The right web design provider will have a well-designed, fully functional website, a portfolio of live websites you can visit and explore yourself, transparent pricing, and clear communication from the start. You can test most of this before you sign anything: open the sites in their portfolio, check that the contact details on them are real, and ask for a quote in EGP with a line-by-line breakdown.
What should you check before hiring?
Start with their website. Is the design professional? Is it fast? Are there buttons that don't work or links that go nowhere? Inspect their site carefully, and if you find obvious problems, look elsewhere. A company that cannot keep its own website in order will not do better work on yours.
Then check their portfolio for real client projects you can test yourself. Some companies showcase ready-made templates they did not build and present them as client work. To be sure, check the contact details on those portfolio sites — if the information is fake, walk away. If you are still in doubt, contact the client directly and ask whether that provider actually built their website. For a reference of what a verifiable portfolio looks like, browse our web design portfolio, where every project links to a live website you can inspect yourself.
Should you hire a freelancer, a studio, or a company?
These checks apply to every provider, whatever its size. The other decision is which type of provider suits your project. Here is how they compare:
| Provider Type | Best For | Main Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | Small projects, tight budgets | Single point of failure, uneven quality |
| Studio (3-10 people) | Mid-sized projects needing varied specialties | Limited capacity for very large projects |
| Agency / Company | Large projects & enterprise clients | Costs multiples of a freelancer or studio |
The right choice depends entirely on your needs and budget. Whichever you choose, watch for the warning signs below.
What are the red flags to watch for?
The biggest red flags are: no real portfolio, vague pricing or dollar-quoted prices with no local equivalent, prices that are extreme in either direction, promises that sound too good to be true, and no interest in your business goals. Walk away from any provider showing these signs:
- No portfolio or only photos. If they cannot show you real, live client websites they have built, be cautious. Design screenshots are not evidence that they can build a working site, because web design and web development are different skills.
- Vague pricing with no breakdown. A professional can explain exactly what you are paying for, line by line. Evasiveness about costs, or quoting in a foreign currency, is a serious warning sign.
- Prices that are too cheap or too high. Unusually low prices almost always mean generic designs and weak technical foundations that cost more to fix later. Absurdly high prices can be just as unjustified — we have seen companies in Egypt ask EGP 50000 for a simple WordPress site, a number nothing about the work justifies. Read our guide on how much a website costs in Egypt to understand how pricing is actually determined.
- Promises that sound too good to be true. Claims like "first page of Google in two weeks" are unrealistic and a sign of cheap marketing — real SEO results take months, not weeks.
- Unclear ownership or handover terms. Ask which files and account access you will receive, and what happens if you hire another developer. Our guide to website ownership and handover explains what to check before committing.
Our take on how to make the right call
The right company has a well-designed, fully functional website, a real portfolio you can explore, is transparent about pricing, and communicates clearly. They do not need to be the cheapest or the biggest. They need to be the right fit for your business.
Every standard on this page is one we hold ourselves to. Read more about SM Web Studio to get to know us and how we work.