Look for an understanding of your business.
Start by explaining who the website serves and what it should help those people do. A useful proposal connects the pages and functionality to that goal instead of listing features without a purpose.
Ask how the provider will organise your services, handle enquiries and accommodate your content. If you have an existing site, discuss what should be kept and what needs improvement. A redesign should begin with a review, not an automatic decision to remove everything.
Compare the provider’s explanation with your actual needs. A simple business website, a focused campaign page and a store have different responsibilities.
Understand what a portfolio demonstrates.
Ask whether each example is a completed client project, a template, a design concept or a collaborative contribution. If it is a client project, ask which part of the work the provider performed and whether the public example reflects the delivered version.
Concepts can show visual judgment and interaction ideas. They do not establish live payment functionality, successful bookings or measured business results. A credible provider should make that distinction clear.
The NovaSite.Cloud portfolio labels its current examples as design concepts. They illustrate creative directions and are not presented as completed client commissions.
Ask for a written scope and review process.
Request the page list, key features, content responsibilities and delivery stages. Find out which layouts will be reviewed, how feedback should be submitted and how many revision rounds are included.
- Who writes and approves the copy?
- Who provides photographs and checks their usage rights?
- Which forms and integrations will be operational at launch?
- What is excluded or priced separately?
- What happens if content is late or requirements change?
Agree a main contact and a practical communication method. A timeline should account for approvals and dependencies, not just the date development starts.
Clarify ownership and access.
Ask who will own the domain and which account registers it. Confirm access to hosting, email, analytics and any third-party platforms. Avoid leaving essential business accounts tied to an unidentified or inaccessible owner.
Source-code handover, database access where applicable, content ownership and editing permissions should be described in the agreement. Third-party fonts, software, photographs and hosted services may have their own licences; receiving a website does not automatically transfer every underlying right.
Ask what you receive if you later move to another provider and whether the site can be exported. These questions are particularly useful when choosing between custom development and a hosted platform.
Check hosting, maintenance and recurring fees.
Separate the website build from domain renewals, hosting, mailboxes, subscriptions and payment transaction fees. Ask who receives renewal notices and what happens if a subscription expires.
Maintenance can mean different things: content changes, technical updates, backups, monitoring or support time. Request the actual tasks, response arrangements and exclusions rather than relying on the word alone.
The NovaSite.Cloud cost guide explains how the published packages relate to these decisions.
Define what “ready to launch” means.
Agree the checks needed for your project. These may include mobile navigation, contact links, successful form delivery, payment scenarios, page metadata, redirects and accessibility basics. A screenshot of a homepage cannot confirm these behaviours.
Ask how changes will be deployed, whether there is a suitable backup and who checks the live site. Confirm handover instructions and the process for reporting an issue after launch.
Be cautious of promises of guaranteed rankings or a precise sales result without context. Ask instead for the work that will be performed, how it will be verified and how outcomes will be reviewed. Use the launch checklist to structure that conversation.