12 Questions to Ask a Web Development Agency in Manchester Before You Sign

Manchester has more web development agencies than any UK city outside London, and most of them are competent. The differences that matter are not in the portfolio; they are in the answers to a dozen unglamorous questions about ownership, process and what happens after launch.

Ownership and control

1. Will I own the code, and will it live in a repository I control from day one?

The answer should be an unqualified yes. "We'll hand it over at the end" is weaker: you want access throughout, so that if the relationship ends mid-project you have what has been paid for. If the answer involves a licence, you are buying a product, not a build.

2. Where will it be hosted, and in whose account?

Your account, on a provider you could log into tomorrow. Agencies that insist on hosting everything on their own infrastructure are creating lock-in, whatever the stated reason. UK hosting is a reasonable requirement for a UK business and any agency should be able to arrange it.

3. Who owns the domain, the analytics, the ad accounts and the app store listings?

You. All of them. Ask specifically, because "we'll set that up for you" often means "in our account".

Who does the work

4. Who exactly will build this, and are they employed by you?

Some agencies are sales fronts for subcontractors or offshore teams. That can work, but you should know, because it affects communication, accountability and what happens if the subcontractor moves on. Ask to meet the developer who will lead your project.

5. Who is my single point of contact, and how quickly do they reply?

One named person, a stated response time, and a regular rhythm (weekly at least while building). Vagueness here predicts vagueness everywhere.

6. Can you show me something you built that is like mine, and can I speak to that client?

A reference call is worth more than a portfolio page. If an agency has no client willing to talk, ask why. (We are transparent that our own case studies are waiting on client permission rather than invented - an honest "not yet" is better than a fabricated "yes".)

Process and money

7. Is this a fixed price for a defined scope, or a day rate?

Fixed price after a scoping exercise is what you want for a defined project. A day rate is appropriate for ongoing work with no fixed end. A "fixed" price with no written scope is a day rate in disguise. Our guide on how to brief a software agency explains how to get a real fixed quote.

8. What happens when I ask for something that is not in scope?

A change process: the request is written down, priced against a rate card, and you decide. Agencies that say "we'll sort it out" either absorb it (and cut corners elsewhere) or bill it later (and argue about it).

9. How is testing done, and who does it?

There should be a testing phase with your involvement, on a staging environment, before anything goes live. "The developer tests as they go" means you are the tester, after launch.

After launch

10. What is included after launch, and for how long?

A support window for defects (typically 30 to 90 days) should be included. Ask what counts as a defect versus a change. Then ask what a support retainer costs, and whether you need one to get bugs fixed. You should not.

11. If we part ways in a year, what do I need from you and how long does it take?

The right answer is "nothing - you already have everything". Any answer that involves a handover fee, a notice period to release assets, or "we'd need to document it first" tells you the agency is relying on you not being able to leave.

12. What would you tell me not to build?

An agency that only ever says yes is selling. One that will say "that part is off-the-shelf, don't pay us to build it" - the reasoning in our build versus buy guide - is advising. You want the second kind, even when it costs them revenue.

How to check the answers

Put the ownership, hosting and post-launch answers in the contract. Ask for the repository access before the first invoice. Call the reference. Read the scope document line by line and check it says what you said. None of this is adversarial; a good agency will be relieved you asked, because it means the project will not be argued about later.

What to weigh besides the answers

Size

Manchester agencies range from one person to a hundred. Larger agencies bring process and cover for absence; smaller ones bring the people who sold you the project actually building it. For a £20,000 to £60,000 build, a team of three to ten where you can name your developer is usually the sweet spot. Below that, ask what happens if the one developer is ill. Above it, ask who you will actually talk to.

Specialism

An agency that mostly builds marketing websites will approach a booking system or a CRM as a very large website, and it will show. Ask what proportion of their work is applications with logins, workflow and data, versus brochure sites. There is nothing wrong with either, but you want the one that matches your project.

Location

Being in Manchester matters less than it did, and more than none at all. Most projects run remotely and go fine. It helps for discovery workshops, where being in a room with a whiteboard for a day beats six video calls, and it helps when something is wrong and you want someone to look you in the eye. If an agency is "Manchester" but the developers are elsewhere, that is the fourth question above.

Price

The cheapest quote is rarely the cheapest project. Compare the scope documents, not the totals; a low number against a thin scope is a high number in disguise. Two quotes within 20 percent of each other on the same brief are both probably honest. One that is half the others has either misread the brief or plans to make the difference up later.

Using the questions

Ask them on the first call, in writing afterwards, and read the answers against the proposal. Put the ownership and hosting answers into the contract verbatim. If any answer changes between the call and the contract, that is your answer about the agency. And keep the list - a year in, when the project is live and you are deciding whether to continue, the same questions apply to the relationship you have.

We are happy to answer all twelve for our own services - most of them are already on the service pages - and if you want them in writing, ask.