging the price.
Does the web design company need to be in my city?
No. Being nearby makes meetings and on-site photography easier, but remote work succeeds when there's a staging link, regular meetings and a clear point of contact.
How long should post-launch support last?
There's no single right period; what matters is that it's written into the contract. Separate a bug-fix period for delivered work at no extra cost from a paid maintenance contract covering security updates and new changes.
What if I want to switch companies after launch?
It's straightforward if the domain and hosting are in your name, the code sits in a repository you own, and you have full admin access and deployment documentation. Ask for these at handover, not when a dispute starts.
If you're comparing agencies for your website, see our website design and development service and reach us on WhatsApp or by phone at +20 103 673 3131, or by email at hello@snaabble.com. We're based in Talkha, next to Mansoura.
