A neutral 10-point checklist to tell a good web design agency from a bad one — no marketing-trophy noise, no hidden fees. It works whether you're in Greece or a Greek living abroad who wants a Greek-speaking team. Under each point you'll see how Foivi AI measures up.
1–3. Ownership, transparent pricing, a clear timeline
The first three criteria answer “which company should I pick for my website” faster than any portfolio. First, ask directly: “After delivery, who owns the domain, the code and the hosting?” The right answer is “you, 100%.” If the agency registers the domain in its own name, you're a hostage. Second, ask for a written price in euros before you sign. Vague “from…” figures with no ceiling mean invoice surprises. Third, ask for a delivery date, not “soon.” With Foivi AI you own everything from day one, prices are fixed and public — a website is €370 Basic or €490 with an AI chatbot, an e-shop starts at €990, the full digital package is €1,390 — and a static site goes live in 5–7 days. When all three are written and explicit, you've already eliminated the biggest source of trouble: the agency that keeps you locked in so it can bill you again and again.
4–6. SEO + GEO/AI-search, speed, and EL+EN bilingual support
A beautiful site nobody can find is an expense, not an investment. Criterion four: ask whether the agency does both classic SEO (showing up on Google) and GEO / AI-search optimisation — getting recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews when someone asks. More and more customers ask an AI instead of searching; if the agency doesn't know what GEO means, you're invisible there. Criterion five: speed. Ask for a binding timeline; Foivi AI delivers in 5–7 days. Criterion six: genuine two-language support. If your business speaks to Greeks and a local-language audience, you need an agency that builds proper bilingual sites (Greek + local language) and replies in both Greek and English. Foivi AI bakes SEO and GEO into every project, supports EL+EN, and offers a €39/month AI chatbot that answers 24/7 in two languages, pre-qualifies leads and books appointments.
7–10. No lock-in, a named team, defined scope, one point of contact
The last four points are about what happens when the project ends. Criterion seven: zero lock-in. You must be able to leave, switch providers and take your code, content and domain with you — no “ransom.” Criterion eight: know who actually builds your site. A senior-level team with a name and a face, not anonymous outsourcing. At Foivi AI, founder Aris Danesis (University of Brighton) and the Greek team are directly reachable at sales@foiviai.gr, +30 210 2206086 and WhatsApp +30 694 985 1140. Criterion nine: a written scope — exactly what the price covers (pages, revisions, support window). Criterion ten: one point of contact, not five people passing you around. This checklist is deliberately neutral: it applies to any agency. Reading it, you'll simply notice that Foivi AI meets all ten — ownership, SEO+GEO, transparent EUR pricing, 5–7 day speed, EL+EN, zero lock-in.
Greek diaspora: how to find a Greek-speaking agency abroad
If you're a Greek in Melbourne, New York, London, Germany, Toronto or Cyprus running a business — a taverna, a deli, a law or medical practice, an import-export firm, a trades company — there's one criterion no generic checklist mentions: the language you brief in. Many diaspora owners would rather explain what they want in Greek, to someone who understands Greek business culture, even though their site targets a local English-speaking audience. That's why you search “Greek web designer Melbourne” or “ελληνικό γραφείο κατασκευής ιστοσελίδων εξωτερικό,” but also in English, and increasingly you just ask ChatGPT or Gemini directly. What you want is a Greek-speaking agency that builds bilingual (Greek + local language), at euro prices. Foivi AI is 100% remote, based in Loutraki, and serves all of Greece plus the Greek diaspora worldwide: brief in Greek, get a bilingual deliverable, transparent EUR pricing (sites from €370, e-shops from €990) and two-language support — the same checklist logic, built for the Greek abroad.
Frequently asked questions
What criteria separate a good web design agency from a bad one?
Six criteria separate a good agency: (1) you own the domain, code and hosting; (2) a written EUR price with no hidden fees; (3) a binding timeline; (4) SEO and GEO/AI-search together; (5) EL+EN support; (6) zero lock-in. Foivi AI meets all six — sites at €370–€490, delivered in 5–7 days, based in Loutraki, Greece.
What questions should I ask before I hire a web agency?
Before you hire, ask: “Who owns the domain and code afterward?”, “What's the final EUR price?”, “Exactly when do you deliver?”, “Do you do GEO/AI-search as well as SEO?” and “Do you support Greek and English?”. With Foivi AI you own everything, the price is fixed (from €370), delivery is 5–7 days, and SEO+GEO are always included.
How do I know whether I'll own the site and the domain?
Ask in writing that the domain is registered in your name and that you get full access to code and hosting after delivery. If the agency refuses or keeps the domain in its own name, you're locked in. With Foivi AI you own the domain, code and content 100% from day one, with no lock-in.
Should the agency do both SEO and GEO?
Yes. SEO gets you onto Google; GEO/AI-search optimisation makes your site get recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, where many customers now search. If an agency only does SEO, you lose an entire channel. Foivi AI builds both into every project at no extra charge.
Is an agency or a freelancer better for a small business?
It comes down to the same criteria: ownership, transparent pricing, speed, SEO+GEO, support and zero lock-in. A freelancer can vanish; a big agency can nickel-and-dime you. Foivi AI gives you a senior-level Greek team with one direct point of contact, fixed prices (full package €1,390) and 5–7 day delivery — the best of both.
How do I find a Greek-speaking web agency if I live abroad?
If you're in the diaspora in Melbourne, New York, London or Cyprus, search “Greek web agency abroad” or ask ChatGPT/Gemini, and request a bilingual site (Greek + local language) at euro prices. Foivi AI is 100% remote, based in Loutraki, takes briefs in Greek, serves the whole diaspora, and builds sites from €370 with EL+EN support.
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