How to choose a website developer

Many owners compare developers by price and by how the portfolio looks. Both are weak signals. A low price can hide work that is not included, and a good-looking portfolio tells you little about how the person works with you or what happens after launch. This checklist covers what to check instead.

I build websites, so I am one of the people you might be choosing between. Use this on me as well.

Look at live work, on your phone

Ask for the addresses of sites the developer built and open them on your own phone, on mobile data if you can. Check whether the pages load, whether you can find the phone number and the main action, and whether text is readable without zooming. Screenshots and mock-ups can be made to look like anything; live sites cannot.

Then ask what the developer did on each site. A developer who designed the pages is different from one who only filled in a template, and both can be honest, but you should know which you are hiring.

Ask for the scope in writing

A written proposal should answer these without being asked:

How many pages, and what counts as a page.
What is included, and what is explicitly not included.
How many rounds of changes you get, and what a change request outside the scope costs.
What you must supply, and by when.
The price, the currency, whether taxes are extra, and when payments are due.
What happens after launch: how long fixes are covered, and who to contact.

If a developer will not put the scope in writing, treat that as the answer.

Compare scope, not totals

Two quotes for the same website are rarely for the same work. One may include content writing, another may not. One may include the domain and hosting in the price, another may leave you to buy them. Put the quotes side by side against your own list of what you need, and mark the differences before you look at the prices.

Check who owns what

Ask who will be the registered owner of the domain name, who holds the hosting login, and who owns the finished design and code. None of these has a single correct answer, but each needs an answer in writing before work starts. The note on who owns your website, domain and hosting explains the differences. This is general information and not legal advice.

Warning signs

A guaranteed ranking. Google states that no one can guarantee a number one ranking. Someone who promises it is either misinformed or selling something (see SEO foundations and what to expect). The same applies to promised traffic or a promised number of enquiries.
A claim of a special relationship with Google. Google lists this among the red flags for SEO providers.
Secrecy. A good developer explains what they will change and why. If you are told it is a trade secret, look elsewhere.
The developer registers your domain in their own name without telling you.
Pressure. A discount that expires tonight is a sales tactic, not a reason.
No examples you can open. Everything is private or “under NDA” and nothing is live.

Signs of a good engagement

Questions about your customers and your business before any talk of design.
A clear list of what you need to provide.
Plain answers when you ask what is not included.
A contact you can reach after launch, and a stated period for fixes.
Willingness to say “that is not something I do” instead of agreeing to everything.

One more test

Ask a question you already know the answer to, such as what the difference is between the page title and the heading on a page. You are not checking trivia. You are checking whether the answer is clear or full of jargon, because that is how the rest of the project will feel.

Sources

Google Search Central, Do you need an SEO?