Guide · Web design
How to choose a web design agency in Malta
The questions that separate a studio that will deliver from one that only presents well, and the contract terms that protect you either way.
Ask to see live sites the agency built for paying clients, who will actually do the work, what the price covers in writing, and who owns the code and the domain when the project ends. A good agency answers all four plainly before you sign. Be wary of anyone who blurs client work with concept pieces, registers your domain in its own name, or quotes a number without a written scope.
Write one page before you call anyone
Agencies quote what you describe. If the description is vague, the quotes will differ wildly and you will have no way to compare them. One page is enough.
Say who visits the site and what you want them to do: call, book a table, request a quote, buy. List the content that already exists and what still has to be written or photographed. Name the languages; in Malta that often means English plus Maltese, and sometimes Italian or German for visitors. Give the date that matters, such as the start of the season or a launch event, and say which systems the site must connect to, like a booking tool or a shop.
Send the same page to every agency. Now the quotes describe the same job.
How to read a portfolio
A portfolio mixes two kinds of work, and both are legitimate. Client work was delivered for someone who paid, under real limits of budget, content and deadline. Concept pieces are made by the studio for itself, to explore an idea. Concept work shows taste. Only client work shows that the agency can finish a job for a real customer. A good portfolio tells you which is which without being asked.
For each client project, open the live address. Is the site still up? Does it load quickly on your phone, on mobile data? Do the forms work? Then ask exactly what the agency did. Design only, or design and build? Did they write the copy, or did the client supply it?
Finally, ask for one client you can phone. A short call with someone who has already paid this agency tells you more than any case study.
Questions to ask a web design agency
Ask these on the first call or by email. The third column is what a confident, honest answer tends to sound like.
| Question | Why it matters | A good answer sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Which of these projects are live client work? | Separates delivered work from concept pieces | “These three are clients, here are the addresses; these two are our own studies.” |
| Who will design and build my site? | The person who pitches is often not the person who builds | Names, roles, and whether any part is subcontracted |
| What exactly does the price include? | Undefined scope is where budgets grow | A written scope listing pages, features, languages and rounds of changes |
| Is the price fixed or hourly? | Decides who carries the risk of overruns | Either is fine if stated clearly, with what happens when scope changes |
| Who owns the code, design files and content? | You may want to change agency later | “You do, on final payment, and we hand everything over.” |
| In whose name is the domain registered? | Losing the domain means losing your address | “Yours. We can set it up, but the account is in your name.” |
| Where will the site be hosted, and who pays? | Hosting is a recurring cost and a single point of failure | A named host, the cost to you, and how to move away |
| How will I update text and images? | Waiting on the agency for every edit gets expensive | A demonstration of the editing method, or an honest note that changes go through them |
| How do you test on phones and for speed? | Most visitors arrive on a phone | Real devices, a stated speed target, and checks before launch |
| What happens after launch? | Sites break when browsers, plugins and content change | A defined support period, then optional maintenance at known terms |
| How do you handle accessibility? | Readable, keyboard-usable sites serve every visitor | A standard they work to, such as WCAG, and how they check it |
| Can I speak to a past client? | The fastest reality check available | A name and a phone number, offered without hesitation |
Red flags
None of these proves an agency is bad. Two or three together should make you slow down.
- A price before a scope. A number quoted before anyone asked what the site must do is a guess, and you will pay for the gap.
- Everything in the portfolio looks like client work, but nothing has a live address. Ask directly which pieces were delivered.
- The domain or hosting in the agency’s name. It turns a supplier into a landlord.
- No mention of who owns the code. Silence usually means the agency keeps it.
- Unlimited revisions. It sounds generous and usually means the scope was never pinned down.
- Pressure to sign this week. Good studios have a queue; they do not need to rush you.
- A site builder subscription sold as custom work. Templates are fine when you know you are buying one.
What a fair contract contains
A website contract does not need to be long. It needs to answer, in writing, the questions that cause disputes later.
On price, both models are fair when they are explicit. A fixed fee against a written scope puts the risk of overruns on the agency and gives you a number to budget. Changes outside the scope are quoted separately. Hourly billing suits open-ended work where nobody can define the result in advance, but ask for an estimate, a cap, and a weekly report of hours. Many good agencies use fixed fees for the build and hourly rates for later changes.
- Written scope: pages, features, languages, integrations, and how many rounds of changes are included.
- Price and payment stages: what is paid when, tied to delivered stages rather than dates alone.
- Timeline: key dates, what the agency needs from you and when, and what happens if either side is late.
- Ownership: code, design files and content transfer to you on final payment, stated plainly.
- Domain and hosting: registered in your name, or transferred to you, with login details handed over.
- Acceptance: how you confirm the site is finished, and how long you have to report problems.
- Support: a period of bug fixes after launch, then maintenance on stated terms if you want it.
- Data protection: if the agency hosts the site or its forms, a processing agreement covering visitor data.
- Exit: what happens, and what you receive, if either side ends the project early.
Local or remote
Malta is small, and many agencies here are a few people with trusted freelancers around them. That is not a weakness. What matters is knowing who does the work. A local agency is easy to meet in person and knows the island’s audiences and seasons. A remote studio can be just as good if it answers quickly and works in your language. Judge on the questions above, not on the postcode.
How SCORVIA answers these questions
We are a design and technology studio in Malta, so it is fair to say how we answer our own list. Every project is a fixed fee against a written scope, agreed before work starts. You keep the source code and the rights. Our work marks which projects are client work with live addresses, such as MtLocalGoodies, SASKHO and 24U, and which are studio pieces we made for ourselves. If that suits you, see web design in Malta.
Follow-up questions
How do I compare website quotes from different agencies?
Make the quotes comparable first. A five-page brochure site and a shop with bookings are different jobs, so send the same written brief to two or three agencies and compare what each quote includes, not only the total.
Should I pay a fixed fee or by the hour?
A fixed fee against a written scope suits most websites, because the result can be described in advance. Hourly suits open-ended or exploratory work. Either way, get the terms for changes in writing.
Who should register my domain?
You, or an account in your company’s name. An agency can do the setup, but the registration and the login should be yours, so the address stays with you if the relationship ends.
Is a template site a bad idea?
No. A template can be the right choice for a small budget and a simple need. The problem is only when a template is sold as custom work, or when you cannot move it to another host later.
Can a remote agency build a site for a business in Malta?
Yes. What matters is responsiveness, a shared language and knowledge of your audience. Ask the same questions you would ask a local agency, and ask how they will handle reviews and sign-off.
Tell us what you are building.
One project at a time, a fixed fee against a written scope, and you keep the source code and the rights. Write in English, Polish or Spanish.