Seeking Web Developer – Your guide to the best developer for you!
All the most important factors to keep in mind when you are looking for a web developer for your business site.
Why would I need guidance when looking for a web developer? To hire a web developer, you first need to be clear about what exactly you are trying to achieve. If you don’t know, you won’t know who to look for and what to ask them to do.
- Define your project
- What kind of developer do I need?
- Front-end vs Back-end
- Full-stack
- Freelance vs full time
1. Define your project
For website changes, activities most commonly come from two different areas:
Design: This aspect may include a wide variety of functions. For example, redesigning the logo or header image, or even overhauling the entire page layout and adding design effects.
Functionality/code: For example, adding a shopping cart, a custom image slider, or changing your website admin panel.
Depending on the area your project focuses on, you need to hire different people. If you are going to build an entire website, you will need people for both of you.
Here is the most important part, you need to be clear about what you need and write it down in detail. Some tips to help you out:
a) Eliminate the wrong candidates
If the job description is clear, you can already eliminate people who are not qualified. If you keep it vague and broad, many more candidates will apply to your ad than if you provide details.
b) Save time in advance
If you are clear about your expectations, your web developer can spend less time on the discovery process. In fact, they can go directly to the implementation phase of your project.
c) Receive better quotations
Knowing the extent of the project and the various tasks required to complete it will allow candidates to better estimate times and costs in advance. It will also make expensive changes less likely.
d) Get clear
Writing things down is also a good exercise for yourself. It helps you to really think about what you are trying to accomplish and makes your ideas less confusing. This is an important step in making them happen.
2. What kind of developer do I need?
Now that you are clear on the type of website you want or the necessary changes to your existing site, it’s time to think about what type of web developer you need to hire. The term “web developer” actually covers several skills and job descriptions.
Developer vs Designer
There is a difference between a developer and a designer. A designer is a person who presents the look and feel of a website and creates assets such as images, icons, etc. Their experience includes mastering Photoshop and other graphic design programs.
A graphic designer does not implement the site. They prepare a representation of what it will be like in the end. Someone else will build the actual website based on it.
Nowadays, more and more designers are also doing the implementation. These are usually referred to as web designers, and their expertise includes markup languages such as HTML, CSS, and increasingly JavaScript.
A developer is a person who writes code. This means that he can go into your site and edit files to make changes or create an entire site from scratch. He can also work with code editors and other development-related tools.
3. Front-end vs Back-end
Developers also have subgroups. The most significant is the front-end and back-end development.
The front end is the part of the website that visitors will see in their browser. The backend is all that is behind this. It is both where you manage your website and how the site communicates with your server or database.
Front-end developers and web designers are often the same figures. They use the same languages and they both take care of the look and feel of your website. Front-end developers can also point to the person who implements the design but doesn’t make it in the first place. There are a lot of overlaps in these areas.
Backend developers focus on how your site works. They deal with functionality and also deal with website speed and other technical issues. Their skill stack includes PHP (especially when working with WordPress), Java, Ruby on Rails, Python, and other programming languages.
4. Full-stack
During the process of developer headhunting, it is possible to find yourself asking this question:
“I’m searching for a developer, but the term full-stack often appears in the results. What does it mean?”
Front-end and back-end developers are specialists. This means that they are usually quite good in their domain but not well versed in the other person’s discipline.
You may need to hire two or three people, depending on your needs. For example, a graphic designer, front-end developer, back-end developer, so that can implement your website or the changes you need. This will translate into more hours of work and higher costs.
Another choice for hiring a web developer is to hire a generalist who can do it all, in other words, a full-stack developer. These are all professionals who are capable of building complete websites from scratch, including design, implementation, and coding. Although their knowledge is not always as deep in every field as that of specialists, they are still capable of producing the desired results.
While full-stack developers may be more expensive, they require less coordination. As a result, it can speed up the process and save you money.
5. Freelance vs full time
When looking for a web developer, the question is whether to work with a freelancer or hire someone full-time. It depends on the details of your project.
Working with a freelancer is often good enough if you only have a one-off job. You accept specific conditions like the time frame, the price, and the delivery. After that, the freelancer creates the website and you take control from there. Furthermore, you can hire them again if you need any changes.
This is the usual good deal for mostly static websites or sites that don’t require a lot of maintenance. It is also the ideal method for cost optimization if you plan to cover the daily management of the website yourself. Thanks to open-source CMS this is now possible.
On the other hand, if you need someone to constantly take care of your site, it might be better to hire a full-time web developer. This makes sense, for example, if you’re building a complex news site that requires a lot of hands-on work, changes often, and has a lot of different content.
However, some projects need services that require a certain time to complete, as for example a few months. For others, however, the more complex ones, it can be difficult to predict the exact timing due to the diverse services typologies involved in its completion.
Hiring a full-time developer when dealing with these types of projects is likely to be a risky and expensive move. We at Rubik Technologies offer outsourcing services for similar projects. Our web developers in Albania are qualified professionals in all fields of development: web design, front-end, back-end, and full-stack.
Contact us here to find the right web developer for your project needs.
Closure of your guide to hiring web developers
Although anyone can create a website these days, there are still plenty of good reasons to hire a web developer. A professional can do things you are unable to do and will get the job done faster than you. Outsourcing this task to someone else also gives you the opportunity to focus on more important things.
In our guide to the factors to keep in mind when looking for a web developer, you have found tips on each step of the process. It can be nerve-wracking at first, but it will get easier with experience.
Also, once you have a working relationship with good candidates, you can often continue working with them. That way, you don’t have to go through all the steps every time.
Did you have a special experience with hiring a web developer and would like to share how it turned out? Are you a web developer and have something to add? In this case, send us a message on our social channels Facebook or Instagram, or contact us on the Contact Page. We look forward to receiving your story.
