The agency contract checklist.
Fifteen questions, ten warning signs and eight things to get in your name, on one page. Print it, take it to the sales call, and write the answers down before you sign anything.
Ask these, in this order.
The first two and the last one settle most of it: the term, what you walk away with, and whether you can read it all first. Each question has what a good answer sounds like. Write theirs beside it.
| Number | Question | A good answer sounds like | Their answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How long is the term, and what ends it? | An initial term, a notice period in days, and no automatic renewal you have to catch. | |
| 2 | If I stop paying next month, what exactly do I walk away with? | A list: domain, hosting account, source files, working forms, listing and analytics accounts. | |
| 3 | Does the site run on your platform, or on files any developer can host? | Files. If the answer is "our platform", ask what a rebuild costs. | |
| 4 | What is the first-year total, including setup, software and ad budgets? | One number, with each line named. | |
| 5 | Which monthly charges can I stop one at a time? | All of them, each on its own line. | |
| 6 | Whose name goes on the domain, the hosting, the Business Profile and the analytics? | Your company's, from day one. | |
| 7 | What happens to my forms, booking and phone numbers if I cancel? | They keep working, because they are in your accounts. | |
| 8 | Do you guarantee rankings, lead counts or a return? | No. Anyone who says yes should show the method and the time frame. | |
| 9 | Can you show me numbers for a company my size, with dates? | Dated figures with a window, not lifetime totals. | |
| 10 | Who writes the pages, and where do the facts come from? | A named person, working from an interview with you. | |
| 11 | Who will I talk to each month, and what will I see? | A person, a report in your own analytics, and a written list of what was done. | |
| 12 | What do you need from me, and by when? | A short list with dates. Photos, logins and approvals are the usual three. | |
| 13 | Is the free audit actually free? | Yes, with no card, no call required to receive it, and no deadline pressure. | |
| 14 | Who are you not a fit for? | A real answer. Everyone turns someone away. | |
| 15 | Can I have the agreement and the exit terms in writing before I pay anything? | Yes, before the mockups, with the exit terms on the same page as the price. |
Tick any you see in the proposal or the agreement.
None of these is proof of a bad company. Each one is a reason to ask for the sentence you want instead, in writing, before you pay. The red flags guide gives an example of each from a real agency page.
| Seen | Warning sign | Ask for this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Flag 1 | A twelve-month minimum with nothing that ends it early | A notice period in days and an exit if the work isn't delivered |
| Flag 2 | A website built on the agency's own platform | A site built on files any host can serve, with a copy to you |
| Flag 3 | "Static files" on exit, with the working site staying behind | The complete source plus the hosting account, with forms still working |
| Flag 4 | An implementation or setup fee with no amount | The fee amount, in the proposal |
| Flag 5 | Forms, hosting and dashboards that stop when you stop paying | Everything in your own accounts, so nothing stops |
| Flag 6 | A top-agency claim with no one behind it | The name of whoever ranked them, or drop the claim |
| Flag 7 | Return multiples with no time frame | A time window and the number of companies behind the figure |
| Flag 8 | A promised number of jobs or leads | A written scope of work instead of a promised outcome |
| Flag 9 | Scarcity on a free audit, or a free tool that costs your phone number | The report without a call, and no deadline |
| Flag 10 | Lifetime totals with no method | Dated figures for a company your size |
Eight things to own before the design call.
Whoever you hire, these are the accounts that decide whether leaving is a password change or a rebuild. Ask for each to be registered to your company, with you as the account owner, before work starts.
| Done | Account | In our name? | Who holds the login |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item 1 | Domain name | ||
| Item 2 | Hosting account | ||
| Item 3 | Website source files | ||
| Item 4 | Phone numbers | ||
| Item 5 | CRM database | ||
| Item 6 | Email and text lists | ||
| Item 7 | Google Business Profile and other listings | ||
| Item 8 | Analytics and Search Console |
General information for business owners, not legal advice. For what each item means and why it matters, read how 19 agencies answer these questions and how our own pricing works. Already signed and planning to leave? Use the agency exit checklist.
Want our answers first? They're written down.
Our pricing page answers the main ones in writing: the term, what you own when you leave, how each line is quoted and who we're not a fit for. Then run the instant website checkup on your current site.