Your website is likely to be the first interaction a potential customer has with your business or organization. Since your web developer will be responsible for creating the virtual face of your company, the work they do for you can make the difference between your company’s first impression being a good one or a bad one.
It is critical to the success of your website that you hire a good partner. You will be spending a large amount of time communicating with this person. When first meeting with a candidate, is there tension? Can you speak freely? Do they listen and try to understand? Are they interested in learning about you and your company?
In the search for the right web developer, you can learn a lot about what it will be like to work with a candidate. In your initial communications, are they easy to reach? Are they focused? Do they return calls promptly and answer questions fully? Make note of these things. In addition to their experience and qualifications, your gut feelings are also important.
Web Developer Hiring Tips
Tip #1: Know who you are and what your brand represents
No one knows your business better than you do. Your web developer should look to you for guidance as to how you want to be perceived. While the developer should bring their own ideas to the table, they should also understand who you are and what your brand represents. By thinking about these things before you begin development, you will be able to clearly express your goals and beliefs. This will make it more likely that the developer you choose will design a website that truly fits your needs.
Tip #2: Choose a web developer who is well-versed in the right framework/platform for your needs
There are many platforms on which to build a website and they are not all equal. While popular self-hosted platforms such as SquareSpace, Wix and Weebly make it easy for DIYers to build a website, they don’t offer the same functionality, flexibility and scalability as some more robust options.
Powerful web development software, such as WordPress, allows professional web developers to create beautiful, well-optimized websites that allow website owners to make their own content updates.
When interviewing potential web developers, ask them what platform they use and why. To make an educated decision about which platform is best for you, it is important to understand the difference between hosted and self-hosted websites.
Tip #3: Remember that design is important but it’s not a factor in search engine optimization (SEO)
Many people think first about how their new website will look, rather than thinking about what content the website should contain. It is the content that will drive traffic. Design is very important, but the sole purpose of the design should be to present the information as clearly as possible. A good web developer will understand current search engine optimization methods. as well as good graphic design practices, but they will recognize the value of good content above all.
Not sure what search engine optimization is? Read about our search engine optimization service.
Tip #4: Be prepared to keep updating, improving and promoting your website
To have a truly effective website, you can’t set it and forget it. Few site visitors will do business with you after just one visit to your website. New content will give them a reason to return. Finally, search engines like when a site is frequently updated with strong content and will reward you with higher search rankings.
Tip #5: Security and maintenance are not optional
Security is no joke. Every website is being attacked all day every day. If you think no one is going to bother hacking your small business website, you could not be more wrong. Bots make most attacks. If you are on the web, your site is at risk.
According to a 2023 study by Security Magazine, bots accounted for 47.4% of all internet traffic in 2022.
“In the least trafficked domains — those frequented by ten human visitors a day or less — bad bots accounted for 47.7 percent of visits while total bot traffic amounted to 93.3 percent. Bad bots will try to hack [your site] regardless of how popular it is with the human folk. They will even keep visiting a domain in absence of all human traffic.”
– Security Magazine
That’s why it’s important that you retain a good web developer to keep your site safe. Read our related article, Why Would Someone Hack My Site?
Tips for Hiring a Web Developer
The web developer that you hire can make all the difference. For more information about our web developments services, please call (518) 392-0846, email [email protected], fill our our website project quote form or visit our custom website development page.
See our related blog posts:
- What to look for when hiring a web designer/developer.
- Ten questions to ask yourself before hiring a web designer
- Do not ignore these red flags when hiring a web developer
- Ten questions to ask your prospective web designer/developer
- Should you hire a Hudson Valley web developer?
- Should I build my own website or hire a web developer?