Whether you’re a small business in need of your first website or a company looking for a fresh look with a website redesign, there are a lot of web developers out there. Finding a great web developer can be a daunting task.
When you are looking for a website developer, you will need to choose between a web design firm or a freelance web developer, whether to hire a graphic designer, a SEO web developer, the type of platform you want the site built on, and the size of your budget. There are many other decisions you’ll need to make before you even decide on a specific web developer.
Each company’s website needs are different, so there isn’t a single answer on how to choose the best web developer. However, there are several excellent guidelines to follow as you are looking for a top web developer for your upcoming website project.
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A Good Web Developer Will Have a Good Portfolio
One of the very first things you should look at when considering a specific web developer is their portfolio. A good web developer should be able to give many examples of their past work for prospective clients to look over. You should take the time to look through their portfolio and make sure the style of websites they create matches with what you want for your website.
You’ll also want to look through the portfolio to make sure the website designs have a high quality and polished feeling and aren’t full of programming errors. If you are familiar with code, you should take a look at the actual code on the websites within their portfolio.
Not all web developers have a portfolio on their websites, so don’t be afraid to ask for examples of their work. If a web developer won’t share their past work or only gives one example, that can be a large warning sign. In most cases, if they don’t have a portfolio they can share with you, then they could be relatively new or not have any websites they feel turned out well enough to share.
Check the Reviews
Once you’ve had a chance to look through their portfolio, you’ll want to look over their online reviews and make sure they are positive. If you aren’t able to find any reviews online for a web development company online, that’s another sign they could be relatively new.
Ideally, you should be looking for a web design and development company with at least several years worth of good reviews available online. If, while you’re reading the reviews, you see something that concerns you, ask the web developer about it.
Interview Prospective Web Developers
You’ve looked through the portfolios, read the reviews, and narrowed your options down to several web developers, so now the next step is to interview prospective web developers. Interviewing a web developer is a little different from interviewing a potential employee. Instead of asking them long-term goal questions or about strengths and weaknesses, you should focus on their web development process, how they will communicate with you during the project, and what they do to keep on top of and learn new website trends.
Try Before You Buy
Before contracting a web developer for an expensive and lengthy web development project, don’t be afraid to test them out by designing and developing a small project. Try contracting the web developer to make changes to your current website.
By having a web developer complete a small project for your company, you’ll be able to get a feel for what working with them on a website project will be like. A small project is a low-cost way to see if the web developer will be a good fit for your company.
Compare Proposals
Once you have narrowed your options down to just a few developers, ask each to put a proposal together outlining the costs and what is included in the project. Once you have all the proposals, you’ll be able to make a well-informed decision based on their proposal and your prior research.
Carefully read through the proposals to make sure everything you asked for is included in the price. If a web developer missed putting something you want into the proposal, you might end up having to pay more later since it wasn’t part of the proposal.
SEO Design Chicago
If you’re looking for a good web development team based out of Chicago, SEO Design Chicago is a great option. Our development department is very experienced, will work closely with your company, and is competitively priced. We’re always happy to share our portfolio and will answer any questions you may have about our work.
Contact Us Today!