Hiring a digital marketing agency: what to look for

The short answer

Hire an agency that starts with your goals instead of colours, breaks its quote down item by item and confirms in writing that domain, access and usage rights belong to you. Send a one-page briefing beforehand so you get comparable quotes.

The contract should cover at least: usage rights, domain and hosting, data processing, accessibility, acceptance, maintenance and what happens when the collaboration ends. You'll find both templates below to work through.

The choice of agency often decides more about a project's success than the budget. This article takes you through the selection, from the first warning sign to the contract points that only become important after launch. The legal points refer to German law, where we work. The article doesn't replace legal advice. For contract questions, a quick look from a lawyer pays off.

How do you spot an unsuitable agency?

• Only screenshots, no results. A portfolio full of pretty pictures without a single figure is a warning sign. Good references show what was there before, what was changed and what happened afterwards.
• The conversation starts with colours and fonts instead of goals, target group and the path to the enquiry. Design without strategy is decoration.
• Conspicuously cheap flat prices without a breakdown. Usually there's a template behind it, or extra charges during the project.
• No clear statement on access rights. If it stays open who owns the domain, hosting and CMS, you'll be dependent later.
• No fixed contact person, only a ticket system. For a project of this size you need one person who can make decisions.

A reference with figures looks like this, for example: at Batteriecenter Ludwigsburg we name the starting point, measures and time period. From April to August 2026 visitors there rose by 521 %. Where there are no figures, as in the relaunch of Hotel Zuckerfabrik, the agency should at least show before and after concretely.

Which questions do you ask in the first call?

About the process

• How does the project run from kickoff to launch, and who is responsible in which phase?
• How many feedback rounds are planned in the design?
• What happens if the scope changes during the project?

About the result

• Can you show me two or three references with measurable results, not just pictures?
• How do you handle SEO/GEO fundamentals during implementation?
• Which load time and Core Web Vitals targets are part of the project?

About the time after launch

• Can I change content myself, or do I need you for that?
• Who takes care of security updates and backups?
• Do I get full access to hosting, domain and CMS?

Pay less attention to the perfect answer than to the way it's answered. An agency that dodges the third question will do the same in the project.

What belongs in a good briefing?

A briefing is the fastest way to comparable quotes. Without a briefing every agency calculates with different assumptions. Then you're comparing apples with oranges. One page is enough. You can fill in this template right away:

• Starting point: what exists today? Link to the current site, CMS, what bothers you concretely?
• Goal: one measurable main goal, e.g. "more enquiries for service X" or "online bookings instead of phone".
• Target group: who should enquire? Industry, role, region, typical questions before buying.
• Scope: approximate number of pages, languages, shop yes or no, functions such as booking or forms.
• Content: who supplies copy, photos and logos? Is there a brand guideline?
• Technology: preferred CMS, interfaces (CRM, newsletter, booking system), who hosts today.
• Frame: budget range, preferred launch date, who decides on your side.
• Examples: two sites you like and one you don't, each with a reason.

Feel free to name a budget range. It helps the agency propose a suitable scope instead of guessing. Realistic ranges for the Stuttgart region are in the article on the price range 2026.

How is a serious quote structured?

A reliable quote breaks down concept, design, development, copy, CMS setup and SEO setup individually. It names a schedule with milestones, not just an end date. And it says what happens after launch: a maintenance contract, an hourly rate for changes or a complete handover to your team.

Also check what isn't in it. If hosting, ongoing licences or redirects for old URLs are missing, they'll turn up later as an addendum. For comparison: for an SME project with 5–12 pages and no shop we plan 4 weeks from the completed briefing. A shop or several languages take longer.

What has to be in the contract?

After launch, the negotiating power shifts noticeably to the agency. What isn't in writing is then hard to enforce. This checklist covers the points we most often see left unregulated in practice:

• Usage rights: which rights you get to design, copy, code and images: simple or exclusive, unlimited in time and territory, including editing. Without an explicit rule, under German law the scope depends on the purpose of the contract (§ 31(5) UrhG) [1]. In a dispute that often means fewer rights than you think.
• Third-party material: who holds the licences for stock photos, fonts and plugins, and whether they can be transferred to you.
• Domain: the domain is registered to your company as owner, not to the agency.
• Hosting & access: who hosts, what it costs, and that you get all admin access: hosting, CMS, analytics, Search Console.
• Data processing: if the agency processes personal data on your behalf, for example via hosting or forms, you need a contract under Art. 28 GDPR [2].
• Accessibility: whether the site falls under the BFSG and which standard is implemented (see next section).
• Acceptance: how acceptance works and which deadline applies. Caution: under German law, if the agency sets a reasonable deadline and you don't refuse acceptance stating at least one defect, the work is deemed accepted (§ 640(2) BGB) [3].
• Maintenance & response time: updates, backups and a concrete response time for outages, not just "as soon as possible".
• Changes: an hourly rate or monthly allowance for change requests after launch.
• Exit: what happens when the collaboration ends: handover of code, database, logins and documentation, with a deadline.

These points belong in the contract, not in a verbal promise. A good agency has no problem with that. Many already have a template for it.

Does your website have to be accessible?

Since 28 June 2025 the Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG), Germany's implementation of the European Accessibility Act, has applied in Germany. Among other things it covers "services in electronic commerce" for consumers [4]. This means offers on websites and in apps aimed at concluding a consumer contract [5]. Typical examples are online shops and booking flows.

There's an important exception. Micro-enterprises that offer services are exempt from the obligation [6]. Micro-enterprise means: fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of no more than €2 million [5]. Violations can be punished with fines of up to €100,000 [7].

What does that mean for your project? A pure B2B business-card site without a consumer contract usually isn't covered. A shop for private customers or online booking for guests can be. Clarify the question before the quote, because retrofitting accessibility is more expensive than planning it in. And regardless of the law: good contrast, real headings and usable forms help every visitor.

How do you notice during the project that something is going wrong?

Attention pays off after signing too. We see three patterns again and again:

• Scope creep without a price adjustment. More and more extras are promised "for free". That rarely goes well and usually takes its toll on quality.
• No interim results for weeks. A healthy project regularly shows what's being worked on.
• Suddenly only junior contacts without decision-making authority. Then ask directly who is responsible.

None of these is automatically a reason to stop. But each deserves a direct question while there's still time.

The most important question before signing

In our experience, an agency that answers these questions clearly is the more reliable partner. That also applies if one answer is: "You can do that yourself." The most important question is rarely "How much does it cost?". It's: "What happens if something doesn't go as planned?"