How to choose a web design studio in the EU: what to ask, what a quote must show and when a freelancer is enough
Pick the web design agency that puts four things in writing before you pay: who writes the copy, whose name the domain and hosting are registered in, what happens to change requests after launch, and that you get the code and the logins. Portfolios matter less than you think: any competent team can show good-looking pages. A freelancer is enough for a single page with a clear brief and a person whose finished sites you can check. A site builder is enough for a business card you will edit yourself, if you accept that the site may stay tied to the platform.
Studio, freelancer or site builder: who each is for
Search for a web design company, a web development agency or website developers and you get the same mix of three things: a team, one person, or a platform you rent. We are a studio, so read this part with that in mind.
| Option | Fits when | Check first | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | You need design, copy and the request form from one place, with scope and timeline in writing | Who does the work, what the quote lists, who holds the access | More to agree up front: scope, copy approval, payment steps |
| Freelance web designer | A single page or a small site, a clear brief, finished sites you can open and judge | That you get every login, and a plan for the weeks they are ill or busy | One person: holidays, illness and other clients can stall you, and copy or request setup may fall to you |
| Site builder | A simple site you will edit yourself | Whether the site can be moved to another host | Templates repeat across sites, and the site may stay tied to the platform |
The typical freelance horror story goes like this: the site is built and paid for, the login sits on the designer's laptop, and nobody can change a price. That is a handover problem. Studios cause it too. A freelance web designer who hands over everything on day one is a sound choice. We think a good freelancer can cost about the same as a studio's starting price, so compare what each quote includes, not only the figure.
On site builders, read the small print before you build. Wix's help centre says that your site must run on Wix's servers and that its set-up does not allow another host. For a business card that is fine; for a site you plan to grow for years, our reading is that leaving means building the site again elsewhere. Other builders have their own rules, so ask each the same question.
Eight questions to send before you sign
Send these by email or message, so the answers exist in writing.
- Who writes the copy, and when do I see it? A studio that says "send us your texts" has handed you the slowest part of the job. Ask for the copy to arrive for review before the layout is final.
- Whose name are the domain, hosting and accounts in? ICANN defines a registrant as the individual or entity who registers the domain name, and that party manages the settings through its registrar. You want to be that party, not the studio.
- What do I get at handover? Code, logins, design files, a list of every service the site depends on. Ask whether you could move the site to another host tomorrow.
- What happens to changes? Find out how many rounds of revisions are included before acceptance, how long bug fixes stay free after launch, and what a small edit costs afterwards. Get numbers, not "we are always here".
- Who owns the design and the code? Ask for a written clause that the rights pass to you on final payment, and for a list of anything licensed rather than made: fonts, stock photos, plugins, and whose name those licences run in.
- How long does it take, and what starts the clock? Signing, the prepayment, or the day you send your logo and photos? A "two weeks" that begins only after your last file arrives is a different promise.
- Can I open finished work on my phone? Then do it. Check how fast it loads, where the request button sits and what the visitor is meant to do.
- Where do requests go, and who finds out when the form breaks? Submit a test request before launch. It should reach you on WhatsApp or by email straight away, and ideally also land where you keep your customers.
If the answers to questions 2 and 3 amount to "we keep it for you", renegotiate or leave. Everything else can be fixed later. This cannot.
What a quote must show
Two quotes for web design services can only be compared when both list the same things. A quote worth signing fits on one page and shows:
- the price, and whether VAT comes on top (ours exclude it);
- what is included, as a list rather than "website as discussed";
- the timeline, and what starts it;
- the payment steps (we take half before work starts and half after you accept);
- revision rounds, and how long bug fixes stay free;
- what costs extra, with the price given before work starts and added only with your consent;
- what you receive at the end: code, domain, hosting and accounts in your name.
Without that list you are comparing a price with a wish.
How to read a portfolio piece
A portfolio piece shows what a studio can build. It doesn't show what the site earned for its owner, so ask what the visitor can do there. Here is an example from our work: Quaderl, a maker of wooden modular houses in the Bregenzerwald in Austria. The site is in German.
As you scroll, the house assembles on screen: foundation, modules dropping into place, roof, solar panels. You can turn it with a finger, pick one to four modules of 28 m² each, change the facade colour and switch the solar roof on or off, and the indicative price and timing change at once. A slider moves the sun across the plot, a cutaway button pulls the modules apart, and the last step is a visit request with a date, the plot address, a name and a phone number. A device that can't draw 3D, or is set to reduced motion, gets a flat version, so the site still works.
Every example should answer one question, which is what the visitor is meant to do. Here it is a visit request. If a studio can't say that about its own examples, it probably didn't ask that question when it built yours. You can open the Quaderl work and judge it yourself, and our piece on when a 3D website pays off and when it doesn't helps you decide whether you need anything like it.
When a freelancer is enough
A freelancer is enough when four things hold: the site is one page or a handful, you already have the texts and photos, you can open two or three finished sites and see that they load fast and make sense, and the domain and hosting go in your name from the first day.
A studio earns its price when the job is bigger than the layout: copy to be written, requests that must reach WhatsApp or a CRM, a second language, someone to call when something breaks in month five. Our article on company website cost in the EU shows what changes the price, and landing page cost does the same for a single page. If you already have a site, read about a redesign without losing Google rankings before you brief anyone.
What to do today
- Write one sentence on what the site must make a visitor do: call, book, ask for a quote. Every quote you get should answer it.
- Open three portfolios on your phone. Time the loading and see whether the request button is within reach.
- Send the eight questions to two candidates and compare the written answers.
- If you already own a domain, log in to your registrar and check whose name is listed as the registrant.
- Gather your logo, photos and a list of what you sell. Anyone you hire moves faster with it.
If you want, we'll do it for you
We build websites and landing pages. Experienced specialists work faster with AI tools, which is why our price is lower. A landing page costs from €380 and takes 3–7 days; a company website costs from €580 and takes 2–3 weeks. Prices exclude VAT.
In the price: design for your brand, a call before we start, copy written for you and sent for your review, layouts checked separately on phone and laptop, SEO basics, a visit counter and ad pixels, a request form that delivers to WhatsApp, email, a spreadsheet or your CRM, and publishing on your domain. The code, domain, hosting and access are registered in your name. Revisions are free until you accept, within the agreed structure, and we fix bugs for free after launch for 3 months on a landing page and 6 months on a company website. Price and timeline are in writing before we start, and you pay half first and half after acceptance.
Message us on WhatsApp and tell us what the site is for. We reply within an hour during working hours, and the first review is free. Details are on the page for websites and landing pages.
Sources
- Wix help centre: Exporting or embedding your Wix site elsewhere, checked 3 November 2026.
- ICANN: Information for domain name registrants, checked 3 November 2026.