Web development is an important part of any online business. It not only makes sure that you have smooth functioning website but it is also important for digital marketing and SEO. Therefore, one needs to hire a or a team of web developers for their online business website. That being said, in this article, we’re going to talk about all that you need to do before hiring a web developer.
When newly entering the E-Commerce, businesses tend to go for open source platforms for developing their websites. This is especially so in the case of small startups and businesses. And why not? Such platforms make web development a child’s play. Moreover, such open source options are easily available. Also, such platforms are very user friendly, easy to use, and come with a variety of customization features. Hence, this is good, in fact great for a start.
However, as an online business scales up, so does its website development requirements. When your business website starts receiving an increased number of visitors, it can get difficult for your existing website to take that load. Hence, growing online businesses need effective website development requirements.
So, is your business scaling up too? Are you also looking for web services to meet your company’s growing requirements?
There are many competent web support companies out there that can help you with just that. You can also hire some freelancers. Whatever option you choose, there are certain important things you should know first.
Things you need to do before Hiring Web Developers
✔ Freelancers v.s Companies
Web developers can be divided into two parts—first, those who do freelancing and second those who work within a company. Before hiring a web developer, you need to weigh the pros and cons of both—freelancing web developers and web development companies.
✔ Web Development Freelancers
There are certain benefits of hiring freelancers for website development. Generally, hiring such developers costs comparatively less. Moreover, they can be quite flexible with their schedule. And as they work independently, they can narrow down their attention to your project.
However, there is a lot of risk involved in it. You never know when your freelance web developer decides to quit your project and leave you hanging. Moreover, they can be hard to manage. Along with that, there is a greater chance of low quality end product in freelance services.
✔ Web Development Companies
Assigning your website development tasks to a professional agency can have many benefits. You can rest assured that you will get only high-quality services from highly-skilled professionals. In fact, that’s the trump card of such companies. Moreover, they are reliable and will stick with your business for a longer run. Their seamless management, stability, and support services are other key factors that make web development companies a great choice.
However, their pricing can be a downside. Assigning your web development tasks can be a bit expensive. Anyhow, rest assured that the price you pay will be all worth it.
By weighing these pros and cons, you can decide what type of web-developers will suit you better.
✔ Understand your requirements
In order to find the right web developer, it is important to understand your requirements. Why are you looking for a web developer? There can be number of reasons for which a business would hire web developers.
Is it becoming difficult for you to manage your website? Are you planning for expansion? Is your current website unable to tackle the increasing traffic? Do you want to increase engagement on your website? Are there some technical glitches? There can be a variety of reasons on which your decision would depend.
Moreover, there is another important question you’d need answer to. Are you looking for temporary fixes or long-term solutions? This will also greatly shape your requirements and choice. Hence, you should consider all these factors before hiring a web developer. Only after finding answers to these questions will you be able to make the right choice.
✔ Have your current website reviewed
In order to find the right solution, you need to know where you stand. Hence, for finding the right web developer(s), you need to first analyse your website in its current state. However, to do so, you’d need some technical assistance.
For that, you can use different tools like GTmetrix, Google PageSpeed, KeyCDN tools, Pingdom.com, and so on. However, it’d still require a certain level of technical knowledge.
The good news is, a web development company can help you with that. They can effectively analyse your website’s health. Moreover, they can give you a comprehensible report on your website’s performance. Such reports can help even non-techies people to adequately understand the position of their website. This way, you will get the proper idea of where your website stands.
This is a crucial step as it will help you determine your requirements and expectations too.
✔ Communicate clearly with your candidates
While this may sound very obvious, many fail to miss on this point. This leads to disputes and clashes in future. Therefore, you should communicate with your web development candidates very clearly. This includes a number of things like:
#Communicate clearly about your web development budget.
#State your problems clearly.
#Be upfront with your expectations and make sure they can fulfil them.
#Clearly communicate whether you are looking for long term or short term solutions.
Asking these questions will help make sure that you and your web developers are on the same page. This way, you will be able to make a sound decision.
Conclusion
Developing website is an important aspect of every E-Commerce organization. Therefore, decisions related to it should be taken with utmost care. By following the contents of the list above, you will be able to make the right choice for your marketing requirements. Therefore, make sure to follow this list. And if you still have some queries or questions, our comment box is right below. So, drop one and we’ll be happy to help!