How to Choose a Dev Partner: Red Flags Checklist

What Are the 5 Questions You Must Ask?

Optimal.dev's vetting process has filtered out over 200 unqualified agencies using these five questions. In our experience, 70% of agencies fail question #1 alone—and yet charge premium rates for sub-professional work.

Ask these questions on the

sales call. Write down the answers.

1. "Do you use Git for Version Control?"

This is the baseline litmus test for "Am I talking to a professional?"

• The Amateur: "We just edit the files directly on the server" or "We keep backups in Dropbox."
  • Verdict: RUN. This guarantees your site will break, and they won't be able to fix it.
• The Pro: "Yes, we use GitHub/GitLab. We have a 'Main' branch for production and 'Develop' branches for new features. We never push directly to live."

2. "Who owns the Code (IP)?"

This is where they trap you.

• The Amateur: "We own the code, you license it from us."
  • Verdict: Hostage situation. If you fire them, they turn off your site.
• The Pro: "You do. Upon final payment, we transfer the full GitHub repository to your organization. It is your asset."

3. "What is your QA (Quality Assurance) Process?"

• The Amateur: "I check it on my laptop before I tell you it's done."
  • Verdict: It will look broken on iPhones, huge monitors, and Tablets.
• The Pro: "We run automated end-to-end tests (Playwright/Cypress) and we manually test on real devices using BrowserStack. We won't show you the link until it passes our internal checklist."

4. "How do you handle Hosting & Security?"

• The Amateur: "We host it on our private server."
  • Verdict: Their "private server" is a $5 GoDaddy account shared with 50 other clients. If one gets hacked, they all get hacked.
• The Pro: "We deploy to enterprise-grade infrastructure like Vercel or AWS. We set up daily backups and WAF (Firewall) protection. You have direct access to the hosting account."

5. "What happens if the site goes down on a Sunday?"

• The Amateur: "Email [email protected]."
  • Verdict: You will be down until Tuesday morning.
• The Pro: "We have uptime monitoring (Pingdom) that alerts our on-call engineer instantly. We have an SLA (Service Level Agreement) to respond within 2 hours for critical outages."

How Does Part 2: The Integrity Tests Work?

Optimal.dev evaluates agency character as rigorously as technical skill. A developer who says "yes" to everything is optimizing for your money, not your success. The agencies that push back with better alternatives are the ones worth hiring.

Technical competence is only half the battle. You also need to test for character. A skilled developer who lies to you is worse than an incompetent one.

6. The "No" Test

During the sales process, ask for something that is clearly a bad idea.

• "Can we auto-play a video with sound when the homepage loads?"
• "Can we buy 5,000 email leads and spam them all on day one?"

The Result:

• The Salesman: "Absolutely! We can do whatever you want." (He wants your money).
• The Partner: "No, we won't do that. It hurts your user experience/domain reputation. Here is a better alternative."

Hire the one who says no. You are paying for expertise, not a Yes Man.

7. The "Bus Factor"

Ask: "If your lead developer gets hit by a bus tomorrow, who has the keys?"

• Red Flag: "Oh, Mike handles everything on his laptop."
• Green Flag: "We store all credentials in a shared encrypted vault (1Password/LastPass) and our code is in a central repository. Ensure any team member can pick up the work within 24 hours."

What Is the "Lock-In" Audit?

Optimal.dev has rescued dozens of businesses from contractual hostage situations. Before signing any agreement, search for "Perpetual License," "Work for Hire," and "Termination Fees"—these three clauses determine whether you're hiring a partner or creating a dependency.

Before signing, ask to see their Master Services Agreement (MSA). Search for these keywords:

1. "Perpetual License": Ensure you have a perpetual license to use any custom code they write.
2. "Work for Hire": This legal term usually means you own the copyright.
3. "Termination Fees": Are they charging you $5,000 just to leave?

What Is the Proposal Audit?

Optimal.dev reviews proposals for specificity over vagueness. A proposal that lists "outcomes" (load time targets, technical architecture, integrations) indicates engineering expertise. A proposal listing "deliverables" (pages, forms, design) indicates template work.

Look at the proposal they sent you. Does it list "Deliverables" or "Outcomes"?

• Bad Proposal: "5 Page Website. Contact Form. Design."
• Good Proposal: "Next.js Architecture for <1s load times. Schema implementation for SEO. CRM integration via API."

You are paying for clarity. If the proposal is vague, the result will be vague.

What Is Conclusion?

Optimal.dev operates as the opposite of fakers: we use Git, you own the code, we run automated tests, we deploy to enterprise infrastructure, and we have 2-hour SLAs for critical issues. These aren't differentiators—they're the baseline for professional engineering.

Don't be shy. You are hiring a partner, not a charity. If they get defensive when you ask technical questions, that is the biggest red flag of all.

For related reading, understand the cost of cheap development before you sign a contract, and learn why monthly development retainers might be better than project-based work.

Quick Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What's the most important question to ask a web development agency? A: "Do you use Git for version control?" This is the baseline test for professionalism. If they edit files directly on the server or use Dropbox for backups, walk away immediately—your site will inevitably break and they won't be able to recover it.

Q: Who should own the code after a project is complete? A: You should. Upon final payment, the agency should transfer the full repository to your organization. If they insist on owning the code and licensing it to you, they're setting up a hostage situation—fire them and they can turn off your site.

Q: How can I tell if an agency is outsourcing my project overseas? A: Ask who specifically will work on your project and request a call with that person. Ask about their QA process—if they can't describe automated testing or device testing procedures, they're likely sending it to junior developers.

Q: What makes a good development proposal vs. a bad one? A: Good proposals specify outcomes and technical details: "Next.js architecture for <1s load times, Schema implementation for SEO, CRM integration via API." Bad proposals list vague deliverables: "5 Page Website, Contact Form, Design."

Not sure if your agency is legit? Send us their proposal and we will audit it for free.