Tips for Hiring a Website Developer

Creating a website, microsite, or app involves several stages, from conception to launch. However, for a channel to deliver good results, much more than a good idea is needed. It needs “something extra,” like a recipe that depends on good ingredients to win people over.

The estimated final cost of a website varies depending on several factors, such as whether you choose a basic business website, a blog, or a complex website with advanced systems and integrations.

The number of inquiries and quote requests for launching an online store, creating a business website, or starting a blog has tripled in recent months. And that’s where the danger lies! Lots of demand, lots of options, and a lack of information. After all, how much does a website cost? How do you evaluate a proposal when prices range from nothing at all to R$ 150,000 to build an e-commerce site?

In this article, I share some tips on what to look out for when hiring a company and how to compare the services on offer.

So, how much does a website cost?

Hiring a company to develop your digital project, whether it’s a website, online store, app, portal, blog, or something else, can feel a little daunting. Investment levels vary significantly among providers in this field, depending on several factors that can be difficult for clients to assess, either because they don’t have access to the information or lack the necessary knowledge.

There are many types of companies that provide this kind of service. These range from digital agencies with a somewhat broader scope, including digital marketing strategies, to digital production companies (web production companies, technology production companies) that specialize in developing web and mobile projects.

So it’s perfectly understandable to have questions. To help answer them, we’ve put together 10 questions to ask before deciding who will develop your project:

I like your quote, but your price is much lower than your competitors’. I’d like to understand why.

A project, such as a website, is developed based on the number of hours all the professionals working on it will need. Companies usually have an hourly rate for this type of project. They multiply the total number of hours by the hourly rate to arrive at a final quote. For example, 160 project hours at an hourly rate of R$ 100.00 comes to R$ 16,000.00.

At this first stage, the main things to look at are:

• How many hours each provider estimated for the same project;
• The hourly rate charged by each provider;
• Whether the project scope (what the company you hire will do) is the same in all the quotes. If it isn’t, understand how the differences in scope affect the price, whether the scope is larger or smaller;
• The company’s location is also worth considering. After all, a company based in the city of São Paulo has higher costs than one based in the interior of Brazil’s Northeast;

What should I look out for when signing a website development contract?

This is a broad topic, but here are some important tips that I believe are essential from the client’s perspective:

• Find out who owns the source code, you or the company you’re hiring. If the company owns the source code, you’ll lose the project if you cancel the contract. This can sometimes be a strategic choice for cost reasons, but it’s important to be aware of it. This type of sales model is called software leasing;
• Check whether the company offers a post-project warranty period;
• Check its support hours and response times for questions, incidents, bugs, errors, and service outages (SLA);
• Check whether the company complies with, or is working to comply with, the LGPD, Brazil’s General Data Protection Law;
• Understand the termination clauses if the contract ends after the project is complete or even while the project is underway;
• If the project includes monthly maintenance, check the annual adjustment rates;

When hiring a company, if it’s a digital production company, can I negotiate directly or should I hire through an agency?

Whether to hire directly depends on the type of project, your internal team structure, and your future goals for the project.

Hiring a production company through a digital agency helps ensure continuity in your digital strategies.

An agency looks beyond the website to consider your entire digital strategy. Ask yourself: Do I have an internal team that can deliver high-quality content? Do I have professionals available for meetings, approvals, and sound decision-making? And last but not least, is there someone at the company who is aligned with all the other digital strategies and can ensure that the channel being developed brings it closer to its audience and strengthens its brand? If the answer is no, hire an agency.

Times are tough, and I don’t have enough money to invest. Is it better to arrange an installment plan or hire a temporary free website?

Times of crisis are exactly when we need to think about investment and innovation. After all, how can we get out of a crisis without changing the way things are done? A well-built website is a 24-hour showcase for your business and deserves the right investment. Negotiate with providers, perhaps extending the project timeline a little, but don’t create a temporary free website or ask your nephew to do it. This could damage your brand’s reputation, and once that happens, rebuilding it will cost more.

In practice, what could happen if I hire the wrong company?

A poorly developed project can have several negative effects, including:

• Damage to your brand because it fails to delight customers;
• A website that doesn’t work properly on all devices, especially mobile phones (mobile version);
• A website that doesn’t generate enough engagement to make customers want to call or fill out a contact form;
• Lower or ineffective rankings on Google and other search engines;
• Being stuck, or unable to move forward, with improving the website’s features and functionality through continuous development;

How can I tell whether the company I’m hiring is reliable?

There are a few tips that can help, but it’s difficult to say for sure whether a company is reliable. What we can do is try to minimize the risk of making the wrong choice. Here are a few suggestions:

• Check how long the company has been in business;
• If possible, visit its office in person;
• Talk to the employees who will be working on the project;
• Ask for client references;
• Check whether the company has complaints on websites or any ongoing lawsuits;
• Check whether the contract is well written and includes clauses that protect both parties, the client and the provider;
• Check whether the company has certifications;
• Check whether it participates in associations related to its industry;

What additional costs should I factor in?

For a small project, in addition to development, you’ll need to account for:

• Buying your website domain (for example: www.seusite.com.br). The price varies depending on the domain, with annual costs of around R$ 50.00;
• Hosting, which costs between R$ 50.00 and R$ 150.00 per month;

In addition to these costs, it’s a good idea to have a website maintenance contract. The cost will vary depending on the company’s hourly rate. A simple website needs at least about 4 hours of maintenance per month. If the hourly rate is R$ 100.00, the cost will be R$ 400.00 per month.

How long does development usually take?

This is another difficult question to answer because it depends on each company’s expertise and the type of project. However, a “one-page” website, meaning a site with just one page and several sections, would take around 40 hours of design and development work.

Do I need to have a visual identity developed before hiring someone to build my website?

Ideally, yes. I’d even consider it a prerequisite, because having a defined visual identity makes it easier to create a complete brand experience. However, if you don’t have a full visual identity guide, the company building your website can often use your logo, an assessment of your market, and your goals to create a website that fits your company’s identity.

Website, Google, or social media? Where should I invest?

The right answer is: in everything. Each plays a role, and they complement one another as part of a digital marketing strategy.

• Google will bring visitors to your website;
• Social media will create a channel for communicating and interacting with your audience;
• Your website will be the focal point for attracting potential customers, from Google and social media;