How to Choose a Digital Agency in Cyprus: 8 Questions to Ask

Most Cyprus businesses choose a digital agency the same way: a friend recommends someone, two or three quotes arrive, and the cheapest or most familiar one wins. Six months later the website is live, the invoices are paid, and nothing has changed in the number of enquiries. The problem was rarely the agency's talent. It was that nobody asked the right questions before signing.

Here are the eight questions that separate an agency that delivers from one that just delivers a website.

Before you ask anyone anything

Write down the outcome you want in one sentence. Not "a new website" but "twenty booking enquiries a month by spring" or "online orders from Limassol and Larnaca". Every quote you receive should be judged against that sentence. An agency that never asks what the outcome is has already told you how it measures success: by the invoice.

The eight questions

1. Can you show me a result, not a design?

Portfolios show what things look like. You want to know what they did. Ask for two examples with numbers: enquiries before and after, rankings, sales. If they cannot name one, they may never have checked. A good agency has a case studies page and is proud of it.

2. Who will actually do the work?

The person who pitches is often not the person who builds. Ask who designs, who writes, who develops, and whether any of it is subcontracted abroad. Neither answer is wrong, but you should know who to call when something breaks.

3. What do I own when it is finished?

The domain, the hosting account, the code, the design files, the Google accounts. Ask for a written answer. Some agencies keep the site on their own platform, which means leaving them means starting again. Our website ownership checklist lists exactly what to ask for.

4. What happens after launch?

A website needs hosting, security updates, backups and small changes every month. Ask what that costs, what the response time is, and what happens if you stop paying. The launch price is often the smaller number.

5. How will we measure success?

The answer should include Google Analytics and Search Console set up in your name, and a short monthly report you can read without a dictionary. "We'll send you traffic stats" is not a measurement plan.

6. What do you need from me?

An honest agency will give you a list: photos, text, prices, logins, someone who can approve things within two days. Projects run late because the client side stalls, not the agency side. If they say they need nothing, expect stock photos and filler text.

7. What is not included?

Copywriting, professional photography, Greek translation, product uploads, advertising budget, email setup. These are the items that turn a EUR 2,000 quote into a EUR 5,000 project. Ask for the exclusions in writing and compare quotes on the full list, not the headline.

8. Can I speak to a client from a year ago?

Not last month's client, who is still in the honeymoon period. Someone who has lived with the site and the support for a year. One five-minute phone call tells you more than the whole proposal.

Five red flags

• A guarantee of first place on Google. Nobody can promise that, and anyone who does will cut corners to fake it.
• No written scope. If it is not in the document, it is not in the price.
• Pressure to sign this week. A discount that expires on Friday is a sales tactic, not a business reason.
• A single price with no breakdown. You cannot compare it, and neither can they.
• Reluctance to give you admin access. Ask why. There is rarely a good answer.

Compare on three-year cost, not launch price

Add up the build, the monthly fees, the extras you will need in year one, and the cost of leaving. The cheapest quote is frequently the most expensive site once you include the parts that were left out to make it cheap.

If you would like to see how we answer these eight questions, they are the first thing we cover in a discovery call. Get in touch and bring your one-sentence outcome. That is where every good project starts.