How to choose the best website development company

Why "top website development companies" lists mislead

Search for the top website development agencies and you will find directories and listicles. Many placements are paid, and most rankings are based on self-reported data. Treat them as a phone book. The real work is checking each shortlisted company yourself.

Ten checks

1. Live examples. Ask for three sites they built that are online now. Open them on your phone. Are they fast? Is the menu easy? Does the enquiry form work?
2. Who does the work. Is it their own team, a freelancer, or resold to another firm? You should be able to speak to the person building your site.
3. A written scope. Number of pages, features, rounds of changes and what counts as extra.
4. A fixed price or a clear rate. Vague estimates grow. A package price or itemised quote does not.
5. Ownership. The domain and hosting should be registered in your name, and the source code handed over at the end.
6. No lock-in technology. Ask what the site is built on and whether another developer could take it over.
7. SEO as part of the build. Titles, headings, schema, sitemap and speed should be included, not sold later as a fix.
8. Speed and mobile. Ask for the PageSpeed result of a site they built. Check it yourself.
9. Timeline with milestones. Design approval, content, build, testing, launch. Dates for each.
10. After launch. Who fixes bugs, for how long, and what maintenance costs.

Agency, small studio or freelancer

• Large agencies bring strategy, design and engineering teams. Budgets start high, and small projects can get junior staff.
• Small studios give you a senior person and a compact team. Good for most business websites.
• Freelance web designers are flexible and economical for simple sites. Check availability, backups and what happens if they stop responding.

Price as a signal

Very low quotes usually mean a template with your logo, a hosting tie-in or yearly "renewal" fees. Very high quotes sometimes include strategy and branding you may not need. Compare what is in each quote line by line. Our own website packages run from ₹4,999$99 to ₹19,999$399 with the scope published.

Questions to ask on the first call

• What will you need from me, and when?
• What happens if I want changes after launch?
• Will the site be in my hosting account?
• How do you handle SEO during the build?
• Can I speak to a past client?

Do you need a company near you?

Rarely. Design reviews happen on screen share and files move online. A company in another city or country can serve you as well as one down the road, provided communication is prompt and clear. Choose on quality and fit.

A small test

If the project is large, start with a paid design for the home page. How they listen, respond and revise in that first week tells you most of what you need to know.