What to actually look for in a web development partner

Most website portfolios are a wall of screenshots. Screenshots don't tell you whether the site loads fast, whether your team can update a page without filing a support ticket, or who actually owns the codebase once the project ends.

Three questions matter more than visual style: can you edit core content yourself, does the site meet a real performance bar (not just 'looks fine on my laptop'), and is the code and hosting fully yours to move if the relationship ends.

A good partner should be comfortable answering all three clearly, before you sign anything.