What to check beyond price when hiring a website provider

Read the scope as a list of screens and tasks

Check the names and number of pages included, mobile testing, copywriting, photography, and how many post-launch edits the quote covers. Even with copywriting included, agree on an approval step for clinic staff to review medical facts and advertising language. Ask for one sample service page and one first-visit page so you can compare their content and contact paths.

Confirm operating rights and handover details

Get written confirmation of domain registration ownership, editing access, ownership of search management tools, hosting renewal, and maintenance scope. Ask in what format you can receive copy, photos, settings, and backups when the contract ends or you change providers. Check the costs and license terms of outside services such as images, fonts, or booking tools, along with the length of the agreement.

• ‘Can the clinic edit closure notices directly?’
• ‘Whose name will the domain and search management accounts be registered in?’
• ‘Which files can we get when moving the site, and what migration support is included?’

Agree on screens and evidence to review before launch

Test on a phone together to confirm that patients can open service information, hours, directions, and inquiry options. If the scope includes search work, request records of ownership verification, checks on key URLs, sitemap review, and crawler access. If structured data is included, confirm it matches the operational information shown on the site.

If AI search checks are included, ask for records showing the platform, prompts, dates, number of repeats, and assessment criteria. Clinic name mentions, recommendations, citations of your own site, factual accuracy, and visits each require different evidence. List the verifiable work and reports in the quote so you can check them at handover.