Guide
Choosing your web provider: the questions to ask before signing
10 August 2026 · 5 min read
Most bad experiences with a web provider do not come from a lack of skill, but from vagueness maintained at the start. Here are the questions to ask — the answers say more than the portfolio.
1. Who owns the domain name?
The domain must be registered in your name, with your email address as the contact. It is the most important point on this list: a domain held by a provider is a website you cannot get back in the event of a disagreement.
2. Will I have full access?
Admin access to the website, access to the hosting, access to the advertising and analytics accounts created for you. A provider confident in their work has no reason to hold them back. You do not have to use them, but you must be able to.
3. On what technology, and why?
The point is not to understand the technical answer, but to check that there is one. A website built on a widespread tool can be taken over by someone else. A website built on an in-house system known only to the provider ties you to them for good.
4. What happens after go-live?
A website is software: it needs updates, backups and monitoring. Ask what is included, for how long, and what becomes chargeable afterwards. “We’ll see” is an expensive answer.
5. Who writes the texts and provides the images?
This is the number one cause of projects that drag on. If the writing falls to you, say it out loud to yourself: three pages of text take time you may not have. If it falls to the provider, it must appear in the quote.
6. Can I update my website myself?
Changing opening hours or a price, adding a news item: this should be possible without placing an order. Ask for a demonstration of the interface, not a promise.
7. What exactly does the price include, and what does it not?
An honest quote lists both. Hosting, domain name, plugin licences, licensed photos, maintenance: each of these items is either included, separate or annual. A single price with no detail usually hides an unpleasant surprise.
Two warning signs
Guaranteed results in figures. “First place on Google”, “x sales per month”: these promises do not depend on the provider. Their presence in a sales pitch tells you about how serious the rest is.
No questions asked. A provider who prices a website without asking who you sell to, or how you sell, is pricing a template, not your project.
Our position
We register domains in our clients’ names, hand over all access, work with widespread technologies and detail what the price includes. Not out of generosity: because a client who can leave and stays is a better reference than a client held captive.