15+ Questions to Ask Before Hiring a WordPress Development Agency

Hiring a WordPress development agency is a big step. It doesn’t matter whether it’s your first project or your 10th project. You’re trusting a team to build something that represents your brand, supports your business goals, and works just the way you want it to.

But how to hire the right agency for your WordPress site project since there are literally thousands of agencies out there?

Well, that’s where we come in. We’re going to help you choose the right WordPress website development company by giving you a list of questions you should ask them. The answers they give will tell you how the agency works, what they value, and whether they’re the right fit for your project.

In this guide, we’ve put together 15 helpful questions that will give you a clear picture before you decide to move forward.

Questions to Ask a WordPress Development Agency

These questions will help you learn how an agency works, what they can handle, and whether they’re the right team to build your WordPress website.

Question 1: What’s your experience working specifically with WordPress?

Although WordPress is a highly flexible platform, it comes with a set of rules, best practices, and a ton of technical layers. That’s why it’s important to know how much real experience with WordPress an agency has.

You could ask questions like how long they’ve been building WordPress websites, what kind of WordPress work they usually handle, and whether their team includes developers who work with WordPress full-time.

Question 2: Can you share examples of projects similar to mine?

To know more, you can ask if you could see any case studies of their past work on similar projects. You get to know the quality of their work, how they approach problem-solving, and whether they’ve delivered the results their clients anticipated.

The closer their past experience is to your project, the easier it will be for them to understand your needs and build something that works well for your business.

Question 3: What does your typical development process look like?

Every agency works differently. So when you ask them about their development process, it’ll help you understand what their process actually looks like. You could ask them how they move from the first discussion to planning, design, development, and then finally launching the website.

Once you know this, you’ll get a sense of how organized they are and how they manage each and every step of your project.

It’s also good to know how often they actually share project updates, how they handle the feedback you give them, and who you’ll be speaking with during the project, like a point of contact. When you understand their process thoroughly, you’ll know what to expect and whether their working style matches yours and the way you prefer to collaborate.

Question 4: Will my site be responsive and optimized for mobile devices?

There are around 5.8 billion mobile users across the globe as of late 2025 so your website needs to work flawlessly on all screen sizes. That’s why you have to ask the agency how they handle mobile design and what steps they take to make your website look good and perform well on smartphones and tablets.

If they take mobile seriously, you’ll end up with a site that feels good to use, no matter where your visitors come from.

Question 5: Do you provide post-launch support or ongoing maintenance?

The work doesn’t end with just launching the website. Your website needs regular updates, security checks, backups, and small fixes over time. So check with the agency if they provide ongoing support and what their maintenance plans include.

Before you proceed further, you should know how fast they respond to issues, how you can get in touch with them, and whether support is included in the project cost or billed separately. A reliable agency won’t leave you on your own after launching your website. They’ll be there to help you keep your site running smoothly by offering support services.

Question 6: What coding standards and best practices do you follow?

A good code is what makes your website faster, safer, and easier to maintain in the future. So ask the agency what coding standards they follow and how they make sure their code stays clean and reliable. This includes things like using proper WordPress functions, keeping the code organized, and avoiding shortcuts that may likely cause problems later.

Question 7: How do you ensure fast performance and strong Core Web Vitals?

User experience and search engine rankings are the first and foremost to be affected if your website is slow. So it’s super important to know how the agency handles performance. Make sure to ask what steps the agency is going to take to keep your site fast.

Some of the tasks include using clean code, optimized images, proper caching, a good hosting setup, and avoiding the use of unnecessary or heavy plugins.

You can also ask how they test speed and Core Web Vitals during the development stage of the project. A good WordPress developer should check things like page load time, layout shifts, and responsiveness before launch. When performance is naturally woven into the process, your website will feel much smoother for your visitors and perform better overall.

Question 8: What is your approach to security during and after development?

Security isn’t optional; it should be a priority from day one. So, ensure to ask the agency what security measures they’re going to take during development and how they plan to implement them after the website launch.

This can include security plugins and themes updated, using safe coding practices, setting up firewalls, and strictly following WordPress security guidelines.

Question 9: How do you handle integrations with third-party systems?

All websites need to connect with tools like CRMs, email platforms, payment gateways, or some other business system so they can work hand-in-hand. Ask the agency how their professional WordPress developer manages all these integrations and whether they’ve worked with the tools you use in their previous projects.

It’s also useful to know if they build custom integrations when needed, how they test everything, and what happens if an external service changes or breaks something. See if the agency can assure you that there will be a dedicated team with solid integration experience who will make sure all your systems work flawlessly without causing any issues.

Question 10: Do you build custom Gutenberg blocks, themes, or plugins when required?

Yes, plugins and ready-made themes do help, but not all websites can rely on them. Sometimes, you need custom features to match your brand or support particular functions. So ask the agency if they create custom themes, Gutenberg blocks, or even custom plugins if required.

It’ll also be good for you to know how they actually decide between using an existing solution and building something from scratch. The right WordPress developer will choose the options that keep your website fast, easy to manage, and suited to your business’s long-term plans.

Question 11: How do you ensure the website aligns with my business goals?

Your website should have good design and features, but it should also support what your business is trying to achieve. So ask the agency how well they are going to understand and learn about your goals, your audience, and the results you want from the website.

When WordPress designers and developers take time to understand your business, the final website will feel more intentional and can actually help you reach the outcomes you’re aiming for.

Question 12: How do you plan for scalability as my business grows?

No matter what business or industry you’re in, your website should be able to handle more traffic, more content, and new features as your business grows.

Check with the agency how they prepare for that right from the beginning. This may include using clean code, choosing the right hosting, avoiding heavy plugins, and building a structure that can be expanded later when your business starts growing.

It also helps to know how they handle future updates or new features you may need down the line. A thoughtful agency will plan with growth in mind so you don’t have to rebuild everything a year later.

Question 13: What is your QA and testing framework?

Before your website goes live, it should be tested properly to make sure everything works as expected. Ask the agency how they handle quality assurance and what their testing process looks like. Usually, this includes checking all features, forms, layouts, mobile views, speed, and security.

It’s also useful to know who performs the testing, how issues are tracked, and what steps they take before final approval. You need to know if there’s a solid QA process that can help catch problems early, that ensures you get a smooth, reliable website at launch.

Question 14: How do you handle project governance, communication, and risk management?

Clear communication is utmost important for any project. Before you take things further, you have to know how well they communicate with you during the project. So ask them how they manage updates, timelines, and responsibilities throughout the work.

Plus, make sure to ask who your main point of contact will be, how often you’ll get updates, and what tools they use to keep everyone on the same page.

You should also ask how they handle risks or unexpected issues, such as delays, technical challenges, or even changing requirements. A good agency will definitely have a plan for dealing with these situations and will keep you informed.

Question 15: What does a long-term partnership with your agency look like?

As a growing business, your needs won’t stop with a website launch. You may want new features, functionalities, regular updates of the platform, technical support, and/or help improving your site over time.

A long-term partnership can include maintenance plans, ongoing development, site performance checks, security updates, and sometimes help with content changes. So make sure you ask them about how they want to continue working with you and what you can expect later after the website launch.

Question 16: Do you use staging environments for testing?

Every agency or WordPress specialist uses staging environments for testing before making the website live, so there are no mistakes or errors. Ask the WordPress company if they use one, and if yes, how they handle testing there.

Not just small errors, using a staging environment helps catch bugs, design issues, or even broken features too, without actually affecting your real website. In addition, it allows you to review changes, give feedback, and approve updates with confidence.

Question 17: How do you document your work?

The reason an agency keeps documentation of the work is that, if needed, they can refer to what they did and when they did it. Ask the agency what information they will document and how they plan to share it with you. It could be custom features, how certain parts of the site work, login information, updates, or anything your team might need to run and handle basic activities.

Question 18: Do you rely heavily on third-party plugins?

Plugins are definitely useful, but too many of them can slow down your website or even cause issues. You need to ask the WordPress development company how they decide which plugins to use and when they prefer custom plugins.

Ask them how they check plugin quality, updates, and security. A well-balanced approach is very much needed. The right agency will use plugins only when they truly make sense and help the website in every aspect.

Conclusion

Your agenda is not to get a mere website developed and launched in a few weeks. You’re choosing an agency that you’ll be working with for a few months and hopefully a few years (If they offer post-launch support too). That’s why these questions matter.

You can use these questions to have real conversations with the companies. Pay close attention to how clearly they explain things, how honest they are about limitations, and whether they actually listen to what you’re trying to say and do. If the agency feels easy to talk to and is pretty confident in their answers, that’s usually a good sign you’re on the right track.