The right agency partner will help you avoid all of the above pitfalls. They will be open and honest about timelines and budgets and do their best to discover your actual problems that need to be solved. They will push back when needed and not just tickle your ears with half-truths. They will guide you through the tough decisions.

The right agency partner will also have experts in the CMS you are implementing with a proven track record. If the CMS is open-source, the agency should contribute to the code and be well-regarded in the community.

Takeaway: Don’t hire based on price alone. That’s letting budgetary concerns be the main driver of your project, setting it up for failure. The cheapest agencies will often cost you much more in the long run.