10 September 2026 / 7 min read
Choosing a web development agency in London: what to ask before you sign
How to tell a studio that will build the thing from one that will sell you a deck, and the eleven questions worth asking first.
- agencies
- london
- websites
London has thousands of people who will happily build your website. The gap between the best and the worst is not talent, it is honesty about scope.
The short answer
Judge an agency on three things: whether they scope before they price, whether they can show working software rather than pictures of software, and whether they will tell you the cheaper option when the cheaper option is right.
Four kinds of studio, and who each suits
| Type | Strength | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | Cost, direct access | Capacity, cover when they are ill or busy |
| Small studio | Senior people do the work | Availability — good ones are booked |
| Large agency | Scale, process, brand credentials | Your project run by juniors; slow decisions |
| Offshore team | Day rate | Timezones, and specifications having to be perfect up front |
The questions worth asking
- Will you scope in writing before quoting, and what does that scope include?
- Who exactly does the work, and will I speak to them?
- Can I see something you built that is still live and being used daily?
- Do I own the code, the data and the accounts at the end?
- What is on the platform, and what is bespoke?
- How do you handle change once we have started?
- What happens after launch — who fixes things, and at what cost?
- How will this site be found in search, and what is your part in that?
- What would you do differently if my budget were half this?
- What could make this project fail?
- What are you not going to do?
The last three are the useful ones. Anyone can answer the first eight.
Signals that matter
- They talk about your business before your website. Systems and sites only pay for themselves when they fit the operation.
- They name tools. Vague "modern stack" language usually means someone else's template.
- They give you a straight no. A studio that recommends a £1,000 builder site when that is the correct answer is a studio worth hiring for the £30,000 job later.
- They show live work. Not concepts. Not awards. Live URLs.
Signals to walk away from
A quote with no scope. Design fees with no build plan. A refusal to discuss ongoing costs. Retainers that begin before anything exists. Anyone promising a search position.
Where we sit
We are a small London studio that builds. We have built Kruger Cowne's site and the system behind it, StageSide, Swoopstaker and SlideLobster, among others. We will tell you when a builder platform is the right call, and we will say what a project can realistically do.
Start with the guided brief if you want a bracket before you talk to anyone, or book a consultation.