How to choose a digital agency in Lebanon: 7 questions to ask

Why the standard evaluation criteria fail

Lebanese businesses typically choose digital agencies in one of two ways: they look at the portfolio and decide it looks good, or they compare prices and choose the cheapest option that seems credible. Both approaches routinely produce bad outcomes.

A portfolio tells you what an agency can produce in controlled conditions when they're selecting their best work. It tells you almost nothing about how they communicate, how they handle problems, whether they deliver on time, or whether their work actually achieves business outcomes.

Price tells you even less. A cheap agency might be cheap because they use junior talent, cut corners on strategy, or run template-based processes that look custom but aren't. An expensive agency might be charging a premium for a brand name that doesn't translate to better results for your business.

Here are 7 questions that will give you a much clearer picture of what you're actually buying.

1. Can you show me results, not just deliverables?

Every agency can show you screenshots of websites they've built. Ask instead for specific business outcomes: "What happened to this client's organic traffic after you launched their website?" "How did conversion rates change after the redesign?" "What did this campaign actually generate in leads or sales?"

An agency that has produced real results for clients will be able to answer these questions specifically. An agency that hasn't will pivot back to the portfolio. The pivot is your answer.

2. Who will actually be working on my account?

This is one of the most important questions Lebanese business owners don't ask. Many agencies pitch senior people and deliver junior people. You meet the founders, sign the contract, and find yourself emailing with a recent graduate who's managing ten accounts simultaneously.

Ask explicitly: "Who is the day-to-day contact on my account? Can I meet them before we sign?" Good agencies will welcome this question. Agencies that deflect it are telling you something.

3. How do you handle it when something goes wrong?

Every project hits problems. The difference between agencies isn't whether problems occur - they always do - it's how they're handled. Ask for a specific example: "Tell me about a project that went off-track. What happened and how did you resolve it?"

A good agency will have a clear, honest answer that demonstrates accountability and problem-solving. An agency that says their projects always go smoothly is either lying or lacks self-awareness. Both are bad signs.

4. What does success look like for my specific project, and how will you measure it?

The answer to this question reveals whether the agency thinks in terms of outputs or outcomes. "Success is a launched, functional website" is an output answer. "Success is a 30% increase in contact form submissions within 90 days of launch" is an outcome answer.

If the agency can't articulate what success looks like in measurable terms for your specific situation, they're not set up to be accountable to your results.

5. What are you not good at?

No agency is excellent at everything, and any agency that claims to be is overstating their capabilities. Ask this directly. "What's a type of project or requirement where you'd recommend going somewhere else?"

An honest answer - "We're excellent at web development but we don't run paid advertising" or "We focus on SMBs, we're not the right fit for enterprise" - indicates a trustworthy partner. Evasive answers indicate you should probe harder.

6. How does your pricing work, and what does the contract look like?

Pricing surprises are one of the most common complaints Lebanese businesses have about their digital agencies. Understand exactly what's included, what triggers additional fees, and what the scope change process looks like.

Ask for the contract before you commit, not after. Read it. Check for: auto-renewal clauses, ownership of deliverables (do you own the website code, or does the agency?), exit terms, and what happens if either party is unhappy.

In Lebanon specifically, also clarify: how are currency fluctuations handled? Is pricing in USD, LBP, or a dollar-equivalent? What are the payment terms?

7. Can I speak to two current clients?

References are underused in Lebanese business relationships. Most people don't ask for them. Agencies who rarely get asked are rarely prepared to facilitate honest ones.

Ask for two references - ideally clients who have worked with the agency for more than six months, and ideally in a similar industry to yours. Speak to them directly. Ask: "Would you hire them again? What would you do differently? What didn't go as expected?"

A strong reference call will give you more accurate information about working with the agency than all the portfolio reviews and proposal decks combined.

One more thing: trust your read on the relationship

Digital agency partnerships work best when there's mutual respect, clear communication, and shared commitment to the outcome. If the sales process felt pressured, if your questions were deflected, if the proposal arrived without the agency understanding your business - these are signals about how the working relationship will feel.

You're choosing a partner, not a vendor. Take the time to choose well.

Red flags to walk away from

Some things in the sales process reliably predict problems in the working relationship. Walk away from any agency that:

Sends a proposal without understanding your business. If you receive a proposal within 48 hours of a 30-minute call, the proposal was largely pre-written. It doesn't reflect your actual situation and the agency hasn't done the thinking to understand what you actually need.

Can't explain their process clearly. If you ask "how does a project typically run with you?" and the answer is vague or varies significantly every time you ask, the agency doesn't have a real process. Projects without clear processes drift, miss deadlines, and create endless revision loops.

Promises SEO results in specific timeframes. "We'll get you to page one in 60 days" is either a lie or a shortcut that will hurt you. Organic SEO is a medium-term strategy. Any agency that promises specific search rankings in short timeframes is using tactics that won't last or is simply telling you what you want to hear.

Includes ownership clauses that favor them. Read the contract. Some Lebanese agencies include terms that give them ongoing ownership of work product, meaning if you leave, you lose the website or assets they built. Everything created for your business should be clearly yours.

Doesn't ask about your existing customers. The best digital marketing is built on understanding who's already buying from you and why. An agency that doesn't ask about your current customers before proposing a strategy is guessing at your audience.

Lebanon-specific considerations

A few practical points that are specific to working with digital agencies in Lebanon:

Currency and payment stability. Clarify upfront how pricing is set and how it's paid. Many agencies price in fresh dollars but accept LBP, or price in LBP but expect fresh USD. Make sure you understand exactly what you're agreeing to and what happens if currency conditions change significantly during the engagement.

Communication channels and response time expectations. Lebanese business relationships often happen over WhatsApp. Establish early whether the agency communicates formally (email, project management tools) or informally (WhatsApp groups), and whether that matches how you prefer to work. Mismatched communication styles cause more friction than most people expect.

What happens during disruptions. Lebanon has infrastructure challenges: power cuts, connectivity issues, and occasional broader disruptions. Good agencies have built their operations to work around these. Ask specifically: "How do you maintain continuity during power outages or connectivity disruptions?" It's a practical question that reveals how seriously they take operational reliability.

Voxire welcomes these questions - we're happy to answer all seven honestly before you decide anything.