Twelve honest questions to ask any agency before you sign, from live portfolio links and Arabic layouts to who owns your code and what happens after launch.
Before you hire a web design company in Egypt, ask about four things: the work they have actually built, how they build it, how the project will run, and what happens after launch. The answers tell you far more than a portfolio slideshow or a low quote ever will.
Below are the twelve questions we would ask if we were on your side of the table. Some of them are a little uncomfortable. That is the point. A good agency will be happy to answer every one.
Questions about their experience and past work
1. Can I see live websites you built, not just screenshots?
Screenshots can be polished in any design tool. Live sites show you the real thing: how fast pages load, how the menu behaves on a phone, whether the forms work. Ask for links and spend ten minutes clicking around on your own mobile.
2. Have you worked on projects like mine?
You don’t need an agency that has built a site for your exact industry, but you do want one that has handled similar problems. An online store, a bilingual corporate site and a booking platform each have their own traps. Ask what went wrong on a similar project and how they fixed it. Honest answers are a very good sign.
3. Who will actually work on my website?
Some companies sell the project with senior people and hand it to someone else once the contract is signed. Ask who will design it, who will code it and who you will talk to week to week. You should have one clear point of contact.
Questions about how the website is built
4. Is the site hand-coded, built on a CMS, or put together from a theme?
There is no single right answer, but you should know which one you are paying for. A theme can be quick to launch but heavy and hard to change. A hand-coded site is lean and built around your content. Either way, ask how you will edit your own pages later.
5. How do you handle Arabic and right-to-left layouts?
This question separates the careful from the careless. A proper Arabic version is not the English site with the text swapped. The whole layout needs to mirror: menus, icons, arrows, forms and even the way numbers sit inside sentences. Ask to see an Arabic page they built and check it on a phone.
6. What do you do for SEO and speed from day one?
Search engines reward sites that load quickly, use clean headings and have sensible page titles and descriptions. None of that should be an expensive add-on. Ask whether redirects, a sitemap and basic on-page SEO are included, especially if you are replacing an older site that already ranks.
Questions about process, timeline and ownership
7. What does your process look like, step by step?
A clear answer usually covers discovery, sitemap and wireframes, design, development, content, testing and launch. If the answer is vague, the project probably will be too.
8. How long will it take, and what could delay it?
A landing page can take a few days. A larger website with custom features can take a couple of months. The most common delay is not the code. It is content: photos, product data and page text arriving late. A good web design company will tell you exactly what they need from you and when.
9. Will I own the domain, the code and the content?
Your domain should be registered in your company’s name, and you should have access to it. Ask in writing who owns the design files, the code and the hosting account. You don’t want to discover the answer on the day you decide to move.
Questions about support after launch
10. What support do I get after the site goes live?
Every website needs small fixes once real visitors start using it. Ask how long support lasts, what it covers and how quickly they respond. At Bit&Bits, every launch comes with one full year of technical support, followed by an optional support package.
11. Where will the site be hosted, and who looks after security?
Hosting is often treated as an afterthought, yet it affects speed, uptime and safety. Ask about backups, SSL certificates, updates and what happens if the site is attacked. If the agency offers web hosting, ask how it is monitored.
12. How will we measure whether the website is working?
A beautiful site that brings no enquiries is an expensive brochure. Ask how they will set up analytics, track form submissions and WhatsApp clicks, and review the numbers with you after launch.
Good answers and red flags at a glance
Here is a quick way to read what you hear in those first meetings.
| Topic | A good sign | A red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Past work | Live links and honest stories | Only mock-ups and screenshots |
| Arabic version | Fully mirrored right-to-left layout | English layout with Arabic text pasted in |
| Timeline | Clear phases and a content checklist | “We can do everything in a week” |
| Ownership | Domain and code in your name | Access held only by the agency |
| Support | Defined period and response times | “Just call us if anything happens” |
Choosing a web design company in Egypt with confidence
Price will always matter, and it should. But compare quotes on the same scope, not just the final number. Two proposals can look similar and include very different things once you read the details: number of pages, languages, integrations, content writing, training and support.
We have been building websites since 2002, and our website design and development team still works the same way: hand-coded, bilingual, built for search from the start. You are welcome to look through our work and hold it up against these twelve questions. We would rather you ask them than guess.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a website cost in Egypt?
It depends on the number of pages, languages, features and integrations. The honest way to compare is to give two or three agencies the same written brief and compare what each proposal includes.
Should my business website be in Arabic and English?
If your customers speak both, yes. A properly built bilingual site reaches more people and helps you rank in Arabic searches, which are often less crowded than English ones.
Can I update the website myself after launch?
You should be able to. Ask for a short training session and a simple way to edit text, images, news and products without calling a developer.
If you would like a second opinion on a proposal you have already received, or just want to talk through your project, message us on WhatsApp or book a free consultation. The coffee is on us.
