This article is about 10+ key things to help you hire the most suitable website developer for your development project.
If you want to create a website for your business, you may be wondering whether you should hire a professional or do it yourself. While there are many tools and platforms that allow you to build a site without coding, hiring a website developer can have many benefits. Below are just the top 5 reasons:
- They can save you time and hassle by taking care of your website’s technical aspects.
- They can create a custom website that suits your needs, goals, and brand identity.
- They can ensure that your website is fast, secure, user-friendly, and optimized for search engines.
- They can provide you with expert advice and guidance on how to improve your website.
- They can offer you post-development support and maintenance to keep your website running smoothly.
However, hiring a website developer is not a decision that you should make lightly. There are many factors that you should consider to be able to choose the most suitable ones for your project. In this article, we will share with you 10+ key things that you should consider before hiring a web dev.
Read more: 10 Steps To Hire A Good Software Company
10+ Considerations You Should Make If You Want To Hire A Website Developer
Know your requirements first
Before starting to look for a website developer, you should have a clear idea of what you want your site to achieve. What are its purposes? Who is your target audience? What features and functionalities does your website need? How do you want it to look and feel?
Having a clear vision of your site will help you communicate your expectations and requirements to web developers quickly and effortlessly. It’ll also help you evaluate their proposals and portfolios.
Check the website developer’s work portfolio
One of the best ways to assess the experience and expertise of a web dev is to look at their previous work. A portfolio can show you the quality, style, and diversity of the sites they developed. It should also showcase the website developer’s creativity, problem-solving abilities, and attention to detail. In addition, you’ll find out if they have worked on similar projects or industries as yours.
Review their case studies
Case studies are detailed descriptions of how a website developer has completed a specific project for one of their clients. They usually include the goals, challenges, solutions, results, and feedback of a project.
Case studies will help you understand how they work, what their process and approach are, and what outcomes they can deliver.
Know your budget and their final cost estimation
Another important factor to consider before hiring a website developer is your budget. How much are you willing to spend on your site? And how much do they charge for their services?
Before finding a web developer, you should set a realistic budget that reflects the scope and complexity of your project. Then, when interviewing them, you should ask them for a detailed cost estimation that includes all the expenses involved in the project, such as design, development, hosting, maintenance, etc. You should also know about their payment terms and methods.
Compare their pricing and your budget
Once you have your budget and their cost estimation, you should compare them and see if they match. If the website developer’s price is too high, you may need to negotiate or look for another option. If the price is too low, you should be wary of their work’s quality and reliability. Basically, you should look for a web dev that offers fair and reasonable pricing that matches the value of their work.
Establish an open way to communicate
Communication is the key for any successful collaboration. You should look for a website developer that is easy to communicate with and responsive to your queries and feedback.
It’s best to establish an open way to communicate with each other throughout the project. There are many options for you to pick from, like email, phone, chat, video call, etc.
The two parties should also agree on how often and when they will communicate. Having clear and frequent communication will help you avoid misunderstandings, delays, and conflicts.
Ask about their post-development support
Another thing to consider before hiring a web developer is their post-development support. A website is not a one-time project that ends when it’s launched. Instead, it needs regular updates, maintenance, security checks, backups, etc.
Therefore, you should look for a website developer that offers post-development support. You may also want to ask about their availability and response time in case of any issues or emergencies.
Ask about their quality assurance
Quality assurance is the process of testing and verifying that the website meets the standards and specifications. So your site can launch without any errors, bugs, or glitches.
It’s best to know how the website developer conducts quality assurance and the way they handle bugs that arise during or after the development.
Discuss the website developer’s mobile strategy
In the fourth quarter of 2022, mobile devices (excluding tablets) generated 59.16 percent of global website traffic. Therefore, your site must be mobile-friendly and responsive to different screen sizes and resolutions.
As a result, you should look for a web developer that has experience and expertise in creating mobile-friendly websites. And when interviewing one, you ought to ask them how they will test your site on various devices and browsers.
Ask about their web technologies
Web technologies are all the tools and frameworks that are used to create and run websites. They include languages, libraries, databases, servers, etc.
You should know what web technologies the website developer uses and why. For a future-proof site, you should look for a professional that uses up-to-date and reliable web technologies that suit your project. If you want or prefer to use certain web technologies, you may want to ask the web dev how familiar and proficient they are with them.
Evaluate their personalities
Last but not least, you should consider the personalities of the web developer before hiring them. You should look for a professional that’s trustworthy, respectful, and easy to work with. If they show any signs of rude, dishonest, or arrogant behavior, you should reject them right away. Also, it’s beneficial to hire a web dev that you can build a long-term and positive relationship with.
What makes a great website developer?
A great web developer is someone who:
- Can create a website that meets your needs, goals, and expectations;
- Has the skills, experience, and creativity to design and develop a website that’s fast, secure, user-friendly, and optimized for search engines;
- Can communicate effectively and deliver on time and within budget;
- Provide quality assurance and post-development support;
- Make your vision come true.
One prime example of a great website developer is Golden Owl Consulting Ltd: a premier web development agency with branches in six countries including the UK, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, the US, and Norway.
With a team of 500+ professionals with experience in various fields and technologies, Golden Owl has served more than 150 long-term clients across multiple industries, including companies such as Gig, Bid4skill, CheerMe, Collabs, and many more.
Conclusion
Hiring a website developer can be a smart and beneficial decision for your business. However, it is not a decision that you should make without careful consideration. There are many factors that you should think about before choosing a web developer for your project.
Therefore, we hope this article has helped you make an informed and confident decision. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us in the comment section below.
