Short answer: How do you choose a web design company? Check three things: the assets are yours (domain, hosting, source code), the quote is itemized, and someone is accountable after launch. Ask the 12 questions below before signing, and if a vendor can't answer 3 or more, don't sign no matter how low the price.
An interior design firm paid NT$40,000 for a website three years ago. When it wanted a redesign last year, it found the domain was registered to the old vendor, the admin login was never handed over, and the vendor could no longer be reached. It had to buy a new domain and rebuild, losing its Google rankings too. This is common in website outsourcing, and nearly always avoidable before signing.
3 Core Principles for Choosing a Web Design Company
Bottom line: first confirm the assets are yours, then compare price and portfolio.
- You own the assets: domain, hosting account, Google Analytics, Search Console and source code must be held in or transferred to your company's name.
- Transparent quotes: itemize pages, features, design revisions and first-year hosting and maintenance, not one line saying "website NT$45,000."
- Someone accountable: the warranty period, change process and response time belong in the contract.
12 Questions to Ask Before Signing
Bottom line: good vendors answer directly; vague answers are a warning sign.
| # | Question | A good answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whose name is the domain registered in? | Your company's, with the account handed to you |
| 2 | Will you deliver source code and design files? | Yes, at closeout, with copyright ownership in the contract |
| 3 | What technology, and can another vendor take over? | A named, mainstream framework |
| 4 | What does the quote include and exclude? | Pages, revisions and extra-cost items listed |
| 5 | How many design revisions? | A set number, with pricing beyond it |
| 6 | How long is the warranty and what does it cover? | Typically 3-6 months, bug fixes free |
| 7 | What will I pay each year after launch? | Domain, hosting, SSL and maintenance itemized |
| 8 | Who is my contact and how fast do you reply? | A named contact, reply within 1-2 business days |
| 9 | Can I see a staging site? | A test URL during development |
| 10 | How are mobile, speed and basic SEO accepted? | Concrete criteria, such as PageSpeed Insights scores |
| 11 | How are payments split? | 2-4 milestone payments, not all up front |
| 12 | Can I contact past clients? | Willing to share 1-2 references |
4 Common Website Outsourcing Traps
Bottom line: a low price isn't the problem; what it quietly takes away is.
- Cheap build, long lock-in: NT$10,000-something to build, but 3 years of mandatory hosting and maintenance at NT$10,000-20,000 a year costs more overall.
- Domain held hostage: the domain is in the vendor's name and a "transfer fee" appears when you leave.
- No source code: the site only runs on the vendor's server, so switching means rebuilding.
- Disappearing vendor: freelancers can vanish. Confirm a company registration (searchable in Taiwan's business registration database) and require regular backups.
Design Company vs Studio vs Freelancer
Bottom line: none is always better; it depends on budget and complexity.
- Web design company: full team, suited to budgets of NT$200,000+ that need brand design.
- Development studio: direct communication and flexibility, suited to clear small-to-mid projects and custom systems.
- Freelancer: lowest price, suited to brochure sites under 5 pages; confirm backups and handover.
Checklist: Can You Trust This Vendor?
- ☐ Domain and hosting held in our name
- ☐ Contract states source code and copyright ownership
- ☐ Quote itemized by page and feature
- ☐ Revision count and overage pricing clear
- ☐ Warranty period and scope in the contract
- ☐ Annual post-launch costs listed
- ☐ Named contact and response time
- ☐ Staging site during development
- ☐ Milestone payments
- ☐ Verifiable company registration
8 or more checks: go ahead and talk. 6 or fewer: consider another vendor.
FAQ
What should I look for in a recommended web design company?
First check asset ownership, an itemized quote and post-launch accountability, then portfolio and price.
Do I really need the source code?
Yes. Without it, switching vendors usually means rebuilding, and past investment and SEO may be lost.
What are the most important website contract terms?
Asset ownership, acceptance criteria and warranty scope, followed by payment milestones and revision counts.
Is a cheap website always bad?
No. A template brochure site under 5 pages is reasonable; just check lock-in years and domain ownership.
Who We Fit and Who We Don't
ScriptWalker (a Taiwan-based Laravel/Flutter custom development studio) hands domains, source code and accounts to clients by default, with websites from NT$15,000, systems from NT$80,000 and apps from NT$150,000, plus staging sites and milestone payments. We're honest about where we don't fit:
- You only want the lowest price and don't care about maintenance
- You need ad-agency-level brand strategy and photo shoots
- You require a .NET or Java stack
Feel free to ask us these 12 questions too:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 0916-224-047
- LINE: @ufv9089p