What a website portfolio shows and what it hides
A portfolio is a shop window, and shop windows hold the best items. It reveals the designers' taste, the types of solutions the team knows and the range of experience: online stores, landing pages, corporate sites, services with user accounts. What it does not reveal is how long a project really took, how revisions were handled, what happened after launch and whether the site paid for itself.
So treat a website portfolio as a starting point for a conversation, not as proof of quality. Your job is to work out from a few projects how the team thinks, then test that with questions.
What to check when you open a live site
Screenshots are easy to polish in an editor, so open the site yourself, and do it on your phone. Most visitors coming from Instagram, Telegram or OLX use smartphones, so that is where the site has to work first.
- Loading speed on mobile data rather than office Wi-Fi, since connections outside Tashkent can be unstable.
- The first screen: within a few seconds it should be clear what is offered and what to do next.
- The path to an enquiry: how many steps to a call, a form or a Telegram bot.
- Language versions: Uzbekistan often needs both Uzbek and Russian, and the translations should read naturally, not like machine output.
- Payments in online stores: are Click and Payme connected, and are ordering and delivery easy to follow.
- Small details: do all links work, does the layout hold on different screens, are there leftover placeholder texts.
Questions to ask the developer
Once a few projects look promising, start talking. A good studio answers specifically and does not mind being checked.
- What problem did the client have, and how did you solve it? "It looks great" is not an answer.
- Who on the team built this project, and do they still work with you?
- What is the site built on, and can I edit texts, prices and products without a programmer?
- Who owns the domain, hosting and source code after handover?
- What happens after launch: who fixes bugs and takes on further changes?
- Can I speak to a client from the portfolio?
Red flags in a portfolio
The first warning sign is sameness: every project is one template with a different logo. That can be fine for a small landing page, but if you are promised a custom design, the variety should be visible.
The second is images without links to working sites, or links that lead to pages that no longer open or have not been updated in years. The third is a promise of results before anyone has studied your market, such as "we will put you on the first page of Google by a set date". An honest team asks about your customers and product first and talks about outcomes later.
A good-looking site is a tool, not the goal
A site exists to bring enquiries and sales. Before work starts, agree how you will measure that: number of leads, cost per enquiry, the share of visitors who reach payment. This needs analytics running from day one: counters, goals on buttons and forms, tracking of calls and clicks into messengers.
Without it, a few months later you cannot say whether the development paid off or the money was simply spent. Ask the studio whether analytics setup is part of the scope. If a portfolio project cannot show numbers because of confidentiality, the team should still be able to explain what they measured and which decisions the data led to.
What a website price is made of
Two quotes for a "website" can differ widely simply because they include different things. The total depends on the project type (landing page, catalogue, online store), custom design versus a ready template, and the scope of features: user accounts, Click and Payme, CRM or accounting integrations, a Telegram bot. Priced separately are the number of languages, copywriting and photography, basic SEO setup and support after launch.
Ask for a breakdown by stage and compare what is included, not just the final sum. A very low quote usually means part of the work is simply not mentioned.
Putting the portfolio to work
Shortlist a few studios, open two projects from each that are close to your niche, run through the checklist on your phone and ask the questions above. Then request a proposal with stages and timelines instead of a single line with a total.
The markdev team builds websites in Uzbekistan end to end, from structure and design to analytics and launch. If you want to talk through your own task and work out what kind of site your business needs, get in touch and we will look at it together.
FAQ
What should a good website portfolio include?
Links to working projects, the client's problem, what exactly the team did and what changed after launch. Screenshots with no context say very little.
Does the portfolio need to include sites from my industry?
Not necessarily. What matters is that the team understands tasks like yours: collecting leads, selling from a catalogue, booking a service. Experience in a neighbouring niche often works just as well.
How can I check that the studio really built the sites it shows?
Ask who on the team was responsible for each project, request a look at the admin panel or work history and, if possible, speak with the site owner.
Is it safe to hire a team with a small portfolio?
It can be, if the contract is split into stages with clear deliverables and you pay as work is completed. Start with a small task and see how the team communicates and keeps its commitments.
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