You have to know exactly what you are getting yourself into before hiring anyone. No matter the task or service, asking questions is essential. You just have to know the right questions to ask. So, if you are wondering, “who can I hire?” Look no further, I will break down how to come to a decision between Web Developers and an actual company. Here are the 10 questions you must ask.

The Client(You)

Most of us when looking towards hiring anyone or company for a service must receive this one thing first. That very thing is a sense of trust between the person/company you are employing. No one wants to hand out money to people they can not trust to deliver what they are asking for. I mean that’s pretty obvious but what isn’t so obvious is exactly how to establish that trust.

It may be because you have no idea about websites or what exactly is it that you want. The whole point of you hiring someone to do it was to avoid geeky, time-wasting tools, and technology. Also, because you have no idea what’s going on or how to do the work yourself you can easily get ripped off. So, everyone fears what they don’t know.

So, now is the time for you to get a grip and ask the tough questions. That’s how you will get amazing results.

I have received multiple clients who have asked me little to no questions at all. It’s usually as simple as, “hey I want this website to do X, Y, and Z. Also show ‘this’ as well.” I usually have to ask for more information and to dig deep with my client. Which that’s fine with me but not every developer you hire is good at that. Now that you understand the importance of asking the questions I’ll get to them.

The Essentials

1. How long have you been using this technology? Can you also show me the back-end of the sites that you have developed with that technology? It’s not just important to check the person’s track record but also how well he can explain it?
   
   Meaning if the developer used a CMS such as “WordPress” how well can he/she explain the plugins that were used. Even better how can the developer explain it to you in simple, plain English to where you can understand. If you can understand the back-end of how the site works then most likely you could make changes yourself. Making your own changes in return saves money for you, and saves you the hassle of running that developer down to make changes. Trust me a good developer will be able to somewhat train you on the quick and easy things you can update.
2. Can you develop a responsive website?
   
   Hopefully, I can get you to see a pattern in a second. What comes next is to be shown an example. The majority of the time your questions should be visually proven. Now having a responsive site means the website is mobile friendly. A mobile-friendly website can be described like such: words aren’t chopped off, everything still fits the screen and looks smooth, all media is resized properly, and all functionality remains in the webpage. It is the 21st century and by now all websites should be responsive. Unfortunately, that really isn’t the case. So it is good to make sure your website fits the description above.
3. What other plans do you offer? Maintenance? Hosting? Service plan? Another extra cost?
   
   Now we are getting deep into what you are getting or possibly able to get. Don’t be surprised by being charged a maintenance fee for keeping your site up to date. Sometimes that information isn’t disclosed it’s up to you to get clarification on any extra service plans.
4. What are your pricing details? Is it hourly or a flat-fee?
   
   It’s obviously important to know what you are buying into and the cost. Not only that but you should ask how often projects go over budget? Also if there are multiple payment options.
5. What procedure do you have for billing extended features or work outside the project’s initial build?
   
   It’s often to make changes or adjustments in the middle of development. There is one sneaky thing that comes along with that, raised prices you didn’t see coming. It’s a widely known practice tactic to start with a low-budget, and lack of project scope or details. Once the project starts rolling companies or individual designers/developers will jack up prices based on each change. You finally end up with a hit on your head with a price heavier than your mortgage. Well, I hope it wouldn’t be that bad but you get the point. To ensure this doesn’t happen to make the developer be honest up-front and fully evaluate the entire project before starting.
6. What is the estimated time to finish the site? (Please ask this!)
   
   This is very important for multiple reasons. One because time is money and everyone must be on the same page when it comes to money and time. Two, forcing this question on the developer will make he or she have no choice but to carefully review everything. Three, you establish an agreement up-front that the developer must deliver on unless a plausible excuse is presented. It also makes both parties responsible for bringing all information and tools up-front. The result is that everyone is happy and no one’s “time” is wasted.
7. How do you see the return of investment of the website? Or…. Where are the statistics of the site?
   
   For obvious reasons, you must know this. You need to know if you got a great ROI or for simpler terms you need to know if, “you got your money’s worth.” It doesn’t feel good to finally think you got the right work done yet you are left uneasy. Why? Simply because you honestly don’t know if all that time and money paid off. Make sure the designer/developer lets you know the results you should expect and where you can view stats yourself. The next question could have been number one if this was in order. However, it should be an obvious question to ask.
8. How many clients have you had?
   
   Where is your social proof or testimonials? You have to know if you are really getting some serious value for your bucks. Now, of course, you have to know from others the credibility the developer has. It’s good to know how many people are satisfied, or maybe not so much, with the developers work.
9. Can you walk me through everything?
   
   That includes the design/development process.Now, a great developer should automatically walk you through everything. Other times you may have to ask. If you have to ask that could mean this isn’t the person or company for you. It also could mean nothing bad at all. It’s your call. However, what I do know is that you must be insured and comfortable. The only way those things can be achieved is by being exposed to each and every step.
10. Will I have access to any files?
    
    Now, you may need to have the internal files. One just in case you need someone else to fix the mess the developer made. Also, if you want to back out imagine the pain of not owning any media, or design files. Ask this question up-front.