How do you choose a web design company in Accra? 12 questions to ask

TechBehemoths lists more than twenty web design agencies in Accra, and Clutch lists more across Ghana. Their websites look alike: clean layouts, a list of services and a claim to be the best. The twelve questions below separate them. Each has an answer to listen for and a red flag to walk away from, and a scorecard near the end lets you compare agencies side by side.

What should you ask a web design company in Accra?

1. Can I see live websites for businesses like mine?
2. Can I speak to a past client?
3. Who will build my site?
4. What does the fixed quote include?
5. What happens when the scope changes?
6. How is payment staged?
7. Who owns the domain, hosting account and source files?
8. Which CMS will you use, and can my team edit pages?
9. How do you handle data protection?
10. What are the Core Web Vitals scores on mobile?
11. What SEO work is included, and what do you promise?
12. What support and training follow the launch?

What should their past work show?

1. Can I see live websites for businesses like mine?

Ask for three live URLs, not screenshots. Open them on your phone. Look for the same kind of business, a similar page count and the features you need, such as booking or payments.

Strong answer: three URLs with a note on what the agency built for each. Red flag: a portfolio of mockups, or sites the agency cannot connect to a named client. How to check: open each URL on a phone, tap through the menu, submit the contact form and time the load.

2. Can I speak to a past client?

A confident agency gives you two names and lets you call. Ask the client about deadlines, changes in scope and what happened after launch.

Strong answer: named references who agree to a short call. Red flag: reviews you cannot trace to a person or a business. How to check: ask the client whether the agency met the launch date and whether the final invoice matched the quote.

3. Who will build my site?

Agencies often sell with senior people and staff projects with junior ones. Ask for the names and roles of the designer, developer and project manager on your project. Ask whether any part goes to an outside contractor.

Strong answer: named people and one point of contact. Red flag: "our team" with no names, or outsourcing the agency will not disclose. How to check: compare the names in the proposal with the agency's team page.

How should they price and scope the project?

4. What does the fixed quote include?

A fixed quote lists pages, features, revision rounds, content work, training and hosting setup. Anything missing from the list costs extra later. Published Ghanaian prices run from GHS 800 to GHS 50,000 for a website, so the list of inclusions matters more than the total. Our website cost guide shows what each price tier buys.

Strong answer: a written scope with a price and a list of deliverables. Red flag: a price with no list. How to check: put two quotes side by side and mark each line the other one lacks.

5. What happens when the scope changes?

Projects grow. A written change order with a new timeline and fee, approved by you before work starts, keeps the budget honest. Tribal House works this way.

Strong answer: a written change process. Red flag: verbal agreements and surprise invoices. How to check: ask for a sample change order from a past project, with client details removed.

6. How is payment staged?

Staged payments tied to milestones protect both sides. Many agencies invoice at kickoff, during production and at delivery. Tribal House invoices 40%, 40% and 20%.

Strong answer: a payment schedule tied to milestones, paid to a registered business account. Red flag: full payment upfront, or requests to pay a personal account. How to check: read the payment terms before you sign and confirm the account name matches the registered business name.

What do you own when the project ends?

7. Who owns the domain, hosting account and source files?

You should. Register the domain and hosting in your own name and add the agency as a user. At handover, ask for the design files, the code repository and each login. If the agency holds the accounts, you cannot move the site without its permission.

Strong answer: you hold the accounts and receive all files at handover. Red flag: the agency registers everything in its own name. How to check: ask your registrar who owns the domain account, and check that your name sits in the hosting login.

8. Which CMS will you use, and can my team edit pages?

A content management system (CMS) lets your staff change text, prices and photos. Ask the agency to edit a page and upload an image while you watch. Ask for a written guide or a recorded walkthrough. Tribal House hands over Loom walkthroughs, a CMS guide and a launch checklist with each launch.

Strong answer: a live demo and documentation. Red flag: each change goes through the agency, at a fee. How to check: ask for a test login to a demo site and change a headline yourself.

9. How do you handle data protection?

Ghana's Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) set up the Data Protection Commission. The Commission states that all data controllers and processors must register with it. A website that collects names, emails or phone numbers through a form handles personal data, so check the Commission's registration page to see whether your business must register.

Ask how the agency stores form submissions, who can read them and whether the cookie notice matches the tools on the site. Strong answer: a clear account of storage, access and consent. Red flag: "we don't collect anything". How to check: ask for a written list of tools that collect data on the site, such as analytics, chat widgets and form handlers.

How will the site perform and get found?

10. What are the Core Web Vitals scores on mobile?

Ghana had 24.3 million internet users in January 2025 and 38.3 million mobile connections, equal to 110% of the population (DataReportal). Most visitors arrive on a phone. Google's Core Web Vitals set the targets: Largest Contentful Paint in 2.5 seconds or less, Interaction to Next Paint in 200 milliseconds or less and Cumulative Layout Shift of 0.1 or less, measured at the 75th percentile (web.dev).

Ask for the scores on three recent sites, tested on mobile in PageSpeed Insights. Strong answer: numbers with the URLs they came from. Red flag: "our sites are fast" with no figures. How to check: paste a recent site into PageSpeed Insights and read the mobile tab yourself.

11. What SEO work is included, and what do you promise?

Basic on-page setup belongs in the build: unique page titles and descriptions, a clear heading structure, image alt text, a sitemap, structured data and fast pages. Google's SEO starter guide says "There are no secrets here that'll automatically rank your site first in Google." An agency that guarantees a first-page ranking promises something no one controls.

Strong answer: a list of on-page tasks and how you will measure results in Google Search Console. Red flag: a guaranteed ranking or a promise of "page one in 30 days". How to check: ask for access to Google Search Console in your name.

What happens after launch?

12. What support and training follow the launch?

Ask how long free support lasts, what it covers and how fast the agency responds. Ask what monthly maintenance costs afterwards. BuiltFound lists basic maintenance at GH¢ 200 to 500 a month. Tribal House offers a defined 30 to 60 day support window after launch, or a monthly retainer, and fixes bugs inside the window at no extra cost.

Strong answer: a written support window, response times and a maintenance price. Red flag: "call us if anything breaks" with no terms. How to check: ask what counts as a bug and what counts as a new request.

Which mistakes do Accra businesses make when they hire a web designer?

• Choosing on price alone. A quote far below the rest has left something out. Find the missing line before you sign.
• Judging by the homepage. A homepage says little about speed, structure or editing. Test the inner pages and the contact form.
• Skipping references. A five-minute call with a past client reveals more than a portfolio.
• Paying in full before milestones. Staged payments keep the agency accountable for delivery.
• Ignoring ownership until launch week. Domain, hosting and file questions are hardest to fix after the work is done.

How long should it take to choose an agency?

Four weeks gives you time to compare agencies without stalling your launch.

1. Week 1: write a one-page brief and shortlist three agencies.
2. Week 2: hold a discovery call with each and ask the twelve questions.
3. Week 3: compare the written scopes and score the answers.
4. Week 4: check references, agree the payment schedule and sign.

How do you score agencies against each other?

Score each agency 0 for a red flag, 1 for a partial answer and 2 for a strong answer. Add the twelve scores and compare totals before you compare prices.

What does Tribal House commit to in writing?

We hold ourselves to the same twelve questions. These are our written commitments on the points we can state as policy:

• Scope and price: a written scope and fee after a 30-minute discovery call. Starting prices are public: US$2,500 for a sprint, US$6,000 for brand and website.
• Changes: a change order with a new timeline and fee, approved by you first.
• Payment: three stages, 40% at kickoff, 40% during production and 20% at final delivery.
• Team: one team covers strategy, design, motion and development, with no handoffs between agencies.
• Handover: Loom walkthroughs, a CMS guide and a launch checklist.
• Confidentiality and support: an NDA on request, and a 30 to 60 day support window or a monthly retainer after launch.

Our projects page shows live work, and our services page lists what one team covers. To compare prices first, read the guides to website cost in Ghana and brand identity design cost in Ghana, then book a call.