There are many things to consider when hiring a web development agency. You need to be sure that you’re going to get the best possible service, and you want to be sure that your relationship with the agency will last as long as possible, so they can keep on building you an amazing website. To help you out with that difficult decision, we’ve compiled this list of 10 mistakes you should avoid while choosing web development companies. While it might seem like an obvious list, sometimes we think we know better than the experts, so take this advice before it’s too late!   1) Not having an agency you can trust Finding an agency you can trust isn’t just about being able to rely on them for things like timely responses, creative solutions and solid advice. It’s also about ensuring that your business is in good hands; hands you feel confident working with. The last thing you want is to put your reputation and your valuable data in someone else’s less-than-capable hands. Never settle for less than what you need – even if that means waiting until you find exactly what it is that will work best for your company before hiring anyone at all.   2) Not trusting your gut Of course, there are times when you have to go with your gut. But be aware that there’s always someone out there who can do what you need to be done better and faster than anyone else—and they probably won’t be charging top dollar. In fact, they might even be doing it as a hobby or just for fun. So, don’t write off everyone who doesn’t immediately fit your bill (just make sure you screen them well). If you find yourself wanting to talk down to an agency before meeting them in person or if your gut is telling you something isn’t right, then you might want to listen.   3) Not doing your homework While you don’t want to be so thorough that you drive away good developers, there are things you can do to get a feel for whether or not an agency is going to be a good fit. It doesn’t take long and will help weed out some of your competitors early on. Look at each developer’s website and see how their past work stacks up against what you have in mind. Be sure to look at examples of code they’ve produced, too—most web development agencies in USA will provide samples or portfolio pages where clients can see what they did for past clients. If you don’t feel comfortable with your developer team after doing a bit of research, consider hiring someone else.   4) Having unrealistic expectations No business is perfect and you should expect some level of disappointment. If you have unrealistic expectations, no matter how well your agency performs, it\'s only a matter of time before they won\'t meet them. It\'s easy to blame your agency when things go wrong, but it\'s important to be realistic about what they can deliver. If you set your expectations realistically high, then there will be more room for them to exceed your expectations. Be honest with yourself; if something isn\'t going right then be sure to communicate it in an open and constructive way as soon as possible. This way nothing gets blown out of proportion and it\'ll lead to better results all around.   5) Giving too much control to the agency Web development is an ongoing process, and most projects have lots of changes along their way. This can lead to burnout on both sides; neither you nor your developers are likely to be happy if you\'re giving them more work than they can handle. Instead, consider hiring an agency with remote developers that gives you greater control over how they do their jobs. This ensures that everyone gets what they need while reducing your workload as well. After all, why hire an agency if you\'re going to micromanage them anyway?   6) Not staying involved in the project Once you’ve hired an agency to handle your web design, development or marketing project, it’s easy to just sit back and relax. But we guarantee that’s not going to result in a successful project. In fact, there are several ways that a lack of client involvement can put your project at risk. For example, if clients don’t get involved in their projects they won’t notice when deadlines are getting pushed back or when mistakes are being made. Clients with no involvement may also not have enough input on their websites\' designs and functionality. And ultimately clients who don\'t involve themselves with their projects may not receive what they\'re expecting: High-quality work produced by professionals who know what they\'re doing, on time and within budget.   7) Letting them take over your social media channels If you want to avoid a lot of headaches, don’t let your agency take over your social media channels. What might seem like an easy shortcut at first can end up being a huge waste of time and effort on both ends. If you want to maintain tight control over your brand’s image, consider hiring someone internally or working with an agency that understands that social media management is something you do best yourself. They have enough clients already; they won’t care if they lose yours.   8) Outsourcing SEO to your web development company It\'s good practice to let your web development company take care of all aspects of your website, including SEO. But when you do so, it becomes easy for your developers to get carried away and overextend themselves; don\'t allow them to make decisions that are in their best interest rather than yours. If they suggest an SEO strategy or link-building campaign that doesn\'t align with your overall goals, have a frank conversation with them about their shortcomings and have them adjust accordingly. This will ensure they deliver on what they promise while still making sure you\'re getting exactly what you paid for.   9) Expecting great results without seeing any proof first Anyone can say they are great at what they do. That’s why it’s important to see proof of their previous work and their approach before you choose an agency for your project. Without seeing examples of their past projects, you can’t be sure how well they understand your needs or if you will get something that is beneficial to your business. Going through some questions and answers during an interview is also a good way to assess how well an agency understands what you need from them.   10) Making updates all at once It can be tempting to want to make multiple changes at once, but resist that urge! If you’re running with a static site generator, it’s easy to make multiple updates at once by adding content and then resaving your file. Doing so, however, is prone to error (and also time-consuming). Instead of changing several things at once and risking mistakes/bugs, update one thing per pass. Then retest. That way you won’t waste time fixing something that should have been right in the first place and there’s less of an opportunity for human error.   Conclusion It\'s hard to find developers you can trust. There are so many options out there that you could almost grab any one of them and hope for the best. But in reality, what you should do is to prepare yourself as much as possible before making your decision. In doing so, you\'re going to greatly increase your chances of success. Often, web development companies choose to outsource part of their development work rather than do it in-house. And while it is tempting to look for web development agencies in Canada on Google and hire whoever comes up at the top of your search results, there are some pitfalls you should avoid.   About the author: semfirms.com is a leading North American digital marketplace leader and a popular independent authority on SEM vendors. The company is growing day by day in terms of listing research conducted and authenticated reviews based on the latest business trends. The SEM Firms main aim is to identify as well as rank those firms or individuals offering the best digital marketing services throughout the world. A proficient and skilled research team examine plenty of candidates every month who want to be ranked as a top digital marketing company.