Ask for live URLs instead of images, then verify one of those businesses independently — a portfolio you can only see as screenshots is unverifiable by design. Four checks, ten minutes, and they settle the question.
The moment it happens
How to tell if that “our work” portfolio is real or stolen becomes a live question when the work looks better than the price suggests it should. The designs are polished. The brands look established. And the quote is ₹12,000.
That mismatch may be nothing — some vendors genuinely undercharge. It’s still worth checking, because a borrowed portfolio is the easiest misrepresentation in this market to produce.
The four checks
1. Ask for live URLs, not screenshots. “Could you share four links I can open?” A vendor who has built sites has links. Reluctance here is the finding — everything else is confirmation.
2. Open each on your phone. You’re checking three things at once: the site loads, it loads reasonably fast, and it matches the standard you were shown. Screenshots are taken on a fast connection at a flattering moment; a live site on mobile data tells the truth.
3. Verify one business independently. Pick one client and search that business name yourself — don’t use the link the vendor gave you. Does the site you were shown appear as that business’s actual website? If a mismatch appears, ask directly. There are innocent explanations (the client later moved to another provider), and a straightforward answer is reassuring.
4. Ask what they did on it. “Was this a full build or part of it?” Fair question, and honest vendors answer specifically — “we did the front-end, another team did the payment integration”. Vague ownership of a strong project is worth probing.
| What you’re shown | Verification value |
|---|---|
| Live URLs you can open | High |
| A named client you can search independently | High |
| Screenshots in a PDF or WhatsApp | Low — unverifiable |
| A logo wall with no links | Very low |
| “We worked with [big brand]” without a URL | Very low; ask which site |
| A behance/dribbble page of mockups | Design ability, not delivered work |
Signals that deserve a follow-up question
Not proof of anything — just worth asking about:
- Every project looks like a different agency made it, with no consistent standard.
- Portfolio images are cropped so the browser bar and URL are cut off.
- The businesses shown are all in other countries, with no local work at all.
- Case studies contain no dates, no names, no numbers.
- A site loads slowly or is broken on mobile, but was presented as recent work.
- The stated client is large enough that a ₹12,000 vendor being involved is implausible.
Ask once, plainly: “Which of these did you build end-to-end, and can I speak to one of those clients?” The answer, and how quickly it comes, is the check.
What matters more than the portfolio
A portfolio tells you what someone can produce at their best. It doesn’t tell you whether they deliver on time, hand over the domain, or answer in month seven. For those, the reference call is the better instrument — ask a past client whether the site went live on the promised date and what happened when they later needed a change.
Design ability is rarely the reason website projects fail in this market. Delivery, ownership and support are.
What to do this week
- Ask every shortlisted vendor for four live URLs.
- Open all of them on your phone, on mobile data.
- Search one client business independently and confirm the match.
- Ask what exactly they did on the project you liked most.
- Ask for one client’s number and make the call.
If you want it done the certain way
We share live links rather than screenshots, and we’ll tell you what we did on each project — including where someone else did part of it. Prices are published, the date is written with a refund behind it, and the domain goes in your name. WhatsApp us; we reply in about five minutes between 9am and 7pm.
Related reading
- How to verify a web developer before you pay
- Can you trust a web agency’s Google reviews?
- How to judge a portfolio when you’re not a designer
- How much advance is safe to pay?
FAQ
How can I tell if a web design portfolio is fake?
Ask for live URLs rather than images, open them on your phone, then search one of those client businesses independently to confirm the site is genuinely theirs. Unwillingness to provide links is the strongest signal.
Is it rude to ask a web developer to prove their portfolio?
No. Asking for live links and one client reference is standard practice, and vendors who do good work expect it. How they respond is itself useful information.
What if a vendor says they can’t share client details?
Confidentiality is occasionally genuine, especially for larger clients. In that case ask for any live site they can share, plus a reference from a smaller client — a complete inability to show verifiable work is a problem.
