The short answer
Give each agency the same problem to solve, ask them to walk you through similar work and compare what their proposals include. You should know who’s doing the work, how you’ll check it and what happens after launch. If a must-have is still vague, settle it before you sign.
A clearer next step
Fix, redesign or rebuild?
Answer seven questions about your WordPress website. Get a suggested direction, the reasons behind it and practical next steps. No email required to see your result.
Give every agency the same business problem
Start with what’s getting in the way. “Make the site look better” leaves a lot open. “Help buyers choose the right service and get their inquiry to the right salesperson” gives an agency a problem it can work on.
Write down three things customers or staff need to do on the site. Include the tools involved, your deadline, budget and who can approve the work. The examples below show how specific to get.
Understand the offer
- A B2B buyer can identify the relevant service.
- A cannabis shopper can find the correct store and menu.
Take the next step
- The buyer can inquire or shop on a phone.
- The inquiry or order reaches the right place.
Keep it working
- Staff can update the information they own.
- Your team knows who to contact when something breaks.
Ask which tasks need investigation before the agency can recommend a repair, redesign or rebuild.
Ask what the agency actually did
Pick one similar project and ask the agency to walk you through it. What was broken or missing? Which parts did they handle? How did they check the finished work? Ask which platforms were involved, too: building WordPress pages, configuring WooCommerce checkout and connecting a dispensary menu are different jobs.
Our Pink Balloon project brought together the website, ecommerce, branding, design, search and loyalty signup. The image below shows parts of that customer experience. Use the annotations to ask who handled each part; the screenshot itself doesn’t tell you how the business performed.
Ask to see the WordPress editor. Could someone on your team add a service, update a product or change a location without breaking the layout? Find out what uses a plugin or custom code, who keeps it working and what happens when it needs an update. You’ll learn more about living with the site than you can from a screenshot.
Store information
Who supplies and maintains store details? Ask to see the complete mobile route from discovery to the right location.
Loyalty connection
Where does a signup go, and who checks that it arrives? Follow the link through to the loyalty system.
Product discovery
Which team owns categories, catalog data and shopping? Confirm the actual commerce platform and scope.
Match the example to the job you need
- Moving an older site? The Bedford Grow case separates the static-HTML-to-WordPress rebuild from brand pages and post-launch support. Ask what your move needs to preserve.
- Selling specialist services? The CLS case shows separate pages and inquiry choices for police and fire departments. Look for work that helps different buyers find the right service.
- Launching and then expanding? The Saddle Peak Ventures case distinguishes the initial website from later blog and service-page additions. Ask what can be useful at launch and what can follow.
Replace vague promises with work you can verify
Two agencies can promise a “growth-focused WordPress website” and mean very different things. Before comparing prices, check what each will deliver, what’s left to your team and what you’ll pay for after launch.
These made-up proposal examples show how to turn a reassuring promise into something you can check with the agency.
A claim on the page
- Easy to edit
- Your team will have full control.
- CRM integration
- Every inquiry goes straight to sales.
- SEO-ready launch
- Built with SEO best practices.
- Ongoing support
- We will look after everything.
Something you can inspect
- Show us the editor
- Let a staff member update a real page on a test site with the access they’ll actually have. Show which changes still need a developer.
- Show where the inquiry goes
- Send a labeled test to the sales system. Check its details and assigned owner, then show what happens if the connection fails.
- Show the launch plan
- Map any changed URLs, check redirects and indexing, and name who’ll monitor the launch. Rankings can’t be guaranteed.
- Explain support
- What work is included? How quickly will you respond? Who handles renewals, and what do we get if we leave?
Agree how you’ll check the finished work
Ask for a demonstration using a test site or sample records. Save production access and real customer data for the agreed work. Put the checks and responsibilities in the proposal before you sign.
Follow an inquiry all the way through
On September 28, 2026, we tested AV Social Strategies’ own WordPress contact flow: WPForms, the thank-you page and GA4 through Google Tag Manager. It was a test inquiry, not a new lead, and it didn’t include a CRM connection.
We checked what happened after clicking Submit. Here’s what that looked like—and what you can ask an agency to show you for your own site.
The request was saved
- Evidence
- The saved entry retained budget type, budget range and referral source.
- Watch for
- A confirmation screen without a corresponding saved request.
The receiving inbox got it
- Evidence
- The received notification matched the test message and answers.
- Watch for
- A “sent” status without checking the intended destination.
The visitor saw the next step
- Evidence
- The thank-you page confirmed receipt and a response within two business days.
- Watch for
- An unclear success state or an unfulfilled redirect.
The lead was counted once
- Evidence
- One generate_lead event appeared; refreshing the confirmation did not add another.
- Watch for
- Counting page visits or refreshes as new inquiries.
If you use a CRM, also check that the inquiry reaches the right record and salesperson. An email in an inbox only confirms the email arrived.
Know who owns the work and what happens afterward
Meet the people you’ll work with. Ask who handles development, design and specialist tasks, how much time they have for your account and who covers when someone is away. Your team also needs a person who can provide content and make decisions.
A project makes sense when you have a clear outcome and finish. Ongoing support makes sense when you have a continuing list of improvements. Either way, ask what gets done and how you’ll review progress. A monthly fee doesn’t answer that on its own.
Make sure your business can keep control of its domain, hosting, WordPress, analytics and source files. Give people their own accounts with the access their work requires; WordPress explains its roles and permissions.
Resolve these before signing
- Who’s doing the work, and who on your team approves it?
- What do you need to supply—copy, product data, access or business rules—and when?
- What does support include? How quickly will someone respond, and how is that different from a promised fix?
- Who pays for hosting and licenses? If you part ways, who hands over the accounts, files and instructions?
A working website is the start. Ask what happens next.
A working form, a qualified inquiry and a sale tell you different things. Ask what the agency can measure today, what needs fixing and how your sales team will share what happened to the inquiries. Testing confirms the form works. Sales feedback tells you whether it’s bringing useful business.
When reviewing a case study, ask which period, channels and work contributed to the result. A combined website, search, advertising and CRM engagement cannot isolate the effect of a redesign. When SEO is included, reject ranking guarantees; Google’s hiring guidance explains why.
A short checklist for the final conversation
Take these six questions to the agencies on your shortlist. If something you need still has no clear answer, keep asking. When you speak to a reference, ask how the team handled a difficult decision and what support was like after launch.
Still working out what your site needs? Try the WordPress website assessment, then bring your result and one specific problem to a call. It uses your answers rather than scanning the site. If you need a detailed diagnosis or plan, we can agree the scope through a paid audit, project or ongoing engagement.
You should be able to answer all six
- Can the agency explain your problem and what it will help customers do?
- Have you seen similar work and heard exactly what the agency contributed?
- Do you know what’s included, what’s extra and what your team needs to provide?
- Do you know who handles delivery, approvals, support and account access?
- Can your team check whether the finished work does what was agreed?
- Do you know what happens next and how you’ll handle a change in priorities?
Sources and further reading
The client examples document delivered work. The proposal comparison is illustrative; the inquiry example records a dated check on AV Social Strategies’ own site. WordPress and Google documentation support the access and SEO guidance.
