What to expect from a web agency when building your site: the process step by step

Hiring a web agency means hiring a process, not just a pretty design. Knowing what should happen at each stage lets you compare proposals, spot early if something is going wrong and end up with a site that genuinely works for your business.

This guide describes, stage by stage, what a good agency should do, what's up to you and the warning signs. It applies whether you hire locally in Costa Rica or work with an agency remotely from abroad.

1. The first meeting

What should happen: the agency asks more than it talks. It wants to understand your business, your customer, your competition, what you expect from the site and how you'll measure success.

Questions a good agency asks you:

• What do you want the visitor to do: write to you, book, buy?
• Who are your customers and how do they search for you?
• What works and what doesn't on your current site (if you have one)?
• What content and photos do you have, and what needs to be created?
• What's your budget and your ideal date?

Warning sign: being shown templates and prices before they've asked you anything.

2. The proposal

It should come in writing and be specific:

• Scope: pages, features (forms, store, bookings, payments), languages and what is not included.
• Process and timeline per stage.
• Who does what: what the agency delivers and what it needs from you (text, photos, access, approvals).
• Price and payment terms.
• What happens after launch: warranty, hosting, maintenance.
• Ownership: the site, the domain and the access are in your company's name.

A generic proposal that could fit any business is a bad sign. The strategy should respond to what you discussed in the first meeting.

3. Design

What should happen:

• First, the structure: which pages there will be and what goes on each, in a simple outline.
• Then the visual design of the main pages, shown on phone and desktop.
• Rounds of revisions defined in the proposal, with concrete changes in each.

What you should insist on: that the design is thought out for phones first, that the main button (WhatsApp, book, buy) is visible and that the experience is clear for all kinds of people. See visual design and user experience and the accessible web design guide.

Up to you: giving specific feedback, on time. Delayed approvals are the most common reason projects drag on.

4. Development

What should happen: the agency builds the site in a staging environment (a temporary address where you can see the progress) and connects the features: forms, payments, bookings, integrations.

What you should insist on:

• That the site is fast and works well on phones (see the responsive web design guide).
• That you can edit whatever will change often, or that it's clear how to request changes.
• That it uses a technology another agency could maintain if you ever change providers.

5. Content and SEO

What should happen: the text is loaded and polished, the images are optimized and each page is prepared for Google: titles and descriptions, heading structure, clean addresses, a sitemap and, if there was a previous site, redirects from the old addresses.

If the agency writes the content, it should start from your business's information, not generic text. To understand what should be done for SEO, see the SEO guide for Costa Rica.

6. Testing

Before publishing, the agency should check:

• Different browsers and phones.
• Every form, payment and automatic email (that they arrive and don't land in spam).
• Loading speed and stability.
• Links, copy, spelling and the versions in other languages.

Up to you: going through the whole site and trying what a real customer does: asking for information, booking, buying.

7. Launch

What should happen: the domain is connected, HTTPS is turned on, Google Analytics and Search Console are installed, the sitemap is submitted and everything is checked at the final address. A good agency launches at a low-traffic time and keeps watch for the first few hours.

What you should receive: admin access, access to the domain and hosting (or the guarantee that they're in your name), and an explanation of how to edit or request changes.

8. After launch

• A warranty for fixing bugs for a set period.
• Maintenance: updates, backups, security and renewals, if you contract it.
• Follow-up: going over the first visit and lead data with you, and proposing improvements.

A new site needs someone to bring it visitors; publishing it isn't enough. We explain it in why a new website doesn't attract customers by magic.

Warning signs in an agency

• It doesn't ask questions about your business.
• It doesn't give you a written proposal with scope and timelines.
• It registers the domain or the accounts in its name instead of yours.
• It won't let you see progress until the end.
• It promises "first place on Google" or guaranteed results.
• It disappears after launch.

How we work at WEB.CR

• A free 30-minute first call to understand your business, in English or Spanish.
• A clear price from the start: you can work out your project's cost in the pricing calculator, with VAT broken down and the total in view.
• A 50% deposit to start, payable by card, PayPal or SINPE Móvil; you can cancel at no cost within 8 days of paying, and the balance is paid before launch.
• Visible progress on a staging site throughout the project.
• Everything in your name: domain, site, accounts and content.

Comparing agencies? Book a free call and we'll walk you through your project, step by step.