You need a new website.

Your current one isn't converting. Investors keep asking questions it should answer. Your Head of Growth says it's killing pipeline.

So you start looking at agencies.

And they all look the same.

Beautiful portfolios. Case studies with impressive logos. Promises about "elevating your brand" and "creating delightful experiences."

Six months later: you have a gorgeous website that converts worse than the old one.

I've watched this happen over and over. SaaS founders hire the wrong agency because they're asking the wrong questions.

Let me show you what actually matters.

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Most agencies optimize for their portfolio, not your revenue

Here's the fundamental problem:

Agencies win new business with beautiful work. So they optimize for beautiful work.

They want Awwwards. Dribbble features. Case studies that make other designers jealous.

Your goals are different. You want demos booked. Trials started. Pipeline influenced. Revenue generated.

These goals aren't always aligned.

A pretty website that doesn't convert is a cost center. A decent-looking website that drives revenue is worth 10x more.

But most agencies can't tell the difference.

Real story: A Series B company hired a prestigious agency. Six-figure budget. Nine-month project.

The result won design awards. It also tanked their conversion rate by 40%.

Why? Because the agency prioritized aesthetics over clarity. Animations over speed. Brand expression over value proposition.

They built what looked good, not what worked.

The fix took another four months and $80k with a different partner.

Choose an agency that cares about your metrics more than their portfolio.

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Question 1: Do they actually understand SaaS business models?

Most agencies build websites for all industries. Restaurants. Real estate. E-commerce. Professional services. SaaS.

SaaS is different.

Your website isn't selling a one-time purchase. It's starting a relationship. The goal isn't "buy now"—it's "start trial" or "book demo" or "join waitlist."

The conversion architecture is completely different.

Ask potential agencies: How many SaaS websites have you built? What stages (pre-seed, Series A, growth, enterprise)? Can you explain the difference between PLG and sales-led GTM and how that affects website strategy?

If they can't articulate this, they don't get SaaS.

You'll end up with an e-commerce site in SaaS clothing. Wrong CTAs. Wrong page structure. Wrong messaging hierarchy.

At Hyper Helios, we only build for SaaS. Pre-seed through IPO. We understand ARR, CAC, LTV, activation rates, and how your website affects all of them.

Because we've done this hundreds of times. Not as one-offs between restaurant websites.

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Question 2: Do they lead with strategy or jump straight to design?

Red flag: an agency shows you design concepts in the first meeting.

They can't possibly know what to design yet. They don't understand your ICP, your value prop, your competitive positioning, or your conversion funnel.

Good agencies start with questions, not mockups.

They want to understand your customer's jobs-to-be-done. What pain brings people to your site? What objections stop them from converting? What language do they use to describe their problems?

They audit your current site data. What pages have high exit rates? Where do people get stuck? What traffic sources convert best and worst?

They map your customer journey. How do people move from awareness to consideration to decision? What role does the website play at each stage?

Only after this research should they touch design tools.

If an agency pitches you visuals before asking hard questions about your business, they're guessing. And you're paying for their guess.

We call this phase Conversion Intelligence. Research, data analysis, ICP work, message testing. It's not sexy, but it's what makes everything else work.

No guessing. No assumptions. Just strategy backed by data.

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Question 3: Can they show you conversion results, not just pretty screenshots?

Look at their case studies.

If they only show visuals and talk about "elevated brand presence" or "improved user experience," that's a warning sign.

Ask specific questions: What was the conversion rate before and after? How did organic traffic change? What happened to demo requests or trial signups? What was the business impact in revenue terms?

If they can't answer these, they either don't track results or don't get results worth tracking.

Good agencies obsess over metrics. They A/B test. They instrument analytics properly. They tie website changes to pipeline impact.

They should be able to show you: conversion rate improvements, bounce rate reductions, time-to-convert changes, and revenue influenced.

Real numbers. Not vague claims about engagement.

We show clients exactly how their new site performs. Before/after conversion data. Traffic quality metrics. Pipeline attribution. Revenue impact when possible.

Because that's the whole point.

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Question 4: Do they understand conversion architecture, or just visual design?

There's a massive difference between a designer who makes things look good and a conversion architect who makes things work.

Conversion architecture is: page structure that guides users through a decision journey, copy hierarchy that addresses objections in order, CTA placement based on intent and context, social proof positioning that builds trust at key friction points, speed and performance optimization for conversion impact.

This is different from choosing fonts and colors.

Ask agencies: How do you determine page structure? What framework do you use for CTA placement? How do you prioritize what content goes above the fold? How do you handle different traffic sources and intent levels?

If they talk only about aesthetics and brand guidelines, they're visual designers, not conversion specialists.

You need both. But conversion architecture comes first.

At Hyper Helios, we built the Conversion Architecture System specifically for SaaS. It's the framework we use to structure every site for maximum conversion at every funnel stage.

Design makes it look professional. Architecture makes it convert.

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Question 5: What's their process for handling copy and messaging?

Here's a dirty secret: most design agencies can't write.

They'll create beautiful layouts and then ask you to "fill in the copy."

Disaster.

Copy is 60% of your conversion rate. The words matter more than the colors.

If an agency doesn't have senior copywriters who understand SaaS messaging, positioning, and conversion copywriting, you're missing half the solution.

Ask: Who writes the copy? Can I see examples of SaaS copy you've written? How do you develop messaging frameworks? What's your process for incorporating customer language?

If they say "we work with your team on messaging," that means you're writing it.

And unless you're a conversion copywriter, it won't be good enough.

We handle copy as part of the engagement. Our team includes conversion copywriters who've written for hundreds of SaaS companies.

We develop the complete messaging framework, write every page, and test variations for performance.

You review and approve. But you're not doing the heavy lifting.

Question 6: How do they handle revisions and scope creep?

This is where most agency relationships die.

Project starts at $40k. Six months later you've spent $75k and still aren't launched.

Why? Because scope wasn't clear. Revision process wasn't defined. Every small change triggered additional billing.

Ask upfront: What's included in the base scope? How many revision rounds are included? What triggers additional costs? What's the timeline from kickoff to launch? What happens if we need changes after launch?

Get this in writing before you sign.

Good agencies set clear expectations. Fixed scope. Defined deliverables. Transparent pricing. Realistic timelines.

They're not trying to maximize billable hours. They're trying to deliver results and move on to the next project.

We scope projects clearly from the start. You know exactly what you're getting, what it costs, and when it launches.

No surprise invoices. No endless revision loops. No scope creep.

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Question 7: Do they build for your team to manage, or do they create dependency?

Some agencies build sites you can't touch without calling them.

Custom code. Complex CMSs. Fragile systems that break when you try to update content.

This creates dependency. Which means recurring revenue for them and ongoing costs for you.

Ask: What platform do you build on? Can our team make updates without developer help? What level of training and documentation do you provide? What happens if we need ongoing support?

You want a site your marketing team can manage. Add blog posts. Update copy. Create landing pages. Test new CTAs.

Without filing dev tickets every time.

We build everything on Webflow. Your marketing team gets full control. No developer dependency for content updates, new pages, or testing.

We train your team completely. Video walkthroughs. Documentation. Live sessions.

You're not locked in to us for basic changes.

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Question 8: Can they move fast, or will this take 9 months?

SaaS moves quickly. Your website project shouldn't take forever.

Ask: What's your typical timeline from kickoff to launch? What factors affect timeline? How many projects are you juggling simultaneously?

Good agencies move fast because they have repeatable processes. They know what works. They don't redesign the wheel for every client.

Slow agencies are either overbooked or figuring things out as they go.

For a standard SaaS marketing site (10-20 pages), timeline should be 6-10 weeks. Not 6 months.

We've streamlined this to 4-8 weeks for most projects. Because we're not experimenting. We know exactly what SaaS sites need and how to build them efficiently.

Fast doesn't mean sloppy. It means systematic.

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Question 9: Do they actually care about your success, or just getting paid?

Most agencies deliver the site and move on.

They got their money. Your conversion rate isn't their problem.

The best agencies care about outcomes. They want to see your metrics improve. They follow up after launch to check performance. They're invested in your success.

Ask: What does post-launch support look like? Do you track results after launch? Are you available for optimization iterations? What's your approach to ongoing improvements?

If they seem eager to wrap up and bill the final invoice, they're transactional.

You want a partner, not a vendor.

We track every site's performance for 90 days post-launch. We make optimization recommendations. We're available for questions and minor iterations.

Because we don't consider the project done until we've proven the site works.

Your success is our case study.

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What the right agency actually looks like

Let me paint the picture.

The right SaaS website agency starts with deep research into your business, market, and customers. They develop a conversion-first strategy before touching design. They handle both architecture and copy, not just visual design. They build on platforms that give you control and speed.

They deliver in weeks, not months, with clear scope and transparent pricing. They track results post-launch and care about your metrics. They have deep SaaS expertise, not generalist experience across industries.

Most importantly: they optimize for your revenue, not their portfolio.

This agency exists. But you have to look for it intentionally.

Most founders choose based on portfolio beauty or client logos. Then they're surprised when the site doesn't perform.

Choose based on SaaS expertise, conversion focus, and proven results.

Everything else is secondary.

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The questions you should actually ask in your next call

Here's your screening list:

How many SaaS websites have you built? (Answer should be 30+, not 3)

What conversion rate improvements have you delivered? (They should have data)

Do you handle strategy, copy, and design, or just design? (You want full service)

What's your timeline and what's included in scope? (Get specifics, not estimates)

What platform do you build on and why? (Should give you control)

How do you approach messaging and positioning? (Should involve research, not guessing)

Can you show me conversion results from past projects? (Not just pretty screenshots)

What happens after launch? (Should include performance tracking)

Who's actually doing the work? (Meet the team, not just the salesperson)

Use these questions. You'll filter out 90% of agencies immediately.

The ones who can answer all of them confidently? Those are your candidates.

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Why we built Helios this way

We started Helios because we kept seeing SaaS founders get burned.

Beautiful websites that didn't convert. Agencies that disappeared after launch. Projects that dragged on for months. Teams stuck managing sites they couldn't update.

We decided to build the agency we wish existed.

SaaS-only focus. Conversion architecture, not just design. Full-service (strategy, copy, design, build). Fast timelines with clear scope. Webflow & Framer for team autonomy. Post-launch performance tracking.

Everything optimized for one goal: helping SaaS companies turn their website into a revenue engine.

Not a portfolio piece. Not a brand showcase.

A tool that books demos, starts trials, and influences pipeline.

That's what you actually need.

And honestly? That's what most agencies can't deliver.

Because they're not built for it.

We are.