7 Things to Check Before You Choose a Web Developer

Hiring someone to build your website or app is a big decision, and it's not always easy to tell a great fit from a risky one when everyone's pitch sounds similar. Here are seven practical things worth checking before you sign anything.

1. Can they show you real, working examples?

Ask to see actual live sites or apps they've built, ideally for businesses similar to yours. A portfolio of screenshots is fine as a starting point, but a live link you can click around tells you far more.

2. Who owns the finished website afterwards?

This matters more than people realise. Make sure you'll own the domain name, the hosting account, and the code itself once it's built — not be locked into the developer to make even small changes later.

3. What happens after launch?

A website isn't really "finished" the day it goes live — things need updating, security needs monitoring, and small issues come up. Ask what support is included afterwards, and for how long.

4. Is it actually built mobile-first?

The majority of visitors to most small business websites are on a phone. Ask specifically how they test and design for mobile, not just whether the site is "responsive" — that word gets used loosely.

5. Does it include the SEO basics?

You don't need to become an SEO expert, but the basics — proper page titles, descriptions, fast loading, and a sitemap — should be built in from day one, not treated as an expensive add-on later.

6. How will you actually communicate during the project?

Find out upfront how often you'll hear from them, who your point of contact is, and roughly how long the project will take. Vague answers here are often a preview of how the whole project will go.

7. What's not included?

This is the question that prevents surprise costs later. Ask plainly what falls outside the initial build — extra pages, ongoing changes, copywriting, photography — so there are no awkward conversations down the line.

A good developer will be happy to answer all of this clearly and without getting defensive. If anything feels evasive at this stage, that's useful information too.