How to Evaluate a Web Design Agency’s Track Record: A Guide for Tradespeople and Home-Service Businesses

Why “We’ve Been Doing This For Years” Isn’t Proof

If you’re a builder, electrician, plumber or installer looking for a new website, every agency you speak to will tell you they’re experienced, reliable and get results. That’s not evidence — it’s a sales pitch. A genuine track record is something you can check, not just something you’re told. Before you hand over a deposit, it’s worth knowing what real proof looks like, and what questions separate a solid local agency from a slick sales call.

Five Things Worth Checking Before You Sign Anything

1. Ask to see live examples in your own trade

Anyone can show you a portfolio of nice-looking homepages. What matters more is whether they’ve built sites for businesses like yours — trades and home-service companies with the same practical needs: a clear list of services, a way for customers to get a quote fast, and a site that still works well on a phone held by someone standing in a cold hallway deciding who to call. Ask for two or three live links, not screenshots, and actually visit them on your own phone.

2. Look for reviews the agency doesn’t control

Testimonials on an agency’s own website are easy to write and impossible to verify. Independent reviews on Google, Checkatrade, TrustATrader or similar platforms carry more weight, because they’re harder to cherry-pick. It’s also worth searching the agency’s name plus “review” to see what comes up outside their own site.

3. Find out who actually owns your domain and hosting

This is the single most important practical question, and the one most tradespeople forget to ask. If the agency registers your domain name or sets up your hosting under their own account, you can end up with no real control over your own website — which matters a great deal if you ever want to move to someone else, or if the agency stops trading. Ask directly: “Will the domain and hosting be registered in my business’s name?” A straight answer is a good sign. A vague one isn’t.

4. Ask what happens after launch, not just before it

A website isn’t finished the day it goes live. Plugins need updating, security needs monitoring, and small content changes come up more often than people expect. Ask what ongoing support actually includes, what it costs, and what the response time looks like if something breaks on a Saturday morning when you’re relying on your site for calls. An agency with a genuine track record will be able to answer this clearly, because they’ve had to deal with it before.

5. Expect clear, itemised pricing — not just a headline figure

How much a website costs in the UK varies enormously depending on what’s actually included: design, copywriting, photography, hosting, ongoing maintenance, and how many pages or service areas you need covering. A trustworthy agency will break this down so you can see what you’re paying for, rather than quoting one all-in number and leaving the detail vague. If a price seems unusually low, ask what’s excluded — that’s often where the real cost of “cheap” websites turns up later.

Questions Worth Asking Before You Commit

• Can I see two or three live websites you’ve built for trades or home-service businesses?
• Will the domain name and hosting be registered in my business’s name, not yours?
• What does support cost after launch, and what’s included in that?
• What happens to my website and my content if I want to leave in future?
• Can you give me a written breakdown of what’s included in the price, and what isn’t?

Experience Is a Starting Point, Not the Whole Answer

Years in business, or a long list of past clients, is a reasonable starting point for trust — but it’s not proof on its own. What matters is whether that experience shows up in specific, checkable ways: real live websites you can visit, independent reviews you can read, clear answers about ownership and support, and pricing you can actually understand. A web agency with a genuine track record won’t mind being asked any of this. If anything, they’ll expect it.

Livicode Tech Solutions works with tradespeople and home-service businesses across Bexley, Bexleyheath, Bromley, Dartford, Greenwich and Lewisham. If you’re partway through choosing a web agency and want a second opinion on a quote, a contract, or who’ll actually own your domain once the work’s done, tell us about it — no obligation, and no assumption that the answer has to be expensive.

Livicode Tech Solutions — Your Local Digital Solutions Partner
www.livicode.com · info@livicode.com · WhatsApp: +44 7708 803980