7 tips for finding a good web developer
Today we spoke with a woman who runs a very successfully business, but is less than happy with her current web developer. Listening to her describe her problems, it was clear that she made some bad decisions when picking a web developer.
To help you avoid making the same mistakes, here are seven tips for finding a good web developer.
1. Look for someone who is proactive.
If you are building a website for yourself or your business you need to realize this is not a weekend project. Your developer should be enthusiastic about what they do and should want to help you make it the best it can be, this means being proactive. For example, maybe your content is really well suited for a mobile site. Will you know this? Will you design this yourself. Likely no. However, if your developer loves what they do, they will probably test your site on the iPhone, the iPad, the N30 and yes the PlayBook. If they think this is going to be a big project then they can send you an estimate, if it's quick. They might just do it for you :)
2. Don't judge solely based on portfolio
Too often companies discount you due to a lack of a good portfolio. Many companies cannot publish a lot of their work and others are just getting started. Clearly, you need some baseline measure of their work but don't let it make or break the decision. Use the portfolio as a conversation starter, find out why they made the decisions they did. See if their thinking and values mesh with yours. Values and compatibility trump a portfolio every time.
3. Look for ambition
A lot of times you won't have the budget to get "one of the big boys", so look for a company that has ambition. Ask them the question.
Where do see your company is 5 years.
Their answer will tell you a lot about how serious they are.
4. Look for flexibility.
The web changes so fast. Web developers need to embrace this fact and ride the wave. Some developers are very set in their ways and set with their tools. If you love using a hammer everything looks like a nail. Remember all of the people that thought Flash would take over the web... well it did... for about 2 years and now it's switching again. You want to find a company that embraces change and isn't afraid of it.
5. Be willing to pay a retainer.
Building a website involves some upfront costs. Things like servers, designers, designs, tools etc. Web developers often pay out of pocket for this kind of stuff. Companies that charge a retainer up front mean business. This should give you confidence. If they don't, they are either very successful, or haven't learned the "right way" yet.
6. You get what you pay for.
Web development is not cheap. Regardless of all the ads you might see online for $12 websites, this is not what you want. Granted, sometimes a $100 throw away site serves your need, but this is rarely the case. Don't expect to pay anything less than $2500 for even a simple website. Also, be wary of things like Search Engine Optimization and other "extras", all the good guys do this anyway.
7. Look for good listeners.
If your developer chats your ear off about why Ruby on Rails is better than Django, or why php is dead or why .Net is for corporate snobs... politely finish the call and scratch them off the list. Websites are all different, unique and special. Things like tools don't matter too much. Some developers love hearing themselves talk. This is a sign of bad communicator. Your developers need to be excellent listeners or you will spend a lot of time and money going back and forth when your ideas and their ideas don't meet halfway.
So... that's it! Clearly there are many more we could discuss, but this is a good start. Go with your gut in the end and pick someone that makes you feel confident and happy. Your website is very important and it should be to the people who make it too.
Thanks for reading.
Comments (0)
Posted
by Kent Fenwick
