WordPress Tips

A great web developer can be the key difference between having a stellar, effective online presence and a poorly functioning, ugly website. But finding the right person or team for your needs may be more difficult than you expect.

This can be true especially if you aren’t tech savvy.

But, your organization’s online presence is a highly important marketing tool. Frequently, it’s a customer’s first experience with your business, product or service. You need a website that reflects your company’s values, products, culture, services, and practices.

Since this is such an important necessity, we are going to devote the next several articles on tips to finding the right web developer for your needs.

What You Need to Know

Before we delve into exactly how to hire a web developer, what to look for in prospects, and where to find them, let’s make some distinctions within the industry first.

Web Developer or Web Designer?

You may think these terms are interchangeable, but there are key differences between web developers and web designers.

Web developers know programming languages and build the online infrastructure necessary to support your website. Developers will build the website and frequently apply the design created by a web designer.

Web designers are more focused on the visual and aesthetic aspects of your website. These people are typically versed in programs such as Adobe Creative Suite to edit photos, create graphics, or draft company logos. Many web designers have coding knowledge, but if you need to build a website from the ground up, you need to inquire knowledgeably into the background.

A web developer is not a web designer. If you expect the developer to redesign your website and work on graphics, make sure to cover that in the interview process or look for a developer who has a designer on the team.

Assessing Your Project Needs

Before pursuing a web developer, take the time to understand your website needs. If you’re looking to create your website from scratch, do some brainstorming to get an idea of what you want. A good way to do this can be browsing the websites of your competition for examples.

If you are looking to make smaller adjustments, add mobile components, or update and refresh your site with the latest trends, you need to have clear ideas so the developer can have a sense of the scope. It is imperative to have a clear understanding of your needs prior to looking for a developer.

Write out detailed requirements, mock up all pages and have all the copy ready to go before contracting a web developer. The clearer the instructions, the happier you’ll be with the final product, and the less money you’ll need to spend.

While assessing your project, it’s also a good idea to explore some of the technical elements of your website. This will give you greater understanding when you interview candidates to determine who you want to hire. Even if you have no background in website creation, doing some research first on key concepts will help you become familiar with what your project may need.

Besides having some knowledge going into interviews, knowing what you need will also help you get an idea of exactly how much your project will cost.

In our next article, we will offer tips and advice on whether to hire a freelancer or in-house development team.

If you want more information sooner than that, give us a call. Our number is 619.929.0381. We would love to hear from you and offer you a free consultation. We have the experience and design capabilities to make your website best-in-class.