You have three quotes on your desk. One is cheap, one is three times the price, and one just says "let's talk". All three portfolios look polished, all three promise a "modern, responsive website", and all three would like a deposit this week.
The portfolio won't tell you which one to pick. The difference between a good web company and a painful one shows up later: when you need a change in month four, when the developer who built your site leaves, when you try to move hosting and find out you never had the password.
You can surface most of that before you pay a single pound. You just need to ask the right questions and listen closely to how they're answered. And yes, we're a web studio ourselves. Ask us these too.
First, know what kind of company you're talking to
"Web company" covers everyone from a talented student working at night to an agency with forty staff. A careful freelancer beats a careless agency every time. But each type comes with a different risk, and you should know which one you're taking.
| Freelancer | Small studio | Large agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price level | Lowest | Middle | Highest |
| Who you talk to | The person writing the code | Usually the owner or a lead developer | An account manager |
| Main risk | One person: illness, a full-time job offer, or silence | Capacity in busy months | Paying for layers of management you don't need |
| Good fit for | Small, clearly defined sites | Most business sites and custom platforms | Large organisations with formal procurement |
Before you contact anyone, write down what you actually need. Quotes can only be compared if they're pricing the same thing. Our guide on how to write a website brief gives you a template that takes about an hour to fill in.
The 10 questions to ask before you pay
Send the same questions to every company on your shortlist, in writing. Written answers are easier to compare, and they become part of the record if things go wrong.
1. Who exactly will build my site?
Some companies sell the project and pass it on. That isn't always bad, but you deserve to know. A good answer names roles: who designs, who develops, and who your single point of contact is. "Our team will handle it" and nothing more is a weak answer.
2. Can I see three live sites and speak to one past client?
Live links, not screenshots. Open them on your own phone, on mobile data. Are they fast? Does the Arabic look right? Then ask for one past client you can message. Some clients prefer privacy, so one reference is a fair request. Zero is not.
3. Will the domain, hosting and accounts be registered in my name?
This is the single most important question on the list. The right answer is "yes, under your email", or "we'll set it up and transfer everything to you at handover, and here's when". We cover the full picture in do you really own your website?
4. Is the site built on a ready-made template or written in code?
Neither answer is wrong on its own. Templates are cheaper and faster; hand-written code is lighter and fits your exact needs. The problem is a template dressed up and sold at a custom price. Ask directly, and see our honest comparison of custom code and templates if you're unsure which you need.
5. What is included, and what isn't?
Ask for the exclusions in writing. Is content writing included, or do they expect you to deliver every word? Photos? Training? A second language? For sites in Egypt and the Gulf, ask specifically how Arabic is handled. Proper right-to-left means a mirrored layout, Arabic fonts that render well and correct punctuation, not English layout with Arabic text poured in.
6. How many revision rounds, and what counts as a revision?
Changing a colour is a revision. Rethinking the homepage after the design is approved usually isn't. Agree on the definition early.
7. What is the payment schedule?
Payments should follow milestones you can check: a deposit on signing, a payment on approving the design, and the final payment after you've tested the site on a staging link. A deposit of roughly a third to a half is common in Egypt. Paying 100% upfront removes all your leverage.
8. What is the realistic timeline, and what usually delays it?
An honest company will mention you here. Late content and slow feedback are the most common reasons projects slip. If someone promises a date without asking when your content will be ready, they're guessing.
9. What happens after launch?
Ask how long bugs are fixed for free after launch, what a maintenance plan includes, and how fast they respond when the site is down. "Call us if anything happens" is not a support plan. A good answer has numbers in it: days of free fixes, hours to respond, what the monthly fee covers.
10. What will I be able to change myself?
Can a restaurant owner in Nasr City change a menu price at 11pm without calling anyone? Ask to see the admin panel during the project, not after, and ask whether training and a short written guide are included.
Red flags that should end the conversation
Some answers are enough on their own:
- A firm price before they've asked a single question about your project.
- Refusing, or "forgetting", to register the domain in your name.
- No written contract or scope, just a WhatsApp message with a number.
- Pressure tactics: "this price is only valid until tonight".
- Only screenshots, no live links.
- No answer to "what happens to my site if your company closes?"
How to compare quotes that don't look alike
Put every quote into one table with the same rows: number of pages, languages, admin panel, hosting included or not, domain in your name, revision rounds, bug warranty after launch, and payment schedule. Suddenly the "cheap" and "expensive" quotes look very different.
For context, a custom company website of 5 to 10 pages in Egypt sits somewhere around 15,000 to 60,000 EGP. That's an indicative range and it depends heavily on scope. If one quote is far below the others, ask what it leaves out. If one is far above, ask what you're getting that the others aren't.
Common mistakes business owners make when hiring
Red flags are about the company. These mistakes are about us, the clients:
- Choosing on design taste alone. A beautiful homepage mockup says little about speed, security or support.
- Letting the agency buy the domain "to save time". It saves ten minutes and can cost you the domain.
- Signing without reading the scope. Whatever isn't written down doesn't exist.
- Skipping the staging review. Test every form and every page before you approve the launch.
- Paying the final instalment before receiving access. Logins and files first, then the last payment.
Questions people ask
Is a freelancer or a company better for a business website?
A skilled freelancer is often great for a small, well-defined site. For a platform with payments, logins or ongoing development, a studio lowers the risk that everything depends on one person's availability.
How much deposit is normal?
A deposit of roughly 30 to 50 percent is common in Egypt, with the rest split across milestones. Be careful with anyone asking for the full amount before work starts.
Should I ask for the source code?
Yes, for a custom-built site. Your contract should say that you own the custom work once it's paid for, and you should receive the files and the database, not just an admin login.
What if the company disappears mid-project?
This is why ownership matters from the first day. If the domain and hosting are already yours and you've been receiving files at each milestone, another developer can pick up the work. If everything sits in their accounts, you may be starting over.
How long should a company website take?
A 5 to 10 page custom site commonly takes a few weeks, and the biggest variable is usually how quickly content and feedback arrive. Be sceptical of anyone who promises a date without asking about your content.
Ready to put these questions to someone?
Copy the ten questions into one message and send it, unchanged, to every company on your shortlist. The way each one answers, how fast, how clearly, and how honestly about what they don't do, will tell you more than any portfolio.
If you'd like to ask us, book a meeting and bring the list. You can look at our work first.
