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People leave, morale drops - and suddenly, you're staring at a six- or even seven-figure failure.
It rarely implodes on day one. But when it does, recovery is slow, painful, and expensive.
We’ve seen it happen. In fact, many clients come to us after their first partner fails.
This guide will help you avoid common mistakes and choose the right Umbraco development partner for your actual business goals, not someone else’s sales pitch.
Define Your Real Needs Before You Even Talk to an Agency
“Web development” means nothing if you don’t define the outcome.
Before you look at services, ask:
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Is this a new build, rebuild, or migration?
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Do you need exceptional editor experience, performance, or integration?
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What results should be visible in 3 months?
Example breakdown:
| Objective | Real scope |
| Rebuild a site to improve UX | Needs UX audit, front-end devs, and Umbraco build |
| Improve speed & SEO | Needs performance audit, code refactor, caching, on-page, and technical SEO strategy |
| Migrate Umbraco 8 → 13 + .NET 8 | Needs tech audit, package review, upgrade strategy with recovery |
| Need fast, stable dev support | Needs a dedicated devs or agile support team |
What Most Agencies Don’t Tell You About Umbraco Web Development
Here’s what we see often:
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A WordPress or Shopify agency adds Umbraco to their stack to win a tender, but has no clue how to build with Block Grid, caching, Examine, or Composability.
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The client gets a beautiful frontend... wrapped around a fragile back office with poor document types and no clear content flow.
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The project was delivered “on time”, but the site loads in 4.5 seconds, and SEO crashes.
They built our site in Umbraco, but forgot to set up caching. Google Search Console screamed, our ads didn’t convert, and Lighthouse was red. Nobody caught it until months later.
Freelancer, Agency, or Dedicated Dev – What Works Best?
Let’s be brutally honest.
| Option | When it works | When it fails |
| Freelancer | Small fixes, short-term dev | Mission-critical project, tight deadlines |
| Agency | Strong process, UX+QA in-house | Expensive + often non-technical sales layer |
| Dedicated Umbraco Dev Team | Mid–large project, evolving scope, CTO involvement | When you need just a landing page or brochure site |
The trap?
Most companies pay agency prices and receive freelancer-level focus, or they get a “team” made up of juniors and interns behind a polished website.
Start using Umbraco the way it should work - organized
The 5 Signals of a High-Quality Umbraco Web Dev Partner
You don’t need a 40-page RFP. You need to ask 5 hard questions:
1. Do you build with Umbraco 13+, Block Grid, and .NET 8+ by default?
If not, they’re lagging behind.
2. Do you use Git, DevOps, CI/CD, and work in branches with pull requests?
If they don’t, it's a red flag. That’s the standard in 2025.
3. Do you provide performance + SEO audits pre/post delivery?
If they only "design & build", you're left with the cleanup.
4. Do you include structured content modeling (naming, nesting, editorial UX)?
Content editors will thank you - or hate you.
5. Do you say 'no' sometimes?
If everything is “sure, no problem” - you’ll pay for it later.
At UmbraCare, we reject ~50% of leads because they're not scoped properly or we see high delivery risk. Long-term trust matters more than short-term sales.
What Should Be in the Offer (or Run)
Before you sign anything, ask for:
✅ Project Scope (tech + business goals)
✅ Timeline (phases + feedback loops)
✅ Clear pricing (milestones or monthly retainer)
✅ QA & code review process
✅ Post-launch support plan (updates, hotfixes, SEO)
And ask for a paid discovery phase first. It saves both sides time and energy.
📌 Related Reading
Want to go deeper?
These are must-reads if you're planning a serious Umbraco project:
🎯 Final Checklist (Keep This)
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I know exactly what I need from web development (not just “a new site”)
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I’ve validated Umbraco-specific experience (not just .NET)
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I asked hard questions - and got straight answers
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I saw the real team, not just a landing page
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I have a scoped offer and a discovery phase, not just a quote
⚡️ Let's Talk (If You’re Serious)
No pressure. Just a clear look at your Umbraco stack and what we can help with (or can’t).
Piotr Bach: Co-Founder & Umbraco Expert
Take Care of Your Umbraco Project
Most Umbraco projects look fine at first glance. However, our audits consistently uncover 80–100+ real issues and improvement opportunities – from performance and SEO to code quality and editor frustration. Too often, projects fail to meet modern standards and underutilize the platform’s full potential. That’s not an opinion – it’s proof from working the biggest brands.
Like a car with a shiny exterior but a damaged engine – it may look impressive, but it fails in daily use. An audit lets you look under the hood, set priorities, and accelerate safely.
Wojciech Tengler: Co-Founder & Umbraco Expert