Article

Emma Hull
Emma Hull 20 September 2019

5 Things to Look for When Choosing a Web Developer

Whether it is to sell a product or service, or whether you just want to just display company information, all businesses need a strong website in order to survive. These days, pretty much everyone searches for a phone number or product online rather than the likes of the Yellow Pages or having a browse in-store.

While it is fairly easy to set-up your own website these days, especially with the likes of the new Gutenberg tool for Wordpress, some business owners may not have the time to set-up their own and instead would want to hire a freelancer or web-development company.

However, there are some key factors to consider when choosing the right web developer company for you, and I though that I would share my top five tips on choosing the best web development company for your business. 

1. Price
Price should of course be one of the top priorities. You don't want to splash the cash on a company when they may not produce the best job, and they might wipe your business account dry before the business is even set-up.

Just because someone charges a crazy-high price for something doesn't necessarily mean that they will do the best job. 

2. Key Skill: Aptitude
The digital world changes daily, and you want a web developer that is easily adaptable to these changes. Sure, knowing everything there is to know about web development right now is a huge benefit, but who knows when a new plug-in or template will become available that they will quickly need to learn how to use.

3. Past Portfolio
It is important that your potential new developer is able to provide evidence on past sites that they've worked on. Ensure that they show you live sites that they have transformed, so that you can go away and actually check them out for yourselves.

Ideally, see if they have worked on any sites in a similar industry as your business and offer a similar product or service. This way, you're able to see that they have experience on working on similar sites to yours, and you can take some of their best features and use them on your own site.

4. Previous Awards
Awards say a lot about a company. Most companies usually shout about all the great stuff they’ve been doing and all the awards that they’ve been winning, so check out a potential web developer’s blog for any cool awards they’ve won beforehand. This is a big sign that they’re doing a great job, and that they’re trusted in the industry.

For example, check out this blog by Illustrate Digital, and how they've recently won a Cardiff Life Award. 

5. A Friendly Team

When you first start out, you will want to meet up with your developer every couple of months, or even weeks. This is just so that you can test out different ideas and discuss goals and what you want your site to look like. You certainly don't want to sit with a team that look like they don't get on - this can really bring the mood down.

Teamwork makes the dream work after all, so again, check out the company blog and see if the team you're thinking of choosing tend to go on company days out or attend events together. Things like this usually builds a stronger team and therefore, a stronger working relationship.

Please login or register to add a comment.

Contribute Now!

Loving our articles? Do you have an insightful post that you want to shout about? Well, you've come to the right place! We are always looking for fresh Doughnuts to be a part of our community.

Popular Articles

See all
The Impact of New Technology on Marketing

The Impact of New Technology on Marketing

Technology has impacted every part of our lives. From household chores to business disciplines and etiquette, there's a gadget or app for it. Marketing has changed dramatically over the years, but what is the...

Alex Lysak
Alex Lysak 22 September 2020
Read more
The Carrot of a Bigger Market is More Powerful Than the Stick of Legal Action in Driving Web Accessibility Investment, New Research Finds

The Carrot of a Bigger Market is More Powerful Than the Stick of Legal Action in Driving Web Accessibility Investment, New Research Finds

Getting web accessibility right is a massive commercial opportunity. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3bn people worldwide are living with some form of impairment. The benefits of making it easier for...

Michael Nutley
Michael Nutley 30 November 2023
Read more
It’s Time For Brands to Move From Personalised, to Personal

It’s Time For Brands to Move From Personalised, to Personal

At a time when almost every brand is tailoring content and offers to individual customers based on their demographic data, purchase history, and online behaviours, are these personalisation efforts still adding value?...

Shafqat Islam
Shafqat Islam 27 November 2023
Read more
The 3 Most Important Stages In Your Presentation

The 3 Most Important Stages In Your Presentation

If you want to deliver a presentation on a particular topic and you have to prepare yourself for it you should make sure that you go through several very important stages in order to craft a compelling, persuasive and...

Nicky Nikolaev
Nicky Nikolaev 16 February 2016
Read more
McDonald's: the History and Evolution of a Famous Logo

McDonald's: the History and Evolution of a Famous Logo

McDonald's logo is one of the most recognizable in the world. What does the logo of this brand mean, how did it evolve and what is the secret to the success of McDonald’s fast food network?

Anna Kuznetsova
Anna Kuznetsova 24 October 2019
Read more