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Agency Scorecard

Is your agency any good?

Check each box that applies to your current or prospective agency. We'll score them against 20 criteria.

Technical Capability

SEO Competence

Business Practices

Red Flags (Reverse Scored)

How the agency scorecard works

1

Check the criteria

Twenty criteria across four categories: Technical Capability, SEO Competence, Business Practices, and Red Flags. Check each box that describes your current or prospective agency. Be honest, the value of this tool depends on accurate input.

2

Score four dimensions

Each positive category earns points for checked items. The Red Flags category is reverse-scored, checking a red flag means your agency exhibits that behavior, which reduces their overall score. This ensures bad practices are penalized, not rewarded.

3

Get targeted advice

Below your score, you'll see specific recommendations based on which categories had gaps. A low Technical Capability score triggers different advice than a low Business Practices score. The recommendations are actionable, things you can raise with your agency this week.

Why vetting your agency prevents expensive mistakes

The wrong agency costs you twice: once for the project that doesn't meet expectations, and again for the rebuild with someone else. We've been on both sides of this equation, we've inherited projects from agencies that delivered beautiful designs on top of unmaintainable code, and we've lost prospects to agencies that promised the moon at half the price then disappeared after launch.

The 20 criteria in this scorecard come from patterns we've observed across hundreds of agency engagements. Technical Capability isn't just about knowing React, it's about guaranteeing performance scores, using type-safe languages, and having CI/CD pipelines that catch errors before they reach production. SEO Competence isn't about writing blog posts, it's about implementing structured data, preserving rankings during migrations, and setting up analytics from day one. These distinctions separate agencies that build websites from agencies that build revenue-generating assets.

The red flags category deserves special attention. An agency that hides their code, builds only on one platform, or lacks staging environments isn't necessarily incompetent, they may be protecting a business model that depends on vendor lock-in. Understanding the difference between a limitation and a strategy tells you whether they're a partner or a dependency. The scorecard makes these dynamics explicit so you can make an informed decision.

Frequently asked questions

What's a good agency score?
Above 75 (Grade A or B) indicates strong fundamentals across technical skill, SEO knowledge, and business practices with minimal red flags. Between 50-75 (Grade C) means there are meaningful gaps worth discussing before committing to a contract. Below 50 (Grade D) suggests structural concerns that could lead to project problems, missed deadlines, poor performance, or vendor lock-in.
Why are red flags reverse-scored?
Red flag items describe practices you don't want to see. When you check one, it means your agency does that thing, hiding code, avoiding staging, or building only on one platform. Each checked red flag reduces the overall score. Unchecked red flags earn points because the absence of bad practices is genuinely valuable. This ensures an agency with strong positive scores but multiple red flags still gets a fair (lower) overall rating.
Should I fire my agency if they score low?
A low score is a conversation starter, not an ultimatum. Share the specific gaps and ask how they plan to address them. Many agencies are willing to add staging environments, provide code access, or implement performance monitoring when clients ask. If they're dismissive of legitimate concerns, especially around code ownership, performance guarantees, or transparency, that response tells you more than the score itself. Defensiveness about red flags is itself a red flag.
What questions should I ask before hiring an agency?
Ask for Lighthouse scores from their three most recent launches, anything consistently below 90 is a concern. Ask who owns the source code and whether you can take it to another developer without restrictions. Ask about their testing process, whether they use staging environments, and what post-launch support looks like. Request at least two client references and check their portfolio for performance metrics alongside the visual design. These questions map directly to the scorecard criteria.
Can I use this for prospective agencies during the sales process?
That's the ideal use case. Ask prospective agencies the questions implied by each criterion during your discovery call. Do they guarantee Core Web Vitals scores? Do they include technical SEO? Is pricing fixed-fee or hourly? Do they provide staging? Compare scores across 2-3 shortlisted agencies and you'll have an objective basis for your decision rather than relying on portfolio aesthetics alone.

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