Most web design agencies will tell you they "do SEO." Fewer will tell you whether they're actually building for the search landscape that exists right now, one where AI-generated answers increasingly sit above the traditional results, and where a growing share of research happens inside a chat interface rather than a search bar at all.
Questions worth asking before you sign
"Do you build structured data into every site, or only if I ask?"
Schema markup should be a default part of any build in 2026, not an optional add-on. If an agency treats it as an afterthought, that's a reasonable signal about how seriously they've adapted to the current search environment.
"How do you think about AI search citation, separately from Google ranking?"
These are related but distinct goals. An agency that can clearly explain the difference, and has a plan for both, is thinking about the problem correctly. One that just says "we do SEO" without distinguishing the two probably hasn't updated their process.
"What does your post-launch process actually look like?"
A website is a starting point, not a finished product. Search algorithms change, AI models get retrained, and competitors adjust. An agency with no answer for "what happens in month four" is planning to hand you a static asset and disappear.
"Can I see how you use AI tools in your own delivery process?"
There's a difference between an agency that talks about AI in sales conversations and one that's actually integrated it into how they research, draft, and optimise content day to day. Ask to see it, not just hear about it.
The hybrid model, done properly
The agencies getting the best outcomes right now aren't purely human, and they aren't purely AI-automated either. The strongest model pairs human strategic judgement and design intuition with AI-accelerated execution, using AI to move faster on research, drafting, and technical optimisation, while keeping a person accountable for whether the output is actually good and actually right for your brand.
That's the model we run at Aspian. If you want to see what it looks like in practice before committing to anything, our AI Readiness assessment gives you a genuinely useful read on where your own business stands, no sales call required to see the result.
