A website is more than your online presence.
It’s your:
First impression
Lead generator
Sales funnel
Customer support platform
And often, your most important business asset
And the partner who builds it?
They’re not just writing code. They’re shaping your brand, your user experience, and your potential for growth.
This guide is for you if you're a founder, CMO, or strategic decision-maker — and you're looking to get it right the first time.
A few years ago, I helped a healthtech company with big goals and investor momentum. Their site was slow, outdated, and no longer fit for purpose.
We hired an agency based on a slick portfolio and a polished pitch.
Three months in, we had:
Missed every milestone
Broken mobile UX
A “Book Demo” form that didn’t work
And a marketing team stuck waiting on updates
It cost us 8 weeks and over $10K in rework. And it cost the brand even more in lost opportunity.
That experience taught me something:
Don’t hire based on style. Hire based on systems, strategy, and substance.
If you're like most business leaders I work with, you're not just asking:
“What’s your hourly rate?”
“How fast can you build it?”
You’re asking:
“How will this site support our growth?”
“Can we measure what’s working?”
“What’s your handover and support process?”
“Will you be there when things shift?”
These are the right questions — and this guide answers them.
Here are the most common “away-from” motivators I hear from clients:
| Pain | What It Feels Like |
|---|---|
| Budget blowouts | “We’re paying double what we agreed.” |
| Ghosting | “We haven’t heard from them in weeks.” |
| Missed launches | “Our campaign is ready… but the site isn’t.” |
| Design over function | “It looks nice, but no one’s converting.” |
| Post-launch silence | “We need help, and they’re nowhere to be found.” |
Here’s what the best clients I’ve worked with really want from their web partner:
| Goal | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| A site that performs | Converts traffic into leads or sales |
| Speed to market | Move fast without sacrificing quality |
| Confidence in process | Clear scope, updates, and accountability |
| Visibility & tracking | Know what’s working with real data |
| Long-term growth | Scalability, support, and iterative improvement |
Here’s the framework I now use every time I evaluate or recommend a web partner.
| Factor | Smart Question to Ask |
|---|---|
| Cost transparency | “Is pricing fixed, phased, or flexible?” |
| Timeline control | “What happens if milestones slip?” |
| Speed to market | “Can we launch phase 1 quickly, then iterate?” |
| Brand value support | “Will this site impress clients and investors?” |
| Factor | Smart Question to Ask |
|---|---|
| Design quality | “Can you show a site that improved engagement?” |
| UX strategy | “How do you guide users to take action?” |
| Site speed & SEO | “What’s your Core Web Vitals benchmark?” |
| Validation process | “Do we prototype before development?” |
| Factor | Smart Question to Ask |
|---|---|
| Site security | “How do you handle authentication, backups, and code safety?” |
| Privacy compliance | “Do you follow GDPR and Australian privacy laws?” |
| Risk management | “What’s your continuity plan if a key person exits?” |
| Post-launch support | “How do you handle bugs or future updates?” |
| Factor | Smart Question to Ask |
|---|---|
| Conversion optimisation | “How do you design for leads and sales?” |
| SEO and growth | “How will people find and trust this site?” |
| Analytics setup | “Will we have GA4, heatmaps, and event tracking?” |
| Project visibility | “Can we track progress in real time?” |
In project #8, we helped a logistics company modernise their quoting journey. They were stuck on a slow, non-responsive site with no data insights.
The new agency:
Reduced load time from 4.9s → 1.2s
Installed full tracking + funnel analytics
Redesigned CTAs and quote forms
Delivered in 6 weeks with 2-week optimisation sprints
Result: Inbound quote requests jumped from 15/month to over 80.
That’s what great partners do — they create momentum, not just websites.
Who will manage my project, and how often will we speak?
What does your week-by-week delivery plan look like?
How do you validate ideas before coding?
Will we own the designs, code, and content?
What tools do you use for tracking and approvals?
How do you ensure mobile speed and SEO performance?
What happens if we change direction during the build?
How do you measure success post-launch?
What’s your support structure after go-live?
Can we speak to a client you’ve worked with recently?
Your website is a business asset. And the team behind it determines whether it performs or underwhelms.
Choose a partner who:
Cares about your business model
Builds for outcomes, not just aesthetics
Tracks performance, not just progress
Stays with you after launch, not just until invoice
When you choose right, your site becomes a growth engine. When you don’t — it becomes a sunk cost.
If you’re looking for a team who understands business, process, and performance — I confidently recommend EB Pearls.
They’ve delivered consistently across multiple projects I’ve worked on — from startups to national brands — with:
A clear sprint-based process
Senior-level project management
Built-in SEO, analytics, and CRO
Post-launch growth support
Book a strategy session with them — even if you don’t move forward, you’ll leave with clarity.