Shortlisting agencies for a website rebuild

Shortlist website agencies by asking how the proposed team would take your existing site to a usable release. Ask who would own content, integrations, accessibility, URL changes and the launch plan. Look for a comparable project where the agency handled those dependencies.

Show candidates the starting point

Prepare an inventory they can inspect: the current platform, main page types, content owners, forms or transactions, integrations, analytics, hosting arrangements and known defects. Mark what must keep working at launch. Separate confirmed requirements from matters that need discovery.

If sales relies on enquiries reaching a CRM, for example, describe the fields and handoff that matter. Identify the client person who can confirm the current process. An agency needs that detail to judge the work behind a new-site request.

Decide whether you can invite a build proposal now or first need a bounded discovery stage. Where the page inventory or integrations are uncertain, ask what the agency would inspect and what its findings would let you decide. Do not treat an unexamined launch date or fixed fee as firm.

Ask for a comparable release walkthrough

Give each candidate one critical journey and one difficult condition from your site. Ask the proposed design and technical leads what they would inspect, what they can decide now and what needs investigation. Request a past release example that shows the agency's role, the client's work, the checks used and how a problem was handled. A finished homepage image gives little evidence about that route.

If the rebuild changes URLs, ask how the team would map old URLs to relevant new destinations, configure redirects and check the move after launch. Google recommends mapping, redirects and monitoring for site moves with URL changes, and cautions that search visibility can fluctuate. Ask who would prepare and verify the mapping; no agency can promise unchanged search traffic.

Ask which accessibility standard and parts of the site would be in scope, how issues on the existing site would be reviewed and who would check the built result. W3C advises checking accessibility throughout a website project. Its evaluation guidance says some checks require manual work, so an automated scan alone cannot establish conformance.

Check ownership across the rebuild

An agency can exclude a workstream if your team or another supplier can own it. Record that owner and their availability. Otherwise, an offer that appears complete may end at a design file or a staging site.

Ask who would lead and build the site, and whether those people are available for the proposed dates. Shortlist teams that can explain your critical journey, account for every necessary workstream and identify the largest unknown to resolve before a full build commitment.