10 Things You Should Ask Your Web-Developer

1. Where is your portfolio

Never, ever, hire a web-developer that does not have an online portfolio. You need to be able to see a good selection of their work to get a feel if the developer is competent, and their design/development style is a good fit for you. The portfolio should have a description of what the developer did, as well as a link to the live website. Again, be very weary of a web-developer that does not showcase their work. What are they hiding anyway?

2. Can I email/call your clients for a reference?

Hearing the opinions and comments of other companies that have developed websites with your developer is a fantastic way to gauge if the web-developer is a good fit for your company. Realistically, it might be better to just randomly contact their clients from their portfolio and ask them how the web-developer performed rather than asking the developer for a list.

3. Is the design custom or is it a template?

One of the most important questions you need to ask your developer is if the design will be custom designed or if you will simply pick a design out of a group of templates. Plugging your logo into a pre-made template very rarely results in a unified, cohesive representation of your brand. Only a custom designed website can represent your brand properly. Don't settle for anything less!

4. Can I request custom features?

Unless your needs are very basic, you are going to need some custom elements worked into your website. If your web-developer does not have a person on staff with the proper programming skills, your super-cool idea for the site will quickly turn into a clunky, error prone disaster. Make sure your developer has sufficient experience in creating custom functionality and make sure there is a proper planning and testing cycle included in any custom work.

5. Will a team work on my website?

I've seen a lot of programmers who try to be designers, and I've seen a lot of designers who try to be programmers. Most of the time, the result is sub-par, to say the least. Modern day web-development requires a designer, programmer and preferably a web-marketing specialist all working together to come up with a professional website. If someone claims they can do all of the above, refer to their portfolio, I guarantee you 'something will give'.

6. Will the pages be hand-coded?

Ask your developer if they will hand code the HTML code that marks up your web-pages. If they are not hand-coding their HTML and not using Cascading Style Sheets for their layouts, consider that an indication that they are not a professional grade developer.

7. Can I add and edit my own content?

Your web-developer should have an option for you to edit your own content through a secured Content Management System (CMS). Choosing the right CMS is out of the scope of this discussion, but if your developer does not at least offer a way for you to edit your own pages it's usually an indication that the web-developer doesn't have sufficient technical capabilities to plug-in their design to a CMS.

8. Will the site be accessible?

Ask your developer if accessibility standards and guidelines will be followed when developing the website. It won't just be people with color monitors, keyboards, and mice who will need to use your website. Alternate browsers for people with disabilities need to be part of the development consideration. If your site receives any type of government funding, this will soon be mandatory, and novice developers will just not be knowledgeable enough to ensure the site is accessible.

9. Can my site be viewed by mobile devices?

Designing a website to look good in traditional desktop browsers such as Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Internet Explorer has typically been the biggest concern when developing a website. More and more however, mobile device browsing is becoming a major consideration and it needs to be discussed before the project starts. Whether the plan is to just ensure the website looks acceptable on mobile devices, or to create full mobile version of the website, a mobile plan needs to be agreed on.

10. How will my site be found once it's developed?

Search engine optimization (SEO) shouldn't necessarily be included in the development of your website, but a plan should. You need to make sure your web-developer at least knows the basics of SEO and that the web-page coding is conducive to search engine crawlers. Ask the prospective developer how they will plan for SEO, and if they don't have a plan, be very concerned.