Web agency in Albania: how to choose one and which questions to ask before signing
“Website for 200 euros, ready in three days” and “360° digital strategy” are both ways of not saying what will really be done. A good offer has a list, a fixed price and the name of a responsible person.
What a web agency does
Websites and online shops, SEO (Google ranking), Google Ads, social media and Meta ads, email marketing, branding, photo and video, maintenance. Some do everything, some only part. Important: know what you need before asking, or ask an agency that helps you understand with a free analysis.
Question 1: who will work on my project
The name of the contact person, who writes the texts, who builds the site, who manages the ads. In many “agencies” it is one person doing everything averagely; in others everything is subcontracted out. Both can work, but you should know.
Question 2: show me three similar jobs
Real sites online, not mockups. In your sector or similar. With results: how many enquiries, which positions, what changed. If they cannot show you anything, you are the first client: that can be fine, but the price must reflect it.
Question 3: what the offer contains, line by line
The number of pages, languages, who writes the texts, photos, forms, basic SEO (titles, descriptions, speed), the Google profile, training to update it yourself, maintenance, hosting. For SEO and ads: hours, activities, reports. An offer without a list cannot be compared and creates arguments in month three.
Question 4: in whose name are the domain, site and accounts
Everything must be in your name: domain, hosting, site and code, ad accounts, Google profile, social pages. The agency has access, not ownership. If you change agency, everything stays yours. An agency that refuses this holds you hostage.
Question 5: how will I measure the result
For a site: enquiries from the form and WhatsApp, Google positions, speed. For SEO: searches, positions, clicks, enquiries every month. For ads: cost per enquiry, bookings. For social: messages and bookings. A monthly report readable by the owner. Whoever does not measure cannot tell you whether it works.
Question 6: what happens after launch
A site needs maintenance: updates, security, backups, small changes. Who does it, what it costs, how fast they reply. A site left alone after launch gets hacked or loses positions within the year. The offer must say what happens in month thirteen.
Question 7: which languages do you work in
For Albanian businesses with foreign clients: Albanian, Italian, English written, not machine-translated. Ask who writes in each language. A badly written Italian site does more damage than a site without Italian.
Warning signs
A very low price with no list. “We guarantee first place on Google” (nobody can). Domain in the agency’s name. No reports. A multi-year contract with no exit. Sites made from the same template for everyone. Machine-translated texts. Bought followers and reviews. Whoever does not answer your email before you are a client will not answer after either.
Real costs
A presentation site in three languages: a one-off investment plus monthly maintenance. SEO: a monthly fee for at least six months. Google Ads and Meta: a management fee plus the budget that goes to the platform. Social: a monthly fee by band. Prices vary; what must not vary is that every price has its list and that the cheapest quote does not include texts, languages and maintenance.
How to compare two offers
With the same list. Ask both agencies to offer the same things (pages, languages, texts, basic SEO, 12 months’ maintenance). Compare the total for the same list, not totals of different lists. Add: ownership, reports, references, reply time. Choose whoever answers all the questions, not whoever has the lowest price.
Local, Italian or international agency
Local: knows the market, prices and language, can visit the business. Italian or foreign: a consolidated method, higher cost, often does not know the Albanian market. The good choice: an agency working in Albania with the method of more mature markets and speaking your clients’ languages. Ask where its clients are and how it works with them.
What to expect after signing
A plan with phases and dates. A contact person. Your approvals on structure, design and texts. A tested launch. Training. The first report after 30 days. If in the first month you have seen none of these, you chose wrongly: do not wait for month six.
How we work, for comparison
A free analysis of site, social, Google profile and competitors: we tell you what we would do and in what order, with no obligation. A fixed-price offer with a line-by-line list. Domain, site and accounts in your name. One contact person. Your approvals on structure, design and texts. Texts written in Albanian, Italian and English, not translated. A readable monthly report. Based in Vlorë, clients across Albania and abroad, remote work with meetings when needed. We do not say it as advertising: we say it so you have a checklist for anyone you ask.
Frequently asked questions
What does a website cost in Albania?
It depends on pages, languages, texts and maintenance. Ask for an offer with a list and a fixed price.
Must I own the domain?
Yes, always. It is the first question to ask.
How long does a site take?
Four to eight weeks for a presentation site in three languages with written texts.
How do I know if SEO works?
From the monthly report: searches, positions, clicks, enquiries. Without a report you do not know.