Around 41 percent of all websites worldwide run on WordPress, and among sites with a recognizable content management system, it's almost 59 percent. Accordingly, there is a large number of agencies offering WordPress services – from two-person operations to digital agencies with 80 employees. From the outside, the websites of these providers look strikingly similar. All show references, all talk about performance and individuality.
The difference becomes apparent in conversation. The following ten questions reliably separate agencies that understand their craft from those that merely re-color a purchased theme and charge 12,000 Euros for it. You don't need any technical prior knowledge – just the willingness to follow up on evasive answers.
1. Do you build with a purchased theme or with your own?
Both can be correct. A purchased theme from a marketplace is inexpensive and quick. However, it often comes with baggage: functions you'll never need, slow loading times, and a dependency on the theme manufacturer. If the manufacturer goes out of business, your website will be without security updates.
A good answer names the decision and justifies it: "For your project, a lean basic theme with a custom structure is sufficient; a purchased theme would cost you more in customization effort than it saves." A bad answer is evasive or sells you "individual design" for something that is clearly from a modular system.
2. How many plugins will be installed in the end?
Every plugin is foreign code on your website. Each needs to be updated, each can introduce a security vulnerability, and each costs loading time. Websites with 40 or 50 plugins are not uncommon – and almost always a sign that problems were solved by add-ons rather than by actual solutions.
A reasonable range for a normal business website is 10 to 20 plugins. Also, ask which of them are paid and who pays for the licenses. Licenses tied to the agency become a problem when you switch agencies.
3. Who owns the design, code, and access rights after the project?
This is the most important question in the entire catalog, and it's the least frequently asked. Clarify in writing:
- Do you get full administrator rights in WordPress?
- Is the domain registered in your name or the agency's?
- Do you own the hosting contract?
- Are you allowed to transfer the code if you work with someone else later?
Agencies that hesitate here are building in a dependency. This is legal, but it's a price premium you'll only notice when you want to leave.
4. What does the website cost – and what does it cost afterwards?
The quoted price is only half the bill. There are also ongoing costs: hosting, plugin licenses, maintenance, occasional adjustments. For a medium-sized business website, ongoing costs usually range between 40 and 250 Euros per month.
One-time costs vary widely. As a rough guide for the German market: simple websites with a few pages start in the low four-figure range, while more extensive business websites with custom design and individual functions often cost between 8,000 and 30,000 Euros. Agency hourly rates usually range between 80 and 180 Euros, and even higher for specialized providers. For comparison: The Freelancer Compass 2026 states a median hourly rate of 90 Euros for software and web development – agencies are higher due to project management, quality assurance, and representation arrangements.
This range is not a sign of arbitrariness. It arises because "website" can mean anything – from five pages with a contact form to a multilingual presence with editorial workflow and CRM integration.
5. What does the maintenance contract look like?
WordPress regularly receives security updates, as do plugins and themes. A website that no one touches for a year is an open barn door. A usable maintenance contract should at least cover:
- How often updates are applied and whether a test is run on a copy beforehand
- How often backups are made, where they are stored, and how long they are kept
- What happens if an update breaks something – and who pays for it
- How quickly the agency responds if the website goes down
The last point is what matters in an emergency. "We'll take care of it promptly" is not a response time.
6. Who writes the texts?
Many offers include design and technology, but no content. This is the most common reason why projects get stuck: the website has been ready for weeks, but no one in the company gets around to writing 20 pages of text.
Clarify in advance whether text creation is included in the offer, whether it involves revising your drafts, or writing texts from scratch. If you write yourself, ask how many characters per page are needed and by when.
7. How fast will the page load?
Loading time is measurable. Ask for specific values for the Core Web Vitals – especially Largest Contentful Paint, i.e., the time until the largest visible content area is rendered. Google rates an LCP of 2.5 seconds or less as good, measured at the 75th percentile of all page views and separately for mobile and desktop. The mobile value is the one that matters.
Ask for two or three existing client websites and check them yourself with one of the freely available measurement tools. This takes five minutes and says more than any list of references.
8. Is the website barrier-free?
Since June 28, 2025, the Accessibility Strengthening Act (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz) applies. It obliges companies that sell certain digital products or services to consumers to offer accessible services. Electronic commerce is explicitly mentioned – so online shops generally fall under this, while pure company websites without sales functions usually do not.
For services, an exception applies to micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees and a maximum annual turnover of 2 million Euros. This exception does not apply to the sale of physical products.
Whether your case is affected depends on your business model. An agency that addresses the topic proactively and asks you the question is up-to-date. One that dismisses it hasn't been paying attention for the last two years.
9. Who will actually work on my project?
The managing director is in the sales meeting, but the work is done by a student intern or an external service provider abroad. This is not inherently bad – but you should know it before you sign.
Ask for names, for the contact person during the project, and what happens if that person leaves the company.
10. What happens if we part ways?
The most uncomfortable question, and the most revealing. A reputable agency will answer it without hesitation: You will receive a complete export of the website, all access data, and documentation of any specific features. Ideally, this is already in the contract.
If the answer sounds evasive or a "handover package" suddenly costs extra, you know where you stand.
How else to recognize a good agency
Three signals that are not in any list of questions:
They ask questions themselves. An agency that sends an offer after the first phone call without understanding your business is selling a standard package.
They sometimes decline projects. Anyone who accepts every project either has too little work or too little specialization. "For what you have in mind, WordPress is not the right system" is a good answer if it's true.
Their offer is itemized. A lump sum of 14,500 Euros without a breakdown cannot be compared or negotiated. Items with effort estimates can.
The practical process
Get three offers, no more. More offers don't lead to a better decision, just more appointments. Give all three the same description of your project – otherwise, you're comparing apples and oranges.
If the offers are far apart, it's usually not a price difference, but a performance difference. Ask the cheapest and the most expensive provider what exactly they understood differently. The answers will tell you more about your own request than about the agencies.
Sources
All information last checked on September 8, 2026.
- W3Techs: WordPress Usage Statistics – Market share of all websites and the CMS market, updated daily
- web.dev: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Thresholds and measurement methodology of Core Web Vitals
- Bundesfachstelle Barrierefreiheit: The Accessibility Strengthening Act – Scope, effective date, exceptions for micro-enterprises
- freelancermap: Hourly rates for IT freelancers, Freelancer Compass 2026 – Median hourly rate for software and web development
The mentioned project prices and maintenance costs are empirical values from the German agency market, not collected data.