Choosing a Hospital Web Agency: Search, Maintenance and Handover

A portfolio and quote will not answer every question about a web agency. You also need to know who will change the hospital's opening hours after launch, how existing URLs will be handled in a redesign and what you will receive when the contract ends. Before signing, put the search work, the hospital's editing access and the handover materials in writing.

Check search work by page and by the evidence supplied

If an agency says it will “help the site appear in search,” ask for the actual task list. Clarify whether it covers service-page organization, page titles and descriptions, checks for settings that block search access, a sitemap and a plan for moving existing URLs. For a redesign, ask whether the agency first reviews the current URL inventory and content to keep.

Development intended to support AI search also needs concrete deliverables. Which pages will contain medical team and service information? Will important explanations exist as text rather than only in images? Can an administrator edit questions and answers? Agree the pages involved and how the work will be checked, then review what actually appears in search and AI answers separately after launch.

Explain the change your hospital wants to achieve

If booking inquiries are the priority, review the mobile journey from service information to the inquiry screen. If the aim is to explain a doctor's area of practice, links between their profile and relevant service pages matter. Let the hospital set the priorities and ask the agency to propose layouts and functions that serve them.

Google's guidance on hiring an SEO also emphasizes understanding business goals, explaining changes and their reasons, and considering search early in a new build or redesign. Look for that explanation in the proposal: what will change, and why is it needed?

Agree who will edit the site after launch and what they can access

List the updates your staff will actually need to make. If the hospital wants to update opening hours, doctor biographies, closure notices and service wording itself, the administrator interface needs to support those tasks. Ask for a demonstration during the initial discussions. Check editing text and adding pages separately; having an administrator account alone does not tell you what you can change.

For items your team cannot edit, agree the maintenance scope and request process. Check for monthly limits on the number of changes or hours of work, and whether emergencies and ordinary changes use different contact channels. Also confirm security updates, backup frequency and retention, and who handles recovery requests. Your hospital should name a content approver so medical information is still reviewed when changes are made.

Distinguish source-file handover from the right to use a service

The domain, hosting, CMS license and custom source code are separate items. Check the domain's registered holder and account access, and ask how hosting can be moved when the contract ends. With a subscription CMS, you may not receive the full source code. Confirm the content export format and any limits on moving it to another environment.

Do not assume custom development automatically transfers every file and right to the hospital either. Specify the source code to be delivered, permitted modification and reuse, and third-party license restrictions separately. Check who purchases paid fonts, photographs and plugins, and how long they may be used. List the agreed source and design files, content data, accounts and operating instructions individually in the handover checklist.

Keep a checklist to review before the final payment

Acceptance criteria should say more than “site launched.” Together, check the mobile menu and inquiry form, key service-page content, redirects for changed URLs and administrator editing functions. Mark off the accounts and files promised in the contract as you receive them. Distinguish the fault-correction period from additional requests after launch so the criteria remain available even when staff change.

If you are comparing agencies, send each the same questions and request written answers. If it is difficult to assess what is missing, gather the current website URL, operating problems and materials you need to receive, then discuss your hospital website with BlinkAd. Alongside design references, bring the search task list, the hospital team's editing requirements and the required handover documents so the discussion covers the work you need.