How to Evaluate a Web Design Agency’s Track Record: A Guide for Accountants, Solicitors and Financial Advisers

If you’re an accountant, solicitor, or financial adviser looking to update your firm’s website, you’ll find no shortage of agencies claiming to be the right fit. Glossy portfolios and confident sales calls are easy to produce. Genuine proof of a track record is harder to fake — if you know what to look for.

This is a short guide to separating real evidence from marketing polish before you sign anything.

Start with the agency’s own website — but look past the homepage

Any agency selling websites should have a good one themselves, but that tells you less than you’d think. What matters more is whether they publish specifics: named clients you can actually visit online, sectors they’ve genuinely worked in, and how long they’ve been trading. A firm that’s vague about who it has built for, or which only shows anonymised “client A, client B” style case studies, is giving you less to verify than one that names names.

Visit the live sites, not just the screenshots

A portfolio page shows you a static image. The real test is visiting the actual live website an agency claims to have built. Once you’re there:

• Check it still works. Do the forms submit? Do the links go where they should? An agency that lets old client sites fall into disrepair after launch tells you something about ongoing support.
• Check it loads reasonably fast on both desktop and mobile — slow, clunky sites reflect on the build quality, not just the content.
• Check who it was built for. If an agency claims professional services experience, look for evidence they understand the sector’s specific needs — clear service pages, straightforward ways to get in touch, and messaging that would pass a compliance-conscious partner’s sign-off.

Ask about accessibility — it’s a genuine marker of quality

Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.2 AA is the recognised standard) isn’t just a legal consideration for the public sector — it’s a useful proxy for how carefully an agency builds. An agency that can talk knowledgeably about colour contrast, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility, and can point to it in their previous work, is one that pays attention to detail beyond what’s visible at first glance. If an agency looks blank when you ask about accessibility, that’s worth noting.

Understand what you’re actually paying for

Website costs in the UK vary hugely, and it’s a genuinely reasonable question to ask any agency directly: what does the price include, and what happens after launch? A fair quote should make clear whether it covers design, build, content input, basic SEO setup, and a period of support — and what ongoing hosting or maintenance costs will look like. Be wary of quotes that seem to have been plucked from nowhere, and equally wary of firms who can’t explain in plain terms what a much higher or lower price buys you compared to a competitor’s.

For a regulated professional — where your website often needs to carry specific disclosures, professional body branding, or complaints-handling information — ask directly whether the agency has built for your sector before and understands those requirements. A generic web design shop that’s never touched a solicitors’ or accountants’ site may need to learn on your project, which is a fair thing to know upfront rather than discover halfway through.

Ask about what happens if something goes wrong

Track record isn’t only about launches — it’s also about what happens afterwards. Reasonable questions to ask any agency include: what’s your process if the site goes down? How quickly do you respond to a support request? Is ongoing maintenance included, optional, or non-existent? An agency confident in its own reliability will have straightforward answers rather than vague reassurance.

Weigh direct experience over volume

A long client list looks impressive, but depth of experience in your specific sector often matters more than sheer numbers. An agency that has delivered a handful of genuinely well-built, well-maintained sites for accountants, solicitors, or financial advisers — and can show you those sites working properly today — is often a safer choice than one with a large but shallow portfolio across unrelated industries.

Bringing it together

None of this requires specialist knowledge — just a bit of diligence before you commit. Visit the real sites. Ask direct questions about accessibility, cost breakdowns, and support. Look for specifics rather than generalities. A good agency will welcome the scrutiny; a weaker one will try to move the conversation along quickly.

If you’re a professional services firm weighing up a website project and want to talk through what a properly built, accessible site should look like for a regulated business, see how we approach web design or get in touch for a straightforward conversation — no pressure, just plain answers.